Highlight Your Passions
Express your qualifications, goals, strengths, and experiences confidently.
A personal statement, or statement of purpose, often takes the place of a cover letter. While a personal statement can include why an organization should hire you, it focuses more on highlighting who you are, why you are passionate about a specific field, and what you hope to gain from the experience.
Personal Statement Structure
Address the guiding question with anecdotes of your past experiences.
Begin with a “hook” opening that grabs the reader’s attention. This is often an experiential anecdote that ties in to the main focus of your statement. Make sure to mention the specific position or program name and organization name here.
- Emphasize your strengths and field-related passions.
- Articulate the skills, experience, and personal qualities you will bring to the position or program.
- Demonstrate how the position or program connects to your long-term goals.
- Indicate why you are drawn to the organization and/or type of work.
Tie together the various points you have discussed in your statement, and re-emphasize your enthusiasm.
All Show, No Tell
Draw from specific examples of your experiences. Use clear, direct language.
- Include detailed anecdotes and examples of experiences you discuss in your statement.
- Ground your claims in experiences that demonstrate those qualities of yourself.
- At the same time, strike the right tone: be confident, but not boastful. Avoid exaggerations and clichés.
- Your personal statement should be more personable than a cover letter, but still professional.
- Additionally, it should tell the reader something about you that isn’t necessarily obvious from your resume.