How to put together a personal statement on application form

littlechezza

Me again, applying for another similar post and just wanted an update on what may be useful to include in a covering letter and what questions could possibly asked at interview.
Thanks

wuckfit

grastgirl wrote: »

Have you ever reorganised a filing system? If not, just think about how you would do it and write that.

Kept records of one sort or another on the computer, possibly mail merge?
Not sure about other specialist equipment.

Hope it helps.

I'm reliably informed that a surprisingly high percentage of civil servants have "implemented a filing system reorganisation" in their previous position. In fact you'd be surprised that any work other than re-organising filing systems is ever done... What I mean is this: It's a pretty standard example that is very over-used, so make sure that you stand out!

Interhacker

I am an hard working, self motivated individual, who excels when working as part of a team and when working alone. Along with excellent customer service skills, I have first-rate influencing and interpersonal abilities and a developed approach to communication. I always try to seek to improve the way I carry out my responsibilities in the workplace as this will allow the company I represent to become more efficient and consequently more successful.

wuckfit

littlechezza wrote: »

Me again, applying for another similar post and just wanted an update on what may be useful to include in a covering letter and what questions could possibly asked at interview.
Thanks

The covering letter is your way to show your personality, and to draw specific attention to skills/experience/knowledge that is in your application or CV.

Phrases like "you will see that I have...." and "clearly demonstrates that I can..." Also it's your chance to ensure that the selection know you're looking for a long-term career instead of a job.

As for the interview, you could be thrown a few 'curve-balls' to see how you handle pressure.
Expect and prepare for questions such as
"What do you know about our organisation"
"Why do you want to work for us/what attracted you to the position"
"Where do you see yourself in five years"

You might get competency based questions along the lines of
"give us an example of a time where you had to deal with a difficult situation"
"tell us about at time you influenced somebody's decision"

They might reference something unusual about your application, so make sure you know exacltly what you wrote on the form and be prepared to answer questions about it.

Also have some questions to ask at the end. things along the lines of "Thank you, I'm really keen, this seems like a perfect opportunity, what's the next step?"
"What are the qualities/attributes you are looking for in the succesful candidate?" (this gives you the chance to ensure that you have covered everything)
"Is there anything that might influence your decision in NOT offering me the post? Obviously I'd prefer to discuss those things now rather than having you deliberate over them after the interview". (this is a humdinger, and I've never had the balls to use it, yet. )

skull

Occasionally you you might get an application form from a company that have already given you the space to show how you meet their requirements/skills/qualities and then ask for a personal statement. In this case the personal statement may be a few brief sentences, about yourself summing you up. (what one person I know calls a 'mission statement' [shudder]). Going through 100's of applications, many of which contain the qualifications/skills/attitudes they require, interviewers are looking for someone who will fit in, and this helps them to sort the wheat from the chaff.

wuckfit

skull wrote: »

Occasionally you you might get an application form from a company that have already given you the space to show how you meet their requirements/skills/qualities and then ask for a personal statement. In this case the personal statement may be a few brief sentences, about yourself summing you up. (what one person I know calls a 'mission statement' [shudder]). Going through 100's of applications, many of which contain the qualifications/skills/attitudes they require, interviewers are looking for someone who will fit in, and this helps them to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Good point. For these I find it best to research the company. look at their website, and see if they have a 'mission statement' [also shudders ] of their own. try to fit in with their company ethos.

I often resort to a similar technique to that adopted by David Cameron during the TV debates in April: "If I were appointed I would...", "As a member of the team, I..." in short, talk the selection panel into offering you the job...