Career change is one of the biggest catalysts of growth. Moreover, it’s also a safe landing pad when you outgrow your current position or sphere. Changing careers is common and helps professionals find more fulfilling opportunities. Making this professional shift requires you to prepare your documents, which include writing a personal statement for a career change.
What is a personal statement, and why do you need one when looking for a job? A job search personal statement is a type of paper where you can share why you’re interested in a position and why you’re a good fit. In your statement, you can get a little personal. Our essay writing service uses it as an opportunity to share details and insights about yourself, and forge a connection with potential employers. Here are some recommendations on how to write a successful personal statement that will help your job search.
Change of Career Personal Statement Basics
A personal statement can be included in your resume or CV. Much like an in-person elevator speech or the summary section in an abstract, a resume personal statement highlights your goals and abilities. Since a resume can span several pages, this allows you to present details to see in the document. You will want to write a few sentences for a personal statement in a resume.
Or, you may need to write a personal statement as part of a job application. This allows hiring managers to separate candidates applying for each job in a category (e.g., Apply for a “Production Manager” position) from more motivated candidates who are interested in the company.
Write a career change personal statement text that matches the word count requested by the application; if not, aim for 250-500 words. No matter where it appears, your goal in a personal statement is the same: try to connect your background and goals with the job at hand.
What You Should Include in Personal Statement for Career Change
In your personal statement for career change, you need to make a connection between you and the position. Think of it as a three-part process:
Share some details about yourself. Who are you? You can say things like “highly experienced production manager” or “recent graduate with honors.”
Highlight your most relevant experience and talents and share what you will bring to the company. Think: “strong, fast writer able to design advertising copy that engages and delights.” or “In my years as a project manager, I’ve never dropped a detail, won international awards for best team player. My projects come out on time and meet requested specifications.”
Provide a little information about your career goals. For example, “Seeking a position as a copywriter”; “Wanting to be placed in a mid-sized company as an audit supervisor” or “Seeking a production assistant position to develop my TV skills and testing.”
While this is called a personal statement, avoid oversharing. Only include information that is relevant to the job at hand. That’s if you’re applying for a job as an accountant, no need to mention your goal of becoming a staff writer in a magazine. Remember, the main purpose of your personal statement for a career change is to further your job search.
Tips for Writing a Job Search Personal Statement
Your change of career personal statement should always be personalized. It’s a mistake to reuse the same personal statement for every job you apply for. You don’t need to write a personal statement every time. Just make adjustments to reflect the company’s needs and the qualities requested in the job description.
Here are some other tips that our personal statement writing service follows:
- Know your audience. Target your personal statement to a specific position and company. Spend some time researching the company to get an idea of what they are looking for in a candidate. Decode the job description to understand the company’s needs in a candidate. Take notes on where your qualifications fit the position.
- Make some lists. What have you done that employers should know? Make a list of your accomplishments (and keep in mind that while splashy rewards are important, so is reorganizing a chaotic system that allows everyone in the family to make the experience friendly). Brainstorm a list of your talents as well as your soft, communication, and general skills.
- Go long on your first draft, then cut it. Hopefully your time spent thinking about the needs of the business and what you have to offer has given you plenty of fodder to start writing your personal statement. At this point, don’t worry about length; write as much as you want. Then, go back and edit-get a few sentences for a resume and about 250-500 words in an application. Cut out unnecessary words and clichés that add no meaning. Instead, use action verbs. While it’s fine to write in the first person, avoid using the “I” word.
- Make it focused. You have many skills and interests and work experience. What you want to emphasize in one position is not necessarily what you want to emphasize in another. If you are both a writer and an editor, choose which talent to name in your personal statement and make it the most relevant to the position you are seeking.
- Ask people who don’t know you to review your personal statement and comment (at least 5 people). This is not a matter of taking everyone’s comments into account. This is your personal statement and should reflect what you want to say, but it’s always helpful to get advice from people with different backgrounds, writing styles, etc.
Career Change Personal Statement Example
You can use any career change personal statement example below:
I am a seasoned accountant with X and X certifications and over 10 years of experience in large companies. Supervisory audits and a department. My positive attitude and detail-oriented mindset help make month-end financial recaps run smoothly without inaccuracies or miscalculations. Looking for a leadership role in my next aspiration.
Recent college graduate with freelance writing experience in major print magazines as well as online outlets and the college newspaper. A strong writer who consistently meets deadlines and matches the tone and voice of the company. Seeking a personal editor position and am eager to learn the magazine business from scratch.
I am an award-winning designer in children’s apparel looking to transition into the adult sports year. At Company X, I developed a new line for toddlers and traveled to Asia to oversee production. I am a quick learner and look forward to a new challenge in the growing field of athleisure.
Career Break Personal Statement Example
There might also appear a need for you to write a statement concerning your taking a long break from your work. It might be connected to your personal challenges like having a kid or being obliged to take care of your mental health. Regardless, you need the plan to go back into action, as your HR might not want to take in someone with a huge gap. This is not the end of the world, as you can still masterfully write a proper statement that highlights your positive moments, that motivates them to accept you in the team.
Start with picking the prominent roles that you’ve had experience with before. The important piece of advice here is not to get discouraged. Don’t think that you are worthless only because you took a break for a year or two. Show your confidence, insisting that past events led you to have lots of experience with a particular sphere. It’s always best to find the required documents that can confirm this experience, showing your acknowledgements properly. It’s essential to be exact with your dates, indicating that it’s true. Interestingly enough, you can include information on any kind of job, including volunteering. The only thing that matters is that it has to be connected with the position you are aiming for, especially if this is a recent activity.
Stating Your Positive Moments
In this career break personal statement example you can create two separate sections, stating your unique abilities and what you’ve attained throughout your career. You can find 100 reasons to be the most useful worker. It should be something that you enjoy about yourself. It can be a situation when you’ve helped your boss with cost-effective plans. Then you can go for the second section, stating the abilities that helped you overcome those obstacles, stating that you are more than ready to prove your worth. You can also talk more about your training and certificates that led you to be a decent worker.
It’s also worth reconsidering your strategy on explaining the gaps in your resume. First, try to show that your reason for leaving your previous position is a respectable one. You can refer to your family situation as a noble cause, but it is not always granted to work. Instead, try to pose it as a time you took for personal enrichment, seeking more experience for the sake of increasing your chances to succeed in a particular career. Also, you should remove smaller gaps in your CV. If you worked somewhere for a couple of months, then it doesn’t grant you a huge advantage. Instead, it shows your weakness, proving that you didn’t last there for long. HR might be scared of the possibility of you leaving within a month, as they need individuals who are ready to work there for years, so mind that.
Nursing Personal Statement Change of Career
As a nursing professional, you can change your career for reasons that you feel will satisfy you more. So, how do you compose this critical statement? Here are tips to help you compose a perfect personal statement for your next career path.
- Review the job description to customize your statement to address the job you are pursuing.
- Clarify your motivation for changing careers so that potential employers can understand why you need to join the new career field.
- Identify and highlight your most treasured competencies as a chance to sell yourself to readers to show them why you’re an ideal applicant.
- Narrate your story to make your statement outstanding and seamlessly connect your experiences with your future career goals.
- Address potential concerns because nobody has a perfect track record, and fortunately, employers understand that. If you have any gaps in your CV, feel free to state so and progress.
- Write a short statement depending on the document in which you include it.
- Select your words carefully so you can sell yourself more effectively.
- Before submitting the personal statement, get valuable feedback from friends, colleagues, family, mentors, and experts in the target industry.
What Is the Statement of Purpose for Career Change?
A personal statement for a career change is a short description that shows who you are, your reasons for changing careers, your new professional goals, how your experience can be shifted to the new industry, and why you are seeking a new job. It also shows potential employers why you deserve a change in their organisation.
Conclusion
Drafting a statement of career change is a great way of communicating your desire to shift to another profession. We discussed tips to help you compose it better.
Should you need help composing this document or other academic assignments, we’re just an email away. Contact our team today.
FAQ
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What is a good personal statement for a career change?
This document is a short description that states your intention to shift careers, your motives, and your suitability for the next career path.
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How do you write a personal statement for a career change?
You need to ensure that it “sells” you appropriately by communicating your competencies, suitability, and the experiences you are bringing to your new industry.