Help with CV personal statement
Discussion
Can you please help with my personal statement at the top of my CV?
The second paragraph tries to explain what I have been doing since Feb and make it look productive.
Any help much appreciated.
I have been working in IT since I graduated with a degree in Computer Science in 1998. Specialising in UNIX and Oracle systems, I have tested many complex applications including retail banking software, content management systems, fraud detection software, digital television software and network performance reporting tools. I am a fast learner with strong technical skills.
After finishing my testing role at Barclays in February 2009, I travelled independently around Cuba. I travelled from Havana to Santaigo de Cuba stopping off at Trinidad then returned to Havana via Cienfuegos. It was a challenging trip especially since I do not speak Spanish.
From summer 2009 I have been volunteering at Green Gym. Green Gym (BTCV) is an organisation who operates in Camden working to improve the environment. As a volunteer, I have worked on many projects including seeding a meadow, building pathways in wooded areas and creating a nature garden for a children’s charity.
The second paragraph tries to explain what I have been doing since Feb and make it look productive.
Any help much appreciated.
I have been working in IT since I graduated with a degree in Computer Science in 1998. Specialising in UNIX and Oracle systems, I have tested many complex applications including retail banking software, content management systems, fraud detection software, digital television software and network performance reporting tools. I am a fast learner with strong technical skills.
After finishing my testing role at Barclays in February 2009, I travelled independently around Cuba. I travelled from Havana to Santaigo de Cuba stopping off at Trinidad then returned to Havana via Cienfuegos. It was a challenging trip especially since I do not speak Spanish.
From summer 2009 I have been volunteering at Green Gym. Green Gym (BTCV) is an organisation who operates in Camden working to improve the environment. As a volunteer, I have worked on many projects including seeding a meadow, building pathways in wooded areas and creating a nature garden for a children’s charity.
I agree - what you've been doing since Feb should go in a covering letter.
My personal statement basically says;
I know what I'm talking about via both education and experience. I have product specific and general industry knowledge. I work hard and thrive under pressure. I am grate at verbal and ritten comunicashun and can deal with people at all levels.
In fact, f
k it. Here's mine. It's gets me lots of interviews and plenty of jobs over the past few years.
I am an experienced analyst programmer with extensive exposure to the full project life cycle/software development life cycle (initiation, requirements gathering, development and implementation). My product knowledge coupled with a strong sense of professionalism and an ability to pick things up quickly makes me an excellent candidate.
I have excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong relationship building and interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate easily with people at all levels. I am able to work under, and respond to, high-pressure situations.
My skills have been developed through both education and experience and provide me with an excellent basis for working in the most demanding of situations.
It's basically a couple of paragraphs saying what people want to hear. I don't mention the specific technical skills in it because that goes in a bullet-point section above the personal statement.
My personal statement basically says;
I know what I'm talking about via both education and experience. I have product specific and general industry knowledge. I work hard and thrive under pressure. I am grate at verbal and ritten comunicashun and can deal with people at all levels.
In fact, f
k it. Here's mine. It's gets me lots of interviews and plenty of jobs over the past few years.I am an experienced analyst programmer with extensive exposure to the full project life cycle/software development life cycle (initiation, requirements gathering, development and implementation). My product knowledge coupled with a strong sense of professionalism and an ability to pick things up quickly makes me an excellent candidate.
I have excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong relationship building and interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate easily with people at all levels. I am able to work under, and respond to, high-pressure situations.
My skills have been developed through both education and experience and provide me with an excellent basis for working in the most demanding of situations.
It's basically a couple of paragraphs saying what people want to hear. I don't mention the specific technical skills in it because that goes in a bullet-point section above the personal statement.
As above, be concise in your personal statement. Landlord's is remarkably similar to mine, I wonder if we copied it from similar websites 
When I took a career break to travel, on my CV I have a one-liner in the appropriate 'slot' in my employment history.
ie
Employment History
Jan 09-present XYZ Inc
Jun-Dec 08 Career sabbatical travelling ABC countries
Jan-Jun 08 DEF Inc
When I took a career break to travel, on my CV I have a one-liner in the appropriate 'slot' in my employment history.
ie
Employment History
Jan 09-present XYZ Inc
Jun-Dec 08 Career sabbatical travelling ABC countries
Jan-Jun 08 DEF Inc
Personal statements?
Wtf?!
For some wet behind the ears newbie, recent grad student type then maybe, but graduating in 98 gives you 10yrs working!
If you have room on 2 sides of A4 for that waffle on a CV then frankly you cant have enough on your CV to mark you out as having done much of anything in your professional life. Anybody who wasted my time writing such crap on their CV Id throw their names straight in the bin.
Good grief. Do any of the people who dont have a job on here also persist in having this rubbish on their CVs? If so then I humbly suggest you might do your chances a world of good by getting rid of such crap from your CV.
Wtf?!
For some wet behind the ears newbie, recent grad student type then maybe, but graduating in 98 gives you 10yrs working!
If you have room on 2 sides of A4 for that waffle on a CV then frankly you cant have enough on your CV to mark you out as having done much of anything in your professional life. Anybody who wasted my time writing such crap on their CV Id throw their names straight in the bin.
Good grief. Do any of the people who dont have a job on here also persist in having this rubbish on their CVs? If so then I humbly suggest you might do your chances a world of good by getting rid of such crap from your CV.
I was gonna say, why bother, everyone says the same fluffy stuff thats in fashion at the time
stick to your work history and relevant qualifications IMO
Ive built a team of techies over the last 6 years, interviewing dozens and seeing hundreds of CVs along the way . Usually the most important things to read about are what they are doing now, have done, and who for. Then their qualifications.
Hobbies and personal statements can do more harm than good, give the wrong or right impression, depending on whose reading them and their viewpoint, keep them short n sweet or not at all IMO
stick to your work history and relevant qualifications IMO
Ive built a team of techies over the last 6 years, interviewing dozens and seeing hundreds of CVs along the way . Usually the most important things to read about are what they are doing now, have done, and who for. Then their qualifications.
Hobbies and personal statements can do more harm than good, give the wrong or right impression, depending on whose reading them and their viewpoint, keep them short n sweet or not at all IMO
bogie said:
I was gonna say, why bother, everyone says the same fluffy stuff thats in fashion at the time
stick to your work history and relevant qualifications IMO
Ive built a team of techies over the last 6 years, interviewing dozens and seeing hundreds of CVs along the way . Usually the most important things to read about are what they are doing now, have done, and who for. Then their qualifications.
Hobbies and personal statements can do more harm than good, give the wrong or right impression, depending on whose reading them and their viewpoint, keep them short n sweet or not at all IMO
Also, make sure there are no silly errors in there stick to your work history and relevant qualifications IMO
Ive built a team of techies over the last 6 years, interviewing dozens and seeing hundreds of CVs along the way . Usually the most important things to read about are what they are doing now, have done, and who for. Then their qualifications.
Hobbies and personal statements can do more harm than good, give the wrong or right impression, depending on whose reading them and their viewpoint, keep them short n sweet or not at all IMO
It's very easy to put a silly mistake in there, get someone else to read it through.I've rejected a CV just because of his "eclectic" choice of hobbies. It was he that used the word eclectic and they certainly weren't.
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