"Personal Statement" for a job?

[majestic red]

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I'm thinking about applying for a job on campus for this coming school year, and the job description requests for applicants to submit a cover letter, personal statement, and CV. No other details about the application process are given. My question is, what should this "personal statement" be about? How is it different from the cover letter, and approximately how long should it be? Also, I know that in academia CV and resume are basically used interchangeably, but... if they say CV, does this make it acceptable to include more than 1 page?

 

[Jolie South]

i don't know how that's different than a cover letter.

i would think the cover letter would be sufficient, after all it is a convincing letter with relevant aspects of your background to look at. the resume has everything else. 😕

 

[majestic red]

Actually, the job description didn't have any application instructions at all, but when I sent my resume to the contact email address (I also basically wrote a cover letter in the body of my email), a secretary emailed me back saying that the wanted a cover letter and personal statement as well :/

 

[diosa428]

A cover letter has a specific format - if you google "sample cover letters", you should get some ideas of what goes into a cover letter and how to organize it. This link is from my undergrad's career resource center and I've always found it helpful: http://www.wesleyan.edu/crc/toolkit/resumes_letters.html

Unfortunately, I have no idea how a cover letter differs from a personal statement. What's the job? Maybe we can help you out if we have more of a description.

 

[8744]

I'm thinking about applying for a job on campus for this coming school year, and the job description requests for applicants to submit a cover letter, personal statement, and CV. No other details about the application process are given. My question is, what should this "personal statement" be about? How is it different from the cover letter, and approximately how long should it be? Also, I know that in academia CV and resume are basically used interchangeably, but... if they say CV, does this make it acceptable to include more than 1 page?

Man, what is with the need for "personal statements." Up until I applied to medical school I had never had to write one for any reason. When I applied to college back in the 1980s (UVM) they had a few vanilla type questions on the application with about an inch of space for the answer and that was it. When I applied to Louisiana Tech in the early 1990s all they really wanted to know was whether I had ever been convicted of a felony.

Isn't a personal statement for a bull**** campus job a little redundant? It's like showing up for your job interview at Taco Bell with a CV.

A cover letter is a short, formal letter stating who you are and for what job you are applying with a brief...brief...exchange of pleasantries. Your CV is all that most serious employers care about. The personal statement is a device to keep otherwise useless bureaucrats employed. Keep it short and, in prose form without recapitualting your entire CV (college students have CVs?), describe your qualifications for the job.

The real purpose of personal statements and secondary essays is to provide funding for medical school admission offices. A t*p ten medical school can receive thousands of applications for less than a hundred spots. I don't know what the secondary fees are nowadays but you can see that this can be some serious money, at least enough to pay the salaries of most of the admission staff. You know very well that most of the applications Harvard receives would be trashed automatically because, and if you don't know it by know you should learn it and love it, GPA and MCATscores are the most important criteria for medical school admissions. Except that Harvard or Duke can milk some money out of a vast pool of premeds, they would laugh and throw your application away. Instead, they come up with some ridiculous questions the answers to which are irrelevant and make the premeds sweat over their essays to give them the illusion that they are not just wasting their application fees.

 

[8744]

i don't know how that's different than a cover letter.

i would think the cover letter would be sufficient, after all it is a convincing letter with relevant aspects of your background to look at. the resume has everything else. 😕

There is no such thing as a "covincing" cover letter. A cover letter just informs them who you are, what you are applying for, and asks the employer, respectfully, to peruse your CV which you have enclosed. It must be short, a paragraph or two, because nobody who is important will read more than that. Your CV is the place list all of your qualifications. It, too, should be as brief as possible but contain enough information to describe your qualifications.

I am 45, have worked at many jobs in three careers and my CV is about a page and a half long. But if you need to use more paper to list legitimate things (papers published, meaningful awards, etc.) you should. As you progress in life you will naturally drop thngs from your CV. I suppose if I had been asked for one in 1984 I would have listed my stellar work in the fast food industry and my high school GPA and class rank but these things are now ancient history about which nobody could possibly care.

 

[majestic red]

A cover letter has a specific format - if you google "sample cover letters", you should get some ideas of what goes into a cover letter and how to organize it. This link is from my undergrad's career resource center and I've always found it helpful: http://www.wesleyan.edu/crc/toolkit/resumes_letters.html

Unfortunately, I have no idea how a cover letter differs from a personal statement. What's the job? Maybe we can help you out if we have more of a description.

I know what a cover letter is-- it's the personal statement that I'm having trouble with. It does seem a little ridiculous to require a personal statement for something like this, but... here's the job description:

Job Title: Student Assistant
Description: The Department of Ophthalmology is seeking a student to assist a physician in clinic. Essential duties will include clinical data management and assistance with patient care. Perform other related clinical and research duties as assigned with potential to expand role as capability increases.
Qualifications: Successful candidate must be able to work well independently, be reliable, organized, professional and pay attention to detail. The candidate must have excellent communication skills, the ability to take direction, and the ability to handle confidential information. Excellent computer skills including experience with database management preferred. Can be work or non-work study student, preferably pre-med.

 

[diosa428]

I know what a cover letter is-- it's the personal statement that I'm having trouble with. It does seem a little ridiculous to require a personal statement for something like this, but... here's the job description:

Sorry, misread your post. The job does sound cool though, hope you get it. Since they're looking preferentially for premeds, perhaps your cover letter should discuss why you're qualified (computer skills, etc, that they're looking for) and your PS should discuss your interest in medicine in general; kind of what you'd write for med school applications? Good luck.

 

[ponybreeder4]

hah u find that strange?? i saw a bulletin for a lab position that pays like $10.30/ hours and they require 2 letters of rec *rolls eyes*

 

[majestic red]

hah u find that strange?? i saw a bulletin for a lab position that pays like $10.30/ hours and they require 2 letters of rec *rolls eyes*

I'd actually much rather get together 2 LORs than try to write this mysterious personal statement crap. At least with the LORs, you don't have to do any work except ask the profs.

 

[Retsage]

Man, what is with the need for "personal statements." Up until I applied to medical school I had never had to write one for any reason. When I applied to college back in the 1980s (UVM) they had a few vanilla type questions on the application with about an inch of space for the answer and that was it. When I applied to Louisiana Tech in the early 1990s all they really wanted to know was whether I had ever been convicted of a felony.

Isn't a personal statement for a bull**** campus job a little redundant? It's like showing up for your job interview at Taco Bell with a CV.

On a similar note, I applied for an RA position recently at a university nearby and had the most bizarre interview of my life.

They didn't tell me what they were going to pay me at the end of the interview, like every other place. I actually had to ask what the hourly rate was, and they then looked at me like I had committed some severe faux pas. How dare I ask about money? I should be here purely for the love of their research (*yawn*).

And the questions, O Christ Save Me Now, the questions. These were some of the most obnoxious questions I had ever heard. Med school interview questions for a ****ing temp job. Are you serious? I want the job because I want money, am very qualified for it, and the notion of doing any sort of real work terrifies me. Yet, you keep asking me about my passion for your particular brand of boring as **** research? Really? Guys, I'm applying to be an RA - this is a job, not a career. I will be here until August, and then I am getting out. You know this, I know this, why are we playing this damn charade out?

Dumb, dumb, dumb. People need to stop being such pretentious asshats. Hire me if I'll do a good job, and leave the passion bull**** to actual careers.

 

[sunny1]

I know what a cover letter is-- it's the personal statement that I'm having trouble with. It does seem a little ridiculous to require a personal statement for something like this, but... here's the job description:

I have never heard of a personal statement for a simple job application before. This is absurd. I am guessing they are requesting this for 2 reasons:

1) they may be anticipating tons of applications and want something else to narrow it down by, though for sure the interview is the most obvious (and better) tool for weeding out applicants after you've seen their resume;

2) they are lazy and don't want to schedule as many interviews.

If you really want this job, I guess I'd put together less than a page of text that will ultimately be an expanded cover letter and pull some choice quotes that you might have used in an interview (anecdotes that display your experience or skills, why you are interested in this job specifically, what you would contribute, etc.). I still think it's ridiculous that they would request this for an assistant position. 😀

 

[footballrules]

On a similar note, I applied for an RA position recently at a university nearby and had the most bizarre interview of my life.

They didn't tell me what they were going to pay me at the end of the interview, like every other place. I actually had to ask what the hourly rate was, and they then looked at me like I had committed some severe faux pas. How dare I ask about money? I should be here purely for the love of their research (*yawn*).

And the questions, O Christ Save Me Now, the questions. These were some of the most obnoxious questions I had ever heard. Med school interview questions for a ****ing temp job. Are you serious? I want the job because I want money, am very qualified for it, and the notion of doing any sort of real work terrifies me. Yet, you keep asking me about my passion for your particular brand of boring as **** research? Really? Guys, I'm applying to be an RA - this is a job, not a career. I will be here until August, and then I am getting out. You know this, I know this, why are we playing this damn charade out?

Dumb, dumb, dumb. People need to stop being such pretentious asshats. Hire me if I'll do a good job, and leave the passion bull**** to actual careers.

I've worked several jobs in my life. I posted these jobs in another thread before. Anyways, not every interview is going to discuss salary. In general, the first person that brings up the salary talk is the loser.

I've seen job postings before for college graduates where the hiring manager wanted to know their high school ACT or SAT scores and class rank. When I see a job advertisement as such, I know I wouldn't get along with the hiring manager so I pass without any after thought. Asking for such information when a person has already graduated college is down right stupid. Chances are that the hiring manager is an ego maniac who thinks eductional stats are everything.

As far as the personal statement goes, that is down right dumb. I've never been asked to submit a personal statement for a job. Hell, for just about every job I've had, all the employer wants to know is if I have the skills and experience to do the work they want done. If I don't, I move on. If I do, they bring me in for an interview and I sell my skills and experience.

In this case, just make your personal statement similar to your cover letter....just filled with more B.S. about how you love the subject and would adore working under the direction of the supervisor.

 

[Retsage]

I'm not talking about bringing it up early on. I'm talking about not mentioning it at all. I'm not sure what kind of jobs you have interviewed for, but I have never once had an interview where the information was not volunteered near the end. These two were not volunteering anything. Had I not asked, I would have left without any idea as to what I would potentially been earning. If asking what I'm working for is loserish, what can I say, the shoe fits I suppose.

 

[footballrules]

I'm not talking about bringing it up early on. I'm talking about not mentioning it at all. I'm not sure what kind of jobs you have interviewed for, but I have never once had an interview where the information was not volunteered near the end. These two were not volunteering anything. Had I not asked, I would have left without any idea as to what I would potentially been earning. If asking what I'm working for is loserish, what can I say, the shoe fits I suppose.

For two of my current jobs, the salary discussion didn't come up until after the first interview. However, they still mentioned that salary discussions would take place in the second interview.

Most jobs I've had have had a set pay range. So no wiggle room.