One of the toughest things to do is to write about ourselves and our own accomplishments. You may be asking yourself - What do I say about myself? How much do I talk about what I’ve done versus what my ambitions are? Writing a personal statement or cover letter may be one of the most daunting parts of the application process, but it is a critical part of the application. It provides the readers a glimpse into your experiences, perspectives, insights, and aspirations from your lens.

Depending on what you are asked to write about, your statement provides the opportunity for you to express who you are, your values, your goals, your challenges and your achievements. This is the space to set the context of your accomplishments and where you may articulate how your experiences prepared you for the opportunity you are applying for, how your values align with the goals or mission of the opportunity, what type of contribution you will make, how the opportunity will help you reach your goal(s), or any other relevant information that is requested. Ultimately, your personal statement will allow the person reviewing your application to get to know who you are, what you care about and identify what sets you apart from others. Keep in mind, preparing a strong personal statement requires personal reflection and time. As a follow-up to last Thursday’s prompt, what would you like to convey about yourself in your personal statement? How are your accomplishments relevant to the new opportunity? How is the new opportunity relevant to your overall goals? For those of you who have successfully completed this part of the process, what are some tips you’d like to share for others going through the writing process?