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How to Write CV Personal Profile [+ Guide, Tips, Examples]
In this article, we'll cover:
A personal profile on a CV is a brief statement that summarizes your key skills, professional experience, and accomplishments. Think about it as a self-description for your CV through which recruiters and potential employers can quickly get an idea about you.
Some of you may confuse a CV personal profile with a profile summary and CV objectives. Essentially, a CV personal profile summarizes your expertise, skills and achievements instead of your goals and objectives. Read on to learn about the differences, what should be included in a professional personal summary for your CV, and how to craft a strong statement.
What Is a CV Personal Profile and When to Use It?
Depending on the context, a CV personal profile can go under various names such as:
- CV opening statement
- Profile summary for CVs
- CV intro/profile
- etc.
Regardless of the name, these should be placed at the top of the document and in a separate section. The purpose is to briefly introduce you as a potential candidate, meaning that you have to highlight your expertise, outstanding skills, and achievements in the field. When well-written, it can pique the hiring manager’s interest right from the start.
Keep in mind that a CV personal profile is different from a CV objective which mentions your motivation to apply for the vacancy opening and states your goals for professional development. If you’re writing a graduate CV profile or applying for entry-level jobs, consider combining both statements in your CV personal profile. This way, you can pitch yourself effectively without showing a lack of work experience.
How to Write a CV Personal Profile
When writing a CV personal profile, you need to at least include the following 3 elements:
✨ Your best personal qualities
The personal profile on your CV is a section where recruiters can catch a glimpse of who you are as a person and as a potential employee. Hence, here is the perfect place to show off the qualities that make you unique.
Here are some examples of how you can showcase your personality in your CV personal profile:
- “Able to meet deadlines while making sure all information collected is accurate.”
- “Capable of motivating team members to ensure the operational flow while maximizing the team’s working efficiency.”
- “In my previous role as a nurse, developed essential skills such as time management, attention to detail, and emergency handling.”
✨ Highlights of your skills
Aside from your personality, the skills you possess also makes a great selling point when appealing to potential employers. Therefore, they should be mentioned in the CV personal profile which readers view first when reading a CV.
Here are some examples:
- “Utilizing strong critical thinking skills to offer advice in structuring operation principles and manufacturing methodologies.”
- “A team leader who trained, led, and supervised 20+ in-house writers and freelancers.”
- “Leveraged strong research skills to employ technical advancements for better delivery of the network.”
✨ Notable experiences
The best way to show credibility in the skills you possess is through proof of your past experiences. If the experience is relevant to the job you are applying for, it is highly recommended that you mention these notable experiences in the CV personal profile.
Here’s how you want to mention your experiences:
- “Dynamic security supervisor with 10 years of experience in conducting security audits in high-pressure environments.”
- “Attentive resident assistant with a proven track record in developing students’ communities and providing guidance.”
- “IT Executive working on 12 social projects across the region of Southeast Asia.”
25 CV Personal Profile Examples
Customer Service CV Profile
“Experienced Client Relations Manager who excels in building and maintaining relationships with clients and key personnel within customer companies. 3 years of experience in hiring, training, and supervising interns to juniors to secure high-standard telephone manners and customer satisfaction in general.”
Student CV Profile Example
“Goal-oriented graduate student majoring in Geological Science. Spent nearly 2 years of experience researching the volcanic activities Mt. Qixing and Dayoukeng. Eager to work at the National Institute of Geological Sciences to further leverage my research and analytical skills as well as in-depth knowledge in geology.”
CV Profile Summary Examples for Freshers
“Self-motivated Nursing Sophomore at St. John’s Medical College looking for a one-year internship. Passionate about taking care of people while being able to perform a variety of administrative tasks. Worked for the German Red Cross as a volunteer in 2019.”
CV Profile Summary for Software Developer Fresher
“PE Certified Software Developer with proficiency in Agile Development, Software Development Life Cycle, and Systems Process Improvement. Having 7 years of experience in programming and creating innovative solutions to distributed system issues. In the former position in NextTech, led a team of 5 developers to successfully build scalable features for client software using Scala and Kotlin.”
CV Profile Summary for HR Fresher
“MBA graduate seeking with a passion for working and interacting with people. A confident communicator who worked as an HR intern at Inteplast for 6 months. Currently seeking an entry-level HR position where I can apply my strong organizational skills and knowledge in HR practices.”
Profile Summary for Electrical Engineer Fresher
“Senior electrical engineer with 9 years of experience in electric motors manufacturing and a demonstrated history of Integrated Circuit design, workforce allocation, and electric layout optimization. Adept at using 3D, CAD modeling software, C++, and reverse engineering.”
Profile Summary for Computer Science Fresher
“Computer science graduate with solid data analysis and problem-solving skills. Possess 2-year experience as an intern at MaSaTech. Proficient in using SML/SQL, Ethernet, VPN, and PHP to design technical initiatives and automate business solutions.”
Profile Summary for Fresher Accountant
“Entry-level accountant working towards a CPA License. Worked as a part-time accounting clerk in Toma Corp. and accomplished the “2020’s Rising Star'' award. Looking to provide my accounting assistance to FPG Group.”
Profile Summary for Fresher Teacher
“Fresh graduate with an education major and exceptional communication skills. 3 years of after-school creativity class volunteer experience and being able to stimulate students’ curiosity. Looking to guide students on their early educational journey at Alta California Elementary School.”
Java Developer Profile Summary Example
“Professional Java developer well-educated about Java SE/EE and experienced in developing and delivering PC and mobile applications. Recognized for conducting relevant tests and evaluating the overall performance to make sure changes are aligned with client requirements.”
CV Profile Summary Example For Fresher Engineer
“Goal-driven computer science graduate with comprehensive knowledge in AI and machine learning. Gained experience in designing web pages as well as AI-related side projects. Looking to be a part of the Software Engineering team at Ragic so that I can utilize my existing skills in JavaScript, Django, and Python and learn more from senior developers.”
Data Analyst CV Personal Profile Example
“Goal-oriented data analyst with 6 years of experience in the Food & Beverage industry. In-depth-expertise in R, SQL, Tableau, and C++. Achievements include boosting annual sales by 31% and designing a new database model to reduce service waiting time.”
Sales CV Profile Example
“Data-driven specialist working in B2B sales for 5 years and gained significant achievements. Highly recognized for increasing quarterly sales, building customer loyalty, and managing cold emailing campaigns. Ranked #3 in the sales competition held corporate-wide.”
Social Media CV Profile Example
“Dynamic social media marketer with 5 years of experience in creating engaging content on relevant platforms and managing business pages on Facebook. Key skills include researching the latest social media trends and maintaining content distribution. Completed 3 Social Media Marketing online courses on Hubspot.”
Marketing CV Profile Example
“Customer-oriented product marketing manager with a specialization in new skincare product development and launches. Recognized for an increase of 28% in annual sales by bringing a new moisturizer to the market. Able to speak English, French, and Spanish fluently in a business setting.”
IT CV Profile Example
“Seasoned professional with 10 years of experience as an IT support specialist. Skilled in the practices of technical personnel, training, and preparation of technical documentation. Looking to be part of PledgeCamp with a goal to effectively assist the hardware configuration and phone system support of the company.”
Business Management Profile Example
“Regional business manager with 8+ years of experience in developing business strategies for Zara Home in South East Asia. Effectively implemented new initiatives and campaigns which increased the sales revenue by 33% in less than 2 years. Superb negotiation and leadership skills.”
Teaching CV Profile Example
“Dedicated ESL teacher gaining plenty of experience in helping non-native speakers learn grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation of spoken and written English. Adept at motivating learners of all ages and levels to confidently communicate with others. Familiar with online teaching platforms and tools such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, EdAp, and LearnCube.”
Hospitality Profile Example
“Freelance Tour Guide who led and navigated 15+ groups of hikers through the Angels Landing, and Bryce Canyon National Park. Certified Tour Director and Guide by ITMI in 2019. Proven experience in providing essential knowledge of specific areas and encouraging participants to overcome their obstacles.”
Administrative Assistant Personal Profile Example
“Top-rated administrative assistant with over 6 years of experience in a fast-paced office environment. Looking for a new position where I can utilize my skills and experience in scheduling, database management, and office management.”
Healthcare Professional CV Profile Example
“Devoted public health officer with 7 years of experience in educating the community on healthy living strategies and reducing the risk of illness, disease, and infection. In former roles, increased wellness survey grades by 23% and educated 350+ residents about healthy eating choices and other nutrition-related behavior.”
Project Management CV Profile Example
“Certified Associate in Project Management working in various industries for 10 years, including fashion, tourism, and creative arts. Awarded the Top Performer Recognition for 2 years in a row. Key skills include project scope administration, risk assessment, resource allocation, and budget control.”
MBA CV Profile Example
“Hard-working undergraduate student who has earned a bachelor's degree in Public Relations with a GPA of 3.9. Currently pursuing a master’s program in Communications and International Public Relations. Gained 2 years of experience as a freelance writer and a content contributor for various magazines.”
Profile Summary for Graphic Designer
“Freelance graphic designer with a strong passion about transforming clients’ brands into powerful materials. Specialties include digital and print advertisements, corporate identity, marketing materials, and social media graphics. Highly skilled at using Adobe Creative Suite and Illustrator to effectively deliver high-quality works.”
Profile Summary for CEO
“Strategic-driven CEO with 12 years of experience in 2 multinational companies. Significantly increased the client database by 250% in 2 years and developed strong relationships with over 20 tech unicorns in Asia. Core competencies include management & leadership, business operations, and risk assessment.”
Writing a CV Personal Profile – DOs & DON’Ts
✅ DO #1 - Be brief and to the point.
Having a short CV intro allows valuable space for other key sections such as work experience, education, qualification and skills, etc. Besides, hiring managers prefer to see the key points about you rather than a detailed personal summary.
✅ DO #2 - Include active adjectives.
You may notice that the personal profile CV examples listed above all start with a power adjective such as goal-driven, passionate, dynamic, detail-oriented, professional, etc. Using them properly can make your personal statement more impressive and partly show your personal trait.
✅ DO #3 - Add measurable accomplishments.
Do you know that using measurements to highlight your achievements can make your claims more credible and convincing.
Refer to these pieces of information if you don’t know how to add numbers to the CV opening statement:
- Years of work experience
- Quantified achievements in previous jobs
✅ DO #4 - Use either first person or third person pronouns.
It’s recommended that you use the first and third person pronouns when writing a personal profile. However, make sure to be consistent, meaning that you need to stick to one certain pronoun.
✅ DO #5 - Tailor to the specific position.
Hiring managers may sort through hundreds of CVs for a single vacancy, meaning that they often scan to find the most relevant details only. The best way to quickly grab their intention is tailoring your CV personal profile to the job posting.
❌ DON’T #1 - Over-use buzzwords.
Active adjectives and power verbs can become buzzwords if inserted improperly. To avoid this, make sure your claims are all facts, not an exaggeration. Also, using 1-2 buzzwords is enough.
❌ DON’T #2 - Forget important keywords from the job description.
You will not want your CV to fail through the Applicant Tracking System as there are no keywords found. Hence, look for the right keywords in the following sections in the job description about:
- Job responsibilities
- Job requirements
- Skills & qualifications
❌ DON’T #3 - Write the same things from your cover letter.
You may be asked to submit a cover letter along with your resume or CV. If so, keep in mind not to repeat what you’ve mentioned in the other sections. Avoid this to save your CV space and hiring manager’s time.
❌ DON’T #4 - Contain spelling or grammar errors.
Don't let such minor errors on your CV cost you the job interview. Many recruiters and employers see this as a common problem among job applicants nowadays, so you should pay more attention and proofread your document before submitting it.
❌ DON’T #5 - Write too long.
A CV personal profile shouldn’t be more than 70 words. The reason is that employers tend to quickly scan this section at first glance rather than extensively read it just to know. Save the space for other important information in your CV.
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--- Originally written by May Luong ---
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