More and more job descriptions seek people who push boundaries, challenge the status quo and think outside the box. As the world is changing and technology has evolved beyond recognition, businesses are clinging onto the need to develop new innovative services or be one of the first to position themselves as truly enterprising. This has never been more apparent than within the creative professional services businesses who are frequently asked to resolve issues in relation to branding, strategy and consumer perception.

On the other hand, in a difficult economic climate , businesses look for a “safe pair of hands” in which to entrust their problems. Trust is of the utmost importance, however when candidates use this term to describe their own personality employers often interprete this as being very “run of the mill” and without any entrepreneurial traits or inventiveness.

Our recommendation to any candidates looking to position themselves on the job market is to consider carefully how you would be able to offer both a trusting hand and expertise in opening clients up to new ways of working and thinking.

Your Profile or Personal Statement

In an extremely fierce and competitive market of job hunting, it is vital to make sure that your cv stands out, has direction, and highlights qualities that the recruiter or employer will identify as valuable to their business.

Writing a personal statement or profile summary is often the best way to highlight your best attributes which are not taught at university or school.

A well written statement is concise, articulate (without being too wordy) and to the point. It draws together the work and education experiences of the candidate together to enhance their value to a future employer and many employers use this to make a decision as to whether to invite the applicant in for interview.
Here are some tips on writing a good profile

Focus should be on :
1. Who you are
2. What you can offer
3. Where you want to go in your career.

Who you are
e.g
A hardworking and motivated Business Management graduate looking to pursue a career within market research, with full time experience as a Market Research Executive at xxx

Introduce yourself: who are you, summarise how much relevant experience/education you have: e.g
e.g Research Executive with experience working in Oncology

Retail banking Customer satisfaction specialist within market research experience

I am an enthusiastic marketer with 9 years experience whose strengths are in the areas of digital marketing, brand management, marketing strategy and staff development. I’m also an excellent communicator and project leader with a proven track record within the fields of brand development, campaign management and market research.

Skills / what’s on offer

Write about key skills and think carefully when you put them down. Are they true? For example putting leadership skills, when there has been no evidence of leading, can sound arrogant and unsubstantiated.

e.g.
• Research
A thorough understanding and implementation of the qualitative research process; including taking briefs, designing local and multinational projects, writing discussion guides, moderating, report writing and delivering presentations

• Marketing Strategy
Understanding brands, product innovation, the strategic positioning process and application of ideas

• Project Management
Organisation, client liaison, account administration and budgeting, status reporting, production planning and creative support

Highlight transferable skills and don’t list qualifications as these will be found further on the cv document.
Don’t use the third person as this just sounds strange if you have prepared your own cv.

Check your grammar.
There is nothing worse than badly spelt text, changes from first to third person or information that doesn’t flow.

Highlight which direction you want to take your career/ job hunting and what is important to you in your next role.