10 tips for writing a winning personal statement for your CV

10 tips for writing a winning personal statement for your CV10 tips for writing a winning personal statement for your CVAre you applying for a new role or looking for useful tips to spruce up your CV? While its somewhat easy to list down your work history and employment this isnt all that makes a CV stand out.A strong personal statement is what will give the recruiter the extra push to keep reading. Its a section of the document that many people struggle with, but its what you need to sell yourself, effectively.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWhat is a personal Statement for CV?Its the introductory paragraph at the top of your CV that persuades the recruiter to interview you. Its what some refer to as Personal profile or Career summary. Typically, the ideal word count ranges from 50 to 200 words. Since the CV is a self-marketing document, you should use this section to help the recruiter identify any strategic value youll add to their company.Its almost similar to a cover letter, but this time youll only use a few sentences to sell yourself. Below is how to go about itWriting Tips for an Interview-Winning Personal Statement for CV1. ResearchDepending on where you want to submit your CV, you may need to tailor it to a particular job specification. It also depends on the career path you want to take. For those not sure about which field they want to get into, you may leave out the personal statement section, all together.However, when applying for a specific job, you need to include the skills and expertise that the potential employer is looking for. 2. Introduce yourselfIts the opening part where you outline who you are. Perhaps, you are a recent graduate from X university, with a Y degree. If you already have experience in a specific field and are looking for a position in that industry, mention that.Theres some flexibility in the ideal grammatical person to write in, i.e., the first or third person. Choose what you are comfortable with and be consistent. For, the first person, try to limit using Is at the beginning of a sentence.3. Highlight your skills and strengthsThe next logical step after the introduction is to showcase what you can bring to the table. That is, what you have to offer the company. Highlight critical achievements that will make you stand out.Also, provide evidence to support your claims. Use the job spec to match the CV with the specific job you are applying to. If you feel intimidated by the process of crafting a winning personal statement, have not enough writing skills you can also get expert personal statement help.4. Address any breaksReasons for making the application to a particular position vary from one person to another. If you have a gap in your work experience, you can give reasons for the break. Also, include details on what youve been doing in that period.Draw from your volunteer experience if you d ont have particular professional expertise. Outline the skills you have acquired, too.5. Include your career goalsIts the section that addresses the question of how to end personal statement. It shows the recruiter that you are worth investing in time and money. An example of the closing statement isLooking to secure a position in the X industry for Y reasons.Dos and Donts of Personal Statement Writing1. Be specificAs much as you want to engage the reader, you should refrain from using lengthy descriptions. Keep your statements informative and punchy. Also, provide just enough evidence to hook the reader.2. Be realIt doesnt mean boring, in any case. Demonstrate to the recruiter who you are as a person and what you can offer the company. Highlight relevant qualities that make you unique and the application, noteworthy.3. Overusing buzzwordsExcessive use of buzzwords to reveal information about yourself can be off-putting. Instead, highlight your relevant skills and support them with evidence. Clichs also dont provide factual details about you. Keep them to a minimum.4. Replicating your cover letterThe two documents may have the same goals, but none should be a replica of the other. Otherwise, its a show of laziness.5. Irrelevant InformationWhatever is not related to the job specifications, needs to be left out. You may be an all-rounded person, but being a marathon runner isnt relevant to, say a marketing role. Unless you want to highlight some transferable skills.Final Advice on Writing a Personal Statement for CVRemember to proofread the details you include. You want the recruiter to view you as a professional and one who pays attention to detail. Also, ensure that your account has a natural flow.Do not ramble as you sell yourself. Stick to using the specified word count of 50 to 200 words. Before you sit down to write the personal statement, determine the skillset or requirements the recruiter is looking for in a specific role.Choose and highlight those that make you stand out. or, its the details which will persuade the recruiter to keep reading or put your application in the rejection pile. Make your efforts count.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

This is the best time to do anything 4 powerful secrets from research

This is the best time to do anything 4 powerful secrets from researchThis is the best time to do anything 4 powerful secrets from researchWe love to say timing is everything but often we sure as heck dont act like it. (Bookstores have an entire how to section but notlage a when to section.)As were going to find out, timing really can be everything. And often weve got it all wrong. Luckily, bestselling authorDan Pinkhas come to the rescue. His new book isWhen The Scientific Secrets of Perfect zeiteinteilung.Its loaded with information on the best time to do almostanything- including the best time to get married. (You might wanna tie the knot between 25 and 32.)FromWhen The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timingan American who weds at twenty-five is 11 percent less likely to divorce than one who marries at age twenty-four, according to analysis by University of Utah sociologist Nicholas Wolfinger. past the age of thirty-two even after controlling for religion, education, geographic loc ation, and other factors the odds of divorceincreaseby 5 percent per year for at least the next decade.And if youre already married, try and be extra nice in March and August - thats when divorce filings consistently shoot up.Ever have to give someone good news and bad news? Dan reports that you should deliver the bad newsbeforethe good news.FromWhen The Scientific Secrets of Perfect TimingSeveral studies over several decades have found that roughly four out of five people prefer to begin with a loss or negative outcome and ultimately end with a gain or positive outcome, rather than the reverse.Theres no way I could cover all the great insights in the book, so were going to focus on how to use Dans findings to be mora productive and effective during the day.All your hours are not created equal - not by a long shot.Do think-y stuff in the morningAnything requiring you to be at your most rational and analytical should be done early in the day. This is a very robust finding with mou ntains of studies to back it up.Researchers usually just present data - they dont often give explicit recommendations. But the writers of one paper Dan cites found their results so overwhelming they just came right out and told people what to do - make important decisionsearly.FromWhen The Scientific Secrets of Perfect TimingAn important takeaway from our study for corporate executives is that communications with investors, and probably other critical managerial decisions and negotiations, should be conducted earlier in the day.Maybe youre thinking, Meh. Im sure its not that big a deal if I wait until after lunch. Wrong.You might as well pound a few beers before sitting down to work - thats how big the performance difference can be.FromWhen The Scientific Secrets of Perfect TimingThe performance change between the daily high point and the daily low point can be equivalent to the effect on performance of drinking the legal limit of alcohol, according to Russell Foster, a neuroscie ntist and chronobiologist at the University of Oxford.And this jives with previous research.Dan Arielyof Duke University found that mornings really are magical for getting stuff doneit turns out that most people are productive in the first two hours of the morning. Not immediately after waking,but if you get upat 7 youll be most productive from around from 8-1030.You know what else Arielys research found? We usually waste most of that golden time with schmelzglas and Facebook. Bad. Mornings are when you want to handle your most important tasks.(To learn more about the science of a successful life, check out my bestselling bookhere.)So mornings are magic. But whats the latter half of the day good for?Afternoons are sluggish - but insightfulOne study found that 255PM is very likely the mostun-productive moment of your day.Researchers refer to mornings as the peak and afternoons as the trough. Youre probably thinking about how that negatively impacts your work.Well, dont just yetThink about how it affectsotherpeoples work. I, for one, am never going to a doctors office in the afternoon for the rest of my life.Anesthesiologists commit three times as many errors that result in patient harm during the latter half of the day. (Errors by a surgeon are pretty scary. Errors where somebody puts you to sleep and you never wake up areterrifying.)The number of studies that show just how much stupider and less in control we are during the afternoon is staggering.The No. 1 time for sleep-relatedcar accidents is, unsurprisingly, late at night when people are exhausted. Guess when No. 2 is? Not rush hour or morning commute when the most cars are on the road - its between 2PM and 4PM. All around the world.FromWhen The Scientific Secrets of Perfect TimingIn the United Kingdom, sleep-related vehicle accidents peak twice during every twenty-four-hour period. One is between 2AM and 6AM, the middle of the night. The other is between 2PM and 4PM, the middle of the afternoon. Researc hers have found the saatkorn pattern of traffic accidents in the U.S., Israel, Finland, France, and other countries.After the morning ends, were a bit of mess. But there is an upsideWhen your brain is tired, creativity jumps. Those misfiring neurons arent as rational but theyre much more likely to come up with new ideas.FromWhen The Scientific Secrets of Perfect TimingSome have called this phenomenon the inspiration paradox the idea that innovation and creativity are greatest when we are not at our best, at least with respect to our circadian rhythms.So you might want to come up with new plans in the afternoon - and execute them the next morning.(To learn the seven-step morning ritual that will make you happy all day, clickhere.)I know theres a group of people right now who are vigorously shaking their heads at all of the above I amnotsharper in the morning Im a zombie. Its takes four hours before my brain even departures working.Im not talking about the sleep-deprived (theyre a m ess all day long.) Im talking about night owls. And guess what? Theyre right.Strike that - reverse itIf youre a night owl, take everything I just said and reverse it.(Night owls who only read the very beginning of this post received somereallybad advice. I feel no guilt. Thats what you get for not reading to the end. Nyah.)Larks (early risers) and third birds (people who are neither extreme) peak in the morning, have a trough in the afternoon and then experience a period of recovery.For night owls, itsrecovery, trough, peak.FromWhen The Scientific Secrets of Perfect TimingIn short, all of us experience the day in three stages a peak, a trough, and a recovery. And about three-quarters of us (larks and third birds) experience it in that order. But about one in four people, those whose genes or age make them night owls, experience the day in something closer to the reverse order recovery, trough, peak.And sure enough, night owls get into more car accidents during their morning commu te.FromWhen The Scientific Secrets of Perfect TimingEven though its obviously more dangerous to drive at night, owls actually drive worse early in the day because mornings are out of synch with their natural cycle of vigilance and alertness.If youre a child of the night, plan creative tasks for the morning and critical thinking for the afternoon. And dont drive anywhere near where Im at until 2PM.(To learn how to stop being lazy and get more done, clickhere.)While very interesting, all this information can also be upsetting. If you have little control over your schedule, youre going to be doing a lot of stuff at suboptimal times. And if your job doesnt involve much creativity, is half the day just wasted?How do we turn that trough into more of a peak? The answer is simple take breaks. But whats really interesting is there is more than one schrift of break that we need.The two types of breaksYoure a night owl and youve got a big presentation at 9AM. Or youre a lark and its scheduled for 255PM, the Productivity Minute of Doom. This is when you need what Dan calls a vigilance break.Vigilance breaks arebrief pauses before high-stakes encounters to review instructions and guard against error.Stop what youre doing. Dont just barrel forward with your brain feeling like mush. Take a moment to review everything that needs to be done and how you need to do it. A checklist made during your peak hours can really help here.One year after the Veterans Hospital Administration implemented vigilance breaks for doctors they found that thesurgical mortality rate had dropped by 18%.Now if vigilance breaks are great for marshaling your defenses against errors, restorative breaks are what you need to recharge and improve performance.Instead of reviewing a checklist, you want to get some distance from your work and relax a bit.Students that take standardized tests during their trough perform worse than those who take them during their peak. But when allowed restorative breaks, the a fternoon group actually gotbetterscores than the morning students.FromWhen The Scientific Secrets of Perfect TimingDanish schoolchildren who take the tests in the afternoon score significantly worse than those who take the exams earlier in the day When the Danish students had a twenty-to-thirty-minute break to eat, play, and chat before a test, their scores did not decline. In fact, they increased.Whats the best restorative break? Combining the insights from many studies, Dan recommendsa short walk outside with a friend during which you discuss something other than work. And another study showed that the highest performers usually worked for 52 minutes and then took a 17 minute break.I know, I know it might not be realistic for everyone. In that case you want to make sure to maximize the break that is built into everyones schedule - lunch. It can be a big performance booster if done correctly.FromWhen The Scientific Secrets of Perfect TimingThe most powerful lunch breaks have two k ey ingredients autonomy and detachment. Autonomy exercising some control over what you do, how you do it, when you do it, and whom you do it with- is critical for high performance, especially on complex tasks Detachment both psychological and physical- is also critical. Staying focused on work during lunch, or even using ones phone for social media, can intensify fatigue according to multiple studies, but shifting ones focus away from the office has the opposite effect.If you leverage breaks properly, your trough can actually bemoreproductive than your peak.(To see the schedule that very successful people follow every day, clickhere.)Okay, weve learned quite a bit about how to be more productive. Lets round everything up and learn the best time to implement these changesSum upHeres the best time to get stuff doneThink-y stuff in the morning If youre reading this at midnight, youre breaking my heart.Afternoons are sluggish - but insightful Creativity peaks when you arent thinking straight.Night owl? Strike that - reverse itI wrote this post during the evening, but dont worry - Im a night owl. Hoot. Hoot.The two types of breaks Vigilance breaks are when you take a step back and review your checklist before an important moment. Restorative breaks are when you relax to recharge your dwindling batteries.Okay, ready to make some big changes in your schedule? Want to feel like youre making a fresh start? Dan has the right time for that as well.Yes, you could begin implementing all this tomorrow but the research shows we are actually more likely to follow through when we start on what are calledtemporal landmarks.These are natural turning points on the calendar when you can open a new mental account and feel like a new you. Best example is New Years Day, that time when most of us make resolutions - but its not the only one. There are two kinds social and personal.FromWhen The Scientific Secrets of Perfect TimingThe social landmarks were those that everyone shar ed Mondays, the beginning of a new month, national holidays. The personal ones were unique to the individual birthdays, anniversaries, job changes.So pick your temporal landmark and start fresh.Align your schedule with how your brain naturally works and time reallyison your side.Join more than 320,000 readers.Get a free weekly update via emailhere.Related postsNew Neuroscience Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You HappyNew Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More SuccessfulHow To Get People To Like You 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior ExpertThis article first appeared at Barking Up the Wrong Tree.

New RP Service Federal Resume and Announcement Review

New RP Service Federal Resume and Announcement ReviewNew RP Service Federal Resume and Announcement ReviewNew RP Service Federal Resume and Announcement Review April 22, 2019From Kathryn Troutman, Founder and President, Resume Place, Inc.To our valued federal resume customers,Ten Step Trainers and human resources specialists.NEW tafelgeschirr AT RP$99 Federal Resume and Announcement Review,Recommendations and Quote for Expert Federal Resume Writing See Sample Report Here+++ Formerly free since 2007 +++Since 2007, Resume Place has offered Free Estimates. This year, there has been an unprecedented number of free estimate requests for federal resume writing help. From 200 to 250 per month Because of the high volume of requests for quotes, we need to change our business process with the goal of continuing to provide a truly quality tafelgeschirr to our valued customers.WHY ARE THERE SO MANY INQUIRIES FOR HELP WITH FEDERAL RESUMES?The government is HIRING. More than 8,600 jobs poste d today on USAJOBSCurrent federal employees want to get promotions and they do not know how to write the latest federal resume for USAJOBS. They can get Referred but they have a very hard time getting the Interview without help.Contractors want a stable federal career, instead of the frequently changing contracts. The federal resume is VERY challenging for contractors. At the Resume Place, we can find the specialized experience required by a job announcement and feature that experience in your resume.Transitioning Military would love to have a great new stable career. They need a lot of help with their first federal resume, which involves translating the military terms into government terms, and then featuring the relevant experience.New Graduates want Pathways stelles great beginning careers. But the federal resume is VERY different than the typical new graduate 2-page resume.Military Spouses are seeking federal careers so that the sttte / career is moveable to multiple military installations. They need help with finding the needed experience in their part-time jobs and volunteer positions.Private Sector jobseekers want federal jobs because of the benefits, promotion potential, and salaries. But writing that first 3-5 page federal resume and understanding the USAJOBs announcements can be challenging.SO YOU CAN SEE WHY WE RECEIVE SO MANY REQUESTS FOR QUOTES FOR PROFESSIONAL FEDERAL RESUME WRITING.THE RESUME PLACE SOLUTION the $99 mini-consultation START HEREWe want to keep providing Resume and Announcement Reviews and Quotes. But the volume of requests means that we need to charge a modest fee to continue offering quality service.Customers who purchase the $99 package will receive a Federal Resume / Announcement Report that will analyze the qualifications required in a USAJOBS announcement and crosswalk that to their resume. We are dedicating Certified Federal Resume Writers to receive, analyze, and address these requests.The $99 will be applied to your fe deral resume writing service if you hire us to write your federal resumeWithin 2 days of the request, the customer will receiveA formal report the RP 11 Point CheckSheet providing an analysis of the target job and their resumeSpecific suggestions on what needs to be done to strengthen the resume to match the announcement (whether done by the jobseeker or the Resume Place)A quote for additional Resume Place service that may assist with the process of rewriting the resume.This $99 service provides a 30-minute technical, expert Federal human resources review and quote to improve your package and set the stage for you to get Best Qualified for the federal position you are targeting.Thank you for believing in Resume Place services. We appreciate your referrals and testimonials We are the leading Federal resume writing services in America the FIRST-EVER Federal Resume Writing Service. Our firm was established by Kathryn Troutman, who wrote the first-ever Federal resume guide Federa l Resume Guidebook, now in its 6th edition.Our Federal resume format is trusted and taught by every military service in our popular curriculum, Ten Steps to a Federal Job, and welcomed by Federal agency human resources specialists. Kathryn Troutmans Federal Resume Outline Format with keywords and accomplishments gets the attention of Human Resources specialists the first level of review your resume receives.OUR MISSIONWe strive to get our clients Best Qualified, Referred, Interviewed and Hired Lets get serious with your federal resumeRESUME PLACE QUALIFICATIONSWrote and published the first-ever book on federal resume writing Federal Resume Guidebook now in 6th Edition.Skilled in creating the best 5-page resume that will match the announcement, demonstrate the qualifications, keywords, KSAs, and core competenciesExpert knowledge of Federal human resources hiring practices and OPM Classification StandardsKnowledge of USAJOBS hiring practices, online questionnaires and required do cumentsSkilled in interviewing you for accomplishments, past performance and special projectsAbility to interview you about the important core competencies for the positionGetting results = Best Qualified, so youll be eligible to get Referred, selected for an interview and HIREDOrder the book hereThe Federal Resume Guidebook has set the standard for Federal Resume Writing since 1996.