Personal profiles (or introductory profiles) are one of the most difficult areas to combat when writing your CV. 99% of CVs have profiles which begin, "hardworking, versatile and able to work in a team". A personal profile / introductory paragraph is normally the first thing a potential recruiter will read about you and it needs to capture their attention in order to increase the chances of your application being pursued.

Usually consisting of around 5 lines of text, a profile should be written in the third person and promote your relevant skills, experience and achievements - allowing the reader to gain an overview without having to read your whole CV. Without a profile, your chances of your CV being read are greatly reduced.

• Compare your profile to the job spec (if one is available) - have you shown evidence of their requirements? Sometimes, CVs are scanned and these "keywords" will need to be found somewhere in your CV!
• Consider writing your profile last - this will allow you to make notes along the way as to what needs to be covered.
• Avoid using "I" and repeating yourself
• Often, people use a "Key Skills" list at the top of their CV. Try incorporating this into your profile to provide a more detailed background and prevent your CV looking like a list of bullet points.
• Using a profile will make it easier for you to tailor your CV to every application you make. Many companies claim you need more than one CV, this is simply not true. Alterations to your profile and covering letter are often all that is needed.

Related Pages:

• How do you write a CV?
• What makes a good CV?
• Functional / Chronological CVs
• How do I explain gaps in employment in my CV?
• What details can be left out of a CV?
• Example CV power words
• Why was my CV rejected?
• How many pages should a CV be?
• Writing a student / graduate CV

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