Case study: How a great personal statement set Gemma up for a new career

The client

Gemma had been running her own business for a while, as well as raising a family and working in voluntary roles. She’d decided it was time to re-enter the job market and had a solid idea of the type of role she was targeting. 

The problem

As a super-busy mum, carer, volunteer and businesswoman, Gemma hadn’t actively looked for a new job for years. She had so many other demands on her time, that she wasn’t able to spend hours tailoring applications to each role and wasn’t sure about the requirements of the personal statements that employers were asking for. 

Having seen an advert for her perfect role, as a Teaching Assistant at her daughter’s school, she decided that she needed some support with writing a winning personal statement. CV Shed was recommended to her by a neighbour, so she got in touch.

The solution

I asked Gemma to send me the job advert and the completed application form, so that I could understand the requirements of the role and exactly where Gemma’s skills and experience aligned with them. That enabled me to get a basic outline together, but there were still lots of gaps. We arranged a consultation, during which I asked Gemma about her career and personal life in the context of the role advertised. 

It became clear from our chat that Gemma was extremely qualified for the role. The job had a few parallels with her existing business, but I soon realised that by bringing in her personal and voluntary experience I could make her application even stronger. The stories that I gleaned from Gemma during our consultation meant that I was able to include specific examples that proved she was qualified for the role, rather than relying on vague generalisations.

Following our consultation, I crafted a compelling personal statement that showed how she met every part of the Person Specification. When I was confident that the document showed Gemma in the best possible light and would immediately enable the school to understand her suitability for the role, I sent off the first draft for her feedback and input.

The result

Gemma’s initial feedback on the first draft of the personal statement was great! “Oh wow. I don’t think it needs any tweaking. I even asked the hubby to read it and he said it’s just missing the words “I’M AMAZING” at the bottom. Lol. I think this is perfect. Thank you so much”. 

Even better, she took the time to contact me a few weeks later with the following message: “I just wanted to let you know that I got the job as TA. I had my interview on Thursday. They rang me 3 hours later to say they wanted to offer me the job and that I was perfect for the role. A big thank you for your help on writing up my personal statement. I don’t think I would have even stood a chance without your help. I start April!”.

I’m so pleased that Gemma was able to secure this role – she was obviously the right person for the job, we just needed to convey that to the employer. The personal statement that we produced enabled her to secure an interview, where her natural enthusiasm and ability must have shone through. I know that Gemma will be making a huge difference in her new role. 

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