How to write a personal statement for a CV in the UK

By Sophie · Published 5 November 2026

1. Put your personal statement for a CV in the right place

Place your profile directly below your name and contact details. It should come before your employment history or education, whichever section you have chosen to lead with. A straightforward heading such as Personal profile or Profile tells the reader what they are looking at.

Aim for three to five lines in the document you send. As a starting point, try roughly 40 to 70 words in one paragraph. The number of lines depends on the font and page width, so check the exported file as well as the version you edited.

A recruiter may scan the profile before deciding which parts of your CV to read closely. If you are applying for an administrator role, for example, an opening reference to maintaining records can direct attention towards the relevant duties in your work history. The profile should leave enough room for that supporting detail further down the page.

Including a profile is optional. It can be useful if your most recent job title does not immediately show why you are applying, or if you want to draw attention to a relevant course before the reader reaches your education section. An experienced applicant might use it to identify a particular area of work.

Keep contact details in their own section rather than repeating them in the paragraph. For help arranging the rest of the document, see our guide to UK CV formats.

2. Decide what to include in your personal profile

Start with the background that best explains your application. This might be your current occupation, a previous role or a course you have completed. Then choose a task you have carried out that relates to the vacancy. If a relevant qualification or tool is central to the work, you can include that too.

Your evidence does not have to come from paid employment. A volunteer who greeted visitors can describe that responsibility. A student who collected survey responses for a project can explain their own part in the work. Use the section below your profile to give the context.

Choose details you can explain if an employer asks about them. If you use a figure, make sure you know what it measures and that it is accurate. A total from a completed project may be helpful; a guessed percentage presented as a verified result is not.

Leave age and marital status out of the profile. If the application asks for your notice period, give it in the requested field or explain it in your covering email. You can check your contract if you are unsure what notice applies. The space at the top of your CV is better used to introduce your relevant work.

3. Choose evidence from the job advert

Read the duties before you write. Mark the tasks that appear important to the role, then find evidence from your own experience that relates to them. Pay attention to essential requirements as well as desirable ones, particularly where the employer asks for a qualification or registration.

Suppose an advert for a receptionist mentions handling telephone enquiries and updating appointment records. Someone moving from retail might have answered calls and recorded customer requests. Those tasks deserve more space in the profile than duties that have little connection to reception work.

Fictional applicant Priya has dealt with calls in her shop role and is applying for a front desk vacancy. Her profile could begin:

Retail assistant who handles telephone enquiries and records customer requests for follow-up. Used to explaining next steps to customers and passing queries to the right colleague. Seeking a front desk role with responsibility for enquiries.

Priya can describe the retail role in her employment section, giving the employer somewhere to check the context. She should only mention appointment booking if she has actually done it. If she has not used the employer’s booking system, she can discuss how she would learn it if asked.

Use the employer’s terms when they accurately describe your work. Naming a particular database may help the reader identify relevant experience, but only include it if you have used it. Where an essential requirement is missing, check the application guidance and consider whether you can explain your circumstances accurately. Do not imply that a course or registration is complete when it is still in progress.

4. Write your personal statement for a CV in three to five lines

Open with a concise description of your background. Follow it with a sentence showing what you have done that relates to the role. If your intended direction is not obvious, use the final sentence to name the kind of work you are seeking.

You can write in the first person or leave out repeated uses of “I”, as many UK CVs do. Keep your choice consistent within the paragraph. Use the present tense for duties you still carry out and the past tense for a role that has ended.

Fictional applicant Ben works in an office and wants a post with more responsibility for scheduling. His profile might read:

Office assistant who maintains meeting calendars and updates records of incoming requests. Arrange rooms for team meetings and let colleagues know when schedules change. Seeking an administrator role with a focus on coordination.

The employment section can explain the size of the team Ben supports and the system he uses, provided those details are relevant. If his manager makes the final scheduling decisions, his wording should reflect his supporting role.

Read the paragraph aloud once. Replace broad claims with actions the reader can picture. If you describe yourself as organised, explain what you organise instead. If a sentence needs several clauses to make sense, move some context into the relevant job entry.

Once you have a draft, check it in the actual CV layout. A paragraph that looks short in an editing window may take up more space when the document is exported.

5. CV personal statement examples for different situations

These examples describe fictional applicants. Use their structure as a starting point, then replace every detail with something you have actually done.

School leaver applying for retail work

Maya helped at a local community event:

School leaver who welcomed visitors and answered questions at a community event. Helped prepare the venue and worked with other volunteers during the day. Seeking a retail assistant role serving customers.

Maya can add the event under volunteering and explain when it took place. The employer can see how her experience relates to dealing with the public, even though it was unpaid.

Career changer moving into administration

Owen has worked in hospitality and completed a spreadsheet course:

Hospitality team member experienced in handling reservations and updating shift records. Completed an introductory spreadsheet course and used spreadsheets to record booking changes. Seeking an administrative role involving scheduling.

Owen can identify the course in his education section. His job entry can explain which booking records he maintained and who used them.

Personal profile CV example for a return to work

Leila previously worked in accounts support and has recently refreshed her skills:

Accounts assistant with previous experience processing invoices and responding to supplier enquiries. Recently completed a spreadsheet refresher course. Seeking a part-time role supporting an accounts team.

Leila does not need to disclose private circumstances in this paragraph. If she wants to explain a career break, she can decide how much detail to give elsewhere in the application.

Experienced applicant

Fictional applicant Daniel is applying for a reception post:

Receptionist who manages appointment diaries and responds to telephone enquiries. Maintain confidential records and direct visitors to the appropriate member of staff. Seeking a reception role in a healthcare setting.

Daniel’s work history should show where he gained that experience. For more ways to describe relevant duties, see our guide to receptionist skills for a CV.

6. Check the profile against the rest of your application

Read the finished paragraph alongside your employment and education sections. Check that job titles and qualifications are accurate. If the profile says you supervised a task, the corresponding job entry should make your responsibility clear. Change the wording if you supported someone else rather than leading the work.

Review the profile for each application. A candidate applying for both reception and administration posts might emphasise calls in one version and records in the other. Both versions should remain faithful to the same underlying experience. Save each submitted CV so you know which version the employer has seen.

Give your covering letter a different job to do. It can explain why you want to work for that employer and develop an example from your CV. If an application form asks you to address a requirement, answer it in the space provided rather than assuming the recruiter will find the answer in your profile.

Check the final file for readable spacing and unexpected line breaks. Follow the employer’s instructions on file type and submission. If an online form has a separate field for availability, put your notice period there rather than using profile space for it.

You can use the CV checker to review your CV against a job advert, then decide which changes reflect your experience. For wider guidance on finding work and applying for jobs, see GOV.UK.

Keep a profile you can update

Keep a working copy of your CV with fuller notes about your responsibilities and training. When you find a suitable vacancy, you can return to those notes rather than trying to remember every detail from scratch. Keep any supporting evidence, such as course certificates, somewhere you can find it.

It may help to save separate profile drafts for different types of work. Before using one, check that the role it names is still the one you want and that any reference to current duties is up to date. A task from an old job may need a change of tense, while a newly completed course may be worth adding.

Give the paragraph one final read in the document you intend to submit. If it takes up too much room, move the extra detail into the relevant section below. Keep the opening focused on information you can support and discuss with an employer. The recruiter can then use it as a guide to the rest of your CV.