Personal statement examples

Some jobseekers use personal statement examples as a base to create their statement, and if you want to do this too then it is entirely your prerogative. At the same time, it is not the best way, and there are a number of dangers and potential pitfalls of doing this.

Firstly, there is the possibility that the person reading your statement has already read a very similar one and can therefore ascertain that rather than creating something original, all you have done is tweak an example. This is hardly likely to impress.

Secondly, some organisations such as UCAS even use special software to detect whether or not the statement has been copied/tweaked. If you have copied your statement then this is more likely to get you penalised, rather than giving you brownie points.

Thirdly, a lot of statement examples are pretty poor to begin with anyway. Consequently, if you copy it then you not only run the risk of getting rumbled, but you are also doing this for no real benefit. You should remember that competition for good jobs and courses is fierce, and you will be competing against people with good or very good statements. It is unlikely that you will be able to compete with a run-of-the-mill tweaked example.

Fourthly, if you do just tweak the example so that it includes your personal details then one risk is that the statement comes across as somewhat contrived and artificial. Since one of the objectives behind asking you to write a statement is to assess your written communication skills, this is hardly conducive to improving your success rate.

Fifthly, the best statements are based on your own personal circumstances, and reflect you, your motivations and what you personally have to say. This is best achieved by creating an original statement based all around you. If you try to do it using a standard example it is almost an impossible task.

The competition

As mentioned above, 'you will be competing against people with good or very good statements.' This includes candidates who are accomplished communicators themselves, as well as candidates who have engaged professional writers to improve their statement for them. The only way to trump candidates with very good statements is to present one yourself that is exceptional.

This is far easier said than done, but it is exactly what we do for clients on a regular basis.

Conclusion

While you can use personal statement examples when applying for jobs and courses, it isn't really recommended. It's unlikely to achieve the same level of results as a well thought out original statement, and it may even get you penalised.

Further help

If you were intending tweaking an example statement, but now prefer to create something more original based around your own circumstances and targeted towards the job or course then you have come to the right place. We not only do that, but we do that better than any other company.

If you would like more information then please click for more details on our very special writers, our ethos, and our unique guarantee.

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