Personal Statement....please help !
Discussion
I'll try to keep this short whilst still giving you a bit of background. This is one for people in HR or are employers who may be able to offer a word or two of advice.
I don't want to get into bother with my employer should anyone from work be reading this - but I do think I'm entitled to ask for some advice.
I have been in my position for 15 years - my first proper job since leaving college and was taken on as the first scientific member of the department. The department has since grown and I feel I have been a big part in that - training people up etc etc. We started with me and 1 other - now a department of 15 in total. I missed out on promotion a number of years ago. Over the last 5 years my health has been very poor - 2 major operations and nearly 2 out of the last 5 years off work due to the ops. I will be getting a third late this/early next year - a major one with a long recovery time. I'm now back at work p/t 4 days a week.
Over the last couple of years my employer has been going through a moderisation process. This process has now reached the selection process. New managers have been brought in to do this process - people who don't know me personally. I promise I'm not blowing my own trumpet - but I am good at my job and look after colleagues - i.e I think about the people who are doing certain tasks - offer help/advice etc. Whilst others, when they are quiet (workwise), are happy to sit at their desk doing nothing - I go and find things to do and always have done since I'm used to being busy.
Very soon my current post will no longer exist - they are basically merging two depts into one and there are a few new posts. When I was originally employed you only needed a pretty basic scientific qualification ( in my case 2 years at college ). You now need a good degree to do what I currently do.
We all have to apply for these new posts - in the qualification part of the new job description you need a good degree - or equivalent experience ( i fall into the latter I guess ).
The selection process is the usual thing - scoring exercise (apart from management which I won't be applying for). Part of the scoring is the application form for the relevant post you want - you can pick a couple of jobs. With my qualification and experience I can only apply for one (my current post is very specialised - the new posts are more generic (as two depts into one).
The form itself is relatively straightforward and doesn't really phase me. However, the first part is a personal statement about why you should get the post you are applying for - now after having spent 2 years out of the last 5 off ill ( only been back at work since Jan this year) my confidence is pretty low - a few things have changed and I asked to be retrained in a few areas - I asked this because I don't want to mess up. My fear is that some people are very good at making themselves look good on paper - they all have good degree's and have experience elsewhere before coming to my present employer. As I said earlier this was my first real job since leaving college and I haven't had to fill in app forms for years now.
Can I simply ask ( after giving you all the info I think you may need - without getting myself into bother !) what key words will someone from HR and the new manager - who doesn't know me personally - want to see? Anyone of the lazy people at work can lie on paper and say they do this and that - think of their colleagues - good team players etc - when in reality they don't !
So can anyone offer advice about a personal statement? It will be someone who does't know the role or the person scoring and part of the scoring is what you write in this statement.
Sorry for the long post - just trying to give a bit of background into why I need a bit of help - basically others look better on paper than me because of qualifications/other experience. Also - my absences have been of a serious nature and they are covered by the equality act 2010.
Thanks for reading/offering any words of help.
Cheers.
I don't want to get into bother with my employer should anyone from work be reading this - but I do think I'm entitled to ask for some advice.
I have been in my position for 15 years - my first proper job since leaving college and was taken on as the first scientific member of the department. The department has since grown and I feel I have been a big part in that - training people up etc etc. We started with me and 1 other - now a department of 15 in total. I missed out on promotion a number of years ago. Over the last 5 years my health has been very poor - 2 major operations and nearly 2 out of the last 5 years off work due to the ops. I will be getting a third late this/early next year - a major one with a long recovery time. I'm now back at work p/t 4 days a week.
Over the last couple of years my employer has been going through a moderisation process. This process has now reached the selection process. New managers have been brought in to do this process - people who don't know me personally. I promise I'm not blowing my own trumpet - but I am good at my job and look after colleagues - i.e I think about the people who are doing certain tasks - offer help/advice etc. Whilst others, when they are quiet (workwise), are happy to sit at their desk doing nothing - I go and find things to do and always have done since I'm used to being busy.
Very soon my current post will no longer exist - they are basically merging two depts into one and there are a few new posts. When I was originally employed you only needed a pretty basic scientific qualification ( in my case 2 years at college ). You now need a good degree to do what I currently do.
We all have to apply for these new posts - in the qualification part of the new job description you need a good degree - or equivalent experience ( i fall into the latter I guess ).
The selection process is the usual thing - scoring exercise (apart from management which I won't be applying for). Part of the scoring is the application form for the relevant post you want - you can pick a couple of jobs. With my qualification and experience I can only apply for one (my current post is very specialised - the new posts are more generic (as two depts into one).
The form itself is relatively straightforward and doesn't really phase me. However, the first part is a personal statement about why you should get the post you are applying for - now after having spent 2 years out of the last 5 off ill ( only been back at work since Jan this year) my confidence is pretty low - a few things have changed and I asked to be retrained in a few areas - I asked this because I don't want to mess up. My fear is that some people are very good at making themselves look good on paper - they all have good degree's and have experience elsewhere before coming to my present employer. As I said earlier this was my first real job since leaving college and I haven't had to fill in app forms for years now.
Can I simply ask ( after giving you all the info I think you may need - without getting myself into bother !) what key words will someone from HR and the new manager - who doesn't know me personally - want to see? Anyone of the lazy people at work can lie on paper and say they do this and that - think of their colleagues - good team players etc - when in reality they don't !
So can anyone offer advice about a personal statement? It will be someone who does't know the role or the person scoring and part of the scoring is what you write in this statement.
Sorry for the long post - just trying to give a bit of background into why I need a bit of help - basically others look better on paper than me because of qualifications/other experience. Also - my absences have been of a serious nature and they are covered by the equality act 2010.
Thanks for reading/offering any words of help.
Cheers.
I suspect they will want to see your achievements. That's what I'd be looking for anyway.
Everybody is (allegedly) a great team player, hard working, etc. But not everybody will have made a real difference. I would focus on what you've actually achieved, in tangible terms. Unless they want to make it a writing competition, they should be caring about what you bring to the company rather than how cleverly you've worded a bunch of generic statements.
I like reading things like "increased productivity by x% by implementing process xyz" / "implemented new features in product y, enabling participation in new markets worth £abc/pa" etc.
If you feel you need training, I would point out real evidence of where you've rapidly picked up new skills in the past, and used them to benefit the company.
Just my opinion.
Everybody is (allegedly) a great team player, hard working, etc. But not everybody will have made a real difference. I would focus on what you've actually achieved, in tangible terms. Unless they want to make it a writing competition, they should be caring about what you bring to the company rather than how cleverly you've worded a bunch of generic statements.
I like reading things like "increased productivity by x% by implementing process xyz" / "implemented new features in product y, enabling participation in new markets worth £abc/pa" etc.
If you feel you need training, I would point out real evidence of where you've rapidly picked up new skills in the past, and used them to benefit the company.
Just my opinion.
Keep it short and sharp, but in a stlye that represents your own work style. Ask yourself why you would hire you and write from the heart, demonstrating the emotional intelligence I sense you have, and highlight where you have made an impact, where you have made a real difference. Happy to make comment on a draft if you want to PM me. Good luck!
rog007 said:
Keep it short and sharp, but in a stlye that represents your own work style. Ask yourself why you would hire you and write from the heart, demonstrating the emotional intelligence I sense you have, and highlight where you have made an impact, where you have made a real difference. Happy to make comment on a draft if you want to PM me. Good luck!
I agree, and will add to the above advice, get it proof read, there's a couple of little mistakes in your post that might get negative attention.rog007 said:
Keep it short and sharp, but in a stlye that represents your own work style. Ask yourself why you would hire you and write from the heart, demonstrating the emotional intelligence I sense you have, and highlight where you have made an impact, where you have made a real difference. Happy to make comment on a draft if you want to PM me. Good luck!
I may take you up on that - we have to keep it short - no more than 400 words.Cheers.
Craphouserat said:
Thanks guys - very helpful.
Luckily - or unluckily - my OH works in the same dept - so we can proof read each others.
Cheers all.
I daresay you will spot spelling mistakes, but watch out for correct apostrophe usage, and words that sound right, but aren't. For instance, you wrote 'phase' when you should have written 'faze'. Spelling checkers won't catch that sort of thing.Luckily - or unluckily - my OH works in the same dept - so we can proof read each others.
Cheers all.
singlecoil said:
I daresay you will spot spelling mistakes, but watch out for correct apostrophe usage, and words that sound right, but aren't. For instance, you wrote 'phase' when you should have written 'faze'. Spelling checkers won't catch that sort of thing.
well spotted ! seriously though I appreciate the advice. I am on a lot of drugs due to my health - a lot of opiate based painkillers so I do tend to spell a lot incorrectly/mix up my words....poor excuse I know but its all i got !!Cheers
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