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Your CV is designed to do one thing and one thing only: to get you an interview. Yet the average recruiter will only spend between 20 to 30 seconds glancing at your CV. This means you need to make an impression quickly and sell yourself. Your personal statement is your first opportunity to do just that. Its aim is to highlight your professional attributes and goals, emphasising why the recruiter should continue reading the rest of your CV. Aim to use no more than 50 words, making each sentence a key selling point. It is important that your statement doesn’t simply tell a potential new employer what you have done or what you would like to do. It should also avoid a list of unquantifiable skills. Instead, link your skills to why you are the best person for the job. Instead of saying that you are a ‘good communicator,’ say that you use your excellent communication skills to attract and retain high profile clients. Here are a few ways to help you identify your unique selling points: What are your skills? Put yourself in the shoes of your clients. The image that you have of yourself may differ from the image that you project. What skills do you have that are highly desired by clients, and hence your potential employer? You may find a skill that is highly regarded and desired by others. What benefit do you bring? Employers don’t just buy skills. They buy solutions. How can you make the company money, save the company money, and resolve the problems that they have? By thinking in depth about your skills and abilities, you may realise more benefits that you are especially proficient at providing. What are the employer's needs, and can you meet them? Don’t just list your unique selling points – emphasise them by showing your experience or success. Detail the amount of money you have saved past employers or the value of projects in which you contributed. The employer can see the return on investment if you are hired. Advertising agencies are paid large sums of money to create headlines that grab their audience’s attention. They use language that explains the benefits that you, as a consumer, will have if you purchase their product. Take a look at your CV and read it out loud to yourself. Imagine it was a television advertisement – would you buy the product? Source: Monster.co.uk Monster is the world’s leading provider of online recruitment services, operating in 56 countries. It has over 75 million registered users worldwide. 75% of Monster Finland is owned by Alma Media, one of the largest media companies in Finland, and 25% is owned by Monster Inc. The business started in 1998, and in ten years the internet has become the most popular recruiting channel, causing Monster Finland to become the market leader with over 60% of the total online recruitment business. In 2007 Monster Finland’s turnover grew 47% in comparison to 2006.
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