Job applications III

If a student ask us:

I have to write a personal statement for my application to graduate school/ job application. How can I do it?

We may reply:

Try to think of one or two subjects that you can write about in your statement about why you want to study in a specific graduate program or work at an advertised internship or job.

The student may wonder:

How do I know what subjects to choose?

We might say:

Try to explain about things that other applicants may not be able to say. What has happened to you that is special to you?

If the student inquires:

Does it really matter what I write?

We can tell them:

Yes, it does matter. Admissions and hiring committees do read personal statements because often applicants have similar academic records. To find out what is unusual or unique about an applicant, and try to know them a little better as people, they will read the personal statement carefully.

The student may be interested to know what the ideal applicant would write:

I have seen sample personal statements posted online. Are these good models for my own personal statement?

We can say:

That depends. It is most important to be yourself in your statement and let the admissions or hiring committee know what is most important for you.

The student may still inquire:

How do I begin the personal statement?

We might answer:

Begin any way you like, but try to say something that only you can write, about how you are personally fascinated by the graduate program, internship, or job that you are applying for.

If the student asks:

Should I admit my weak points and failures in a personal statement?

We might advise:

Since there is limited space in a personal statement to say all the good things about yourself, it is better to focus on these. If you get too negative, then the admissions or hiring committee might just agree with you and prefer to choose someone else with a more positive self-image.

The student may also want to know:

Does it matter if my personal statement is in perfect English?

We might assure them:

Since a university graduate program, internship, or job may expect you to have a good command of English, it does matter if your statement has standard international English grammar, syntax, punctuation, word usage, and style. For this reason, feel free to submit any personal statement and resume to the Thammasat University Abstract Editing service for editorial advice and suggestions on how to improve the English.

The student may be uncertain whether it is acceptable to use the same statement for all applications, whether for graduate studies, internships, or jobs. We can explain:

It is very important to design personal statements for specific opportunities. If you send the same statement to different graduate schools, internships, and jobs, the people who read these statements will be aware of it. Those applicants who took the time and trouble to mention why each specific university or employer is important to them will be seen as more motivated. These are the applicants who will be preferred.

So it is worth the extra effort to revise each personal statement according to its individual purpose.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)