Supporting or personal statements on application forms for jobs.

Typically used when (but not limited to), applying for jobs in public sector organisations such as local government, NHS, Universities etc.

The application form may ask the usual questions about your education and work or volunteer experience and then the form will typically ask you to “provide information in support of your application”. It is expected that you will fill this in, do not rely on an uploaded CV and or the job / education history section to provide this information.

A personal statement is a little like an extended cover letter and should normally cover not only how you match the required skills and experience but also your motivation and interest in the employer and the role.

Prepare

  • Write your statement using word and once completed paste it into the online form. This will enable you to control word length and structure.
  • Read the applicant pack / website carefully. Organisation mission / about us information, job or role description, person specification, company values.
  • Go further: Research the company from a client / customer point of view. What can you find out to give relevant context you your application. E.g. Do they work with a particular client group - have you worked with a similar type of customer- what are their unique needs or views, how might you have encountered this in the past?
  • Take a highlighter and mark key skills / attributes mentioned accross all the information. If one skill is mentioned a lot then it's probably high priority.

Length

  • There may be a limit on length, read the instructions carefully.
  • Unless otherwise stated aim for around 1-2 pages of A4.
  • The ideal length may depend on any other questions asked on the application and how you structure your statement. Using headings and addressing individual aspects of the person specification will take up more space.

Structure

  • The key to answering these questions well is to use a good structure.
  • A detailed job description and or person specification is provided for most jobs. Usually you should address every point on the specification.
  • You could follow the order and/or sub headings they have used as this will make it easy for them to review your application and to see that you have the essential or desirable skills needed for the job.
  • If you are short on space you can group skills or attributes together to make it easier to show how you have used all of them in one example. Eg. Communication. This is not one skill as it can encompass, written and verbal skills, in a variety of media and with different types of people.

Content

  1. Say why you are interested in this organisation and department / team within the organisation. The employer will want to see that you understand what makes their organisation different, and that you understand the products, services, clients, projects your team works on or with.
  2. Why are you interested in this particular role? Show where your interest and motivation has come from, and that you understand the realities of the role.
  3. Then take each point on the job description in turn and using the CAR structure provide examples of your ability to perform these tasks. You can use examples from your previous jobs, volunteering, extra-curricular activities or from course work to do this.
  4. Deal with one topic at a time and do not return to it (otherwise the answer appears repetitive).

Common mistakes

  • Not talking about your personal reasons / motivation for wanting to work in this role/company. Simply copying information from their website is not enough.
  • Missing key aspects of the job descrption.
  • Talking about skills or experience which do not relate to the job description.
  • Not keeping to the point. Use your CAR structure to stay concise.
  • Not explaining how you used a skill or your actions made an impact. Claiming to have a skill is not enough.
  • Poor spelling and grammar (less common now as many applicants pass applications through AI)
  • Overly verbose or unusual use of language (AI has a habit or writing in a way that sounds unnatural)

Next: Application form FAQs