18 CV Personal Profile Examples & How to Write One
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What is it about a book that makes you turn it down? A bad intro, that’s for sure.
Trust me: recruiters work the same way. They spend less than 10 seconds on average reading a CV, which means no hook = “no” pile.
I know a way to get them hooked, though. It’s called a CV personal profile, and it takes only a moment to write.
This guide will show you:
- What a CV personal profile is and why it’s important, no matter your career.
- A variety of examples of good personal profiles for a CV.
- An easy formula for writing a CV personal profile for any type of job.
- How to write a personal profile for a CV, and what’s the perfect length for a CV personal profile
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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.
Need reliable information on how to make an effective CV? See these guides:
- How to write a Curriculum Vitae
- How to write a CV Introduction
- What is a CV summary
- Best free CV templates for the UK
- What makes a good CV?
- How to write a CV with no work experience
You may also check our collection of 100+ CV examples for various jobs.
Now, let me teach you what a personal profile for a CV is really about:
What is a CV personal profile?
A CV personal profile (also a personal statement or a personal summary) is your CV’s opening paragraph. It’s a short introduction, telling the employer who you are and your qualifications for the job. A good CV profile highlights your key strengths and relevant experience.
It’s the brief moment you have to sell yourself before the recruiter or hiring manager either bins you or keeps reading. By brief, I mean seconds. On average, recruiters spend 9 seconds reading your application. Your personal profile for a CV has to pack a punch and do it fast.
That’s why a good personal profile for a CV is short and impactful—no more than 200 words and around four lines of text. It should appear right under your contact details. You can add a heading such as ‘Personal Profile’ or ‘Personal Statement’ directly above it, so it’s easy to spot.
Yes, a personal CV profile is suitable for any CV format. Learn more: What’s the Right CV Format for Your Job Application
18 CV personal profile examples
Your personal profile has to answer three questions: Who are you? What can you offer? What are your goals? There’s no better way to see this in action than diving right in and looking at an example of how to write a good personal profile.
Let me introduce you to Julie. She’s an experienced estate agent and just found an exciting new opportunity advertised for a senior negotiator with a reputable agency. The position requires good communication skills and a desire to meet targets in a competitive environment focusing on the luxury homes market. The job involves negotiating and closing sales, weekly vendor updates, and sales progression.
Let me show you the personal profile she’s prepared:
Good personal profile for a CV—example
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| Target-driven level–3 CPD qualified senior negotiator with 10+ years of experience. Achieved 97% of the asking price for all sales negotiated with current employer. Received customer service rating of ‘Excellent’ for all completed post-sale performance surveys, increasing office customer service ranking from ‘4 Star’ to ‘5 Star’. Awarded ‘Negotiator of the Year’ at Haus Group regional awards 2017 and 2018. Responsible for valuations, sales, and sales progression. Looking to leverage sales skills in a luxury homes agency as a Senior Negotiator for Cavalier Borough. |
With a personal profile like that, Julie could get instructed to sell Windsor Castle! Don’t take my word for it, though, let me break it down:
- She knows how to start a personal profile, saying who she is in the first sentence.
- She offered some real value to the employer: she gets agreed prices above the national average and gets plaudits from both clients and employers alike.
- Her personal profile is keyword-rich. That’s important because 40% of companies use ATS.
- There’s also a selection of tasty action words.
- This CV personal profile incorporates some important CV writing tips, such as using active voice.
- There’s no “I,” “she,” or “he,” all the personal pronouns have been removed to make the profile more concise.
That’s one great example, let me show you a few more:
CV personal profile example—IT professional
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| Innovative Ruby on Rails Developer with 5+ years of experience and Ruby Association Certified Ruby Programmer Gold version 2.1. Expert in HTML, CSS, and SQL. Able to confidently work on multiple projects and deliver reliable back-end components in award-winning web applications. Seeking to make use of my expertise as Ruby on Rails Developer (Full Stack) with Hexperia. |
Writing a CV for IT jobs? Check our sample: IT Professional CV Example & Tips
Sample personal profile for a CV for students
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| A recent graduate with a 2:1 BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. My studies have given me a comprehensive knowledge of economic theory and its practical application through data analysis. Accomplished user of Stata, Matlab, and SAS. Looking to use and improve existing skills and gain knowledge and experience in a fast-paced business environment as a Graduate Data Analyst with Equinox. |
Are you a graduate student? I’ve got a guide just for you: Graduate Student CV Sample
Personal profile for a CV example—office manager
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| Efficiency-driven office manager with 10+ years of experience in medium-sized IT firms. Adept at cost-saving, procurement, contract negotiation, and management, consistently achieving year-on-year reductions in outlays. Skilled at multi-tasking and working under pressure, simultaneously managing to schedule for senior staff, organising company events, and assisting the HR team with the recruitment process and onboarding of new starters. Looking to step up and take on new challenges in a global corporate setting with Pexmatic Corp. |
CV profile example—retail manager
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| Customer service-focused retail manager with 8+ years of experience in the specialist off-license wine sector. Holder of WSET Level 4 Diploma with a personal passion for wines of the Rhone Valley. Able to confidently use product knowledge to meet customer needs and increase sales, consistently achieving 10% annual growth in a challenging high street environment. Enhanced product knowledge of team members with regular training and tastings. Looking to grow sales and offer a superior customer experience in fine wine sales as a Store Manager with Leamington’s. |
Save time writing your CV with our professional Retail Manager CV Example
CV personal profile example—financial analyst
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| Goal-oriented financial analyst with 5+ years of experience in a fast-paced corporate environment. Facilitated internal budget reviews that led to a 28% reduction in costs and initiated a simplified spending policy to decrease the number of reports by 11%. Eager to utilize analytical and financial forecasting skills at BasketTrial. |
Need a CV for finance jobs? See more: How to Write a CV for Finance
Personal profile example for sales
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| Professional sales executive with 7+ years of experience in the agricultural industry. Eager to increase the number of prospective leads and boost the closed deals rate using a personalized approach and customer-oriented sales techniques. At Mills Co., improved the sales team performance by 27% through staff training and market analyses. |
Learn to write a powerful sales CV here: Curriculum Vitae for Sales Jobs
Personal profile—CV example for marketing jobs
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| Innovative marketing expert specializing in tailored data-driven strategies for growing businesses. Developed a digital marketing campaign for Your Eye which converted to a 225% increase in brand awareness and a 23% boost in sales. Looking to empower Redpen using a custom-made strategy based on social media content and SEO. |
You don’t have to waste your time inventing a CV from scratch—check our Marketing CV Example to save time.
Personal profile in a CV—example for graphic design
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| Digital artist specialising in digital painting and character design. Passionate about working in a collaborative setting on developing 3D models for video game characters. Proficient with 3DS Max, Blender, and Maya. Created 30+ original characters based on briefs and rough sketches while at SuffolkDevs. Looking to grow my portfolio while supporting ClouGames with my artistic skills and can-do attitude. |
Looking for work in creative fields? Check this Graphic Designer's CV Example.
Personal profile for a CV: Example for engineering jobs
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| Civil engineer with 10+ years of experience in water management. Excellent leadership skills and a strong environmental focus. Eager to lead water conservation projects for Yorkie Construction while developing sustainable and cost-effective solutions for wastewater management. Designed the reservoir for a £240-million earthwork project in Ogden Wood area to provide clean water for over 1,000 residents. |
If you’re an engineer, your CV must show more than just your expert knowledge. See more: How to Write a CV for Engineering.
Personal profile: example for a CV for project managers
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| Data-driven project manager with 5+ years of experience in cultural institutions around the U.K. Specialising in large-budget exhibition planning, art procurement, and artistic community outreach projects. Routinely collaborated with renowned European galleries, museums, and auction houses thanks to networking and interpersonal skills. Looking forward to leading the Peterborough Museum expansion project to a successful completion before the planned deadline. |
Learn how to highlight project management skills now with this guide: How to Write a Project Manager CV
CV “about me”—example of a personal trainer’s CV
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| People-focused personal trainer with a good working knowledge of physiotherapy. An advocate of a tailored approach to developing individual training programmes. Excellent people skills and a positive attitude that helps create bonds with clients. Worked with 50+ individual customers to support their fitness and weight-loss goals with a 78% success rate. At 24HourGym, led the popular group and individual CrossFit, yoga, strength training, and stretching sessions. |
A personal trainer needs a professional job application, too. See more: Personal Trainer Curriculum Vitae Sample.
Personal profile: example CV for a teacher
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| Enthusiastic Mathematics teacher with 5+ years of experience working with primary students. Dedicated to helping students improve their academic potential and attain goals using learner-centred approach and meaningful classroom activities that facilitate learning. At Hertfordshire School, created a new Year 5 curriculum that helped improve students' scores by 21% and increased parental involvement in after-school activities. |
See a great Teacher CV Example to get ahead in your job search.
About me in a CV: Example receptionist CV
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| Detail-oriented front-desk receptionist with a personable attitude and excellent customer service skills. Eager to coordinate reception activities at the Devon Cliffside Hotel to ensure all hotel guests feel welcome and comfortable right at the beginning of their stay. At Sea Boutique B&B, effectively handled in-person and phone customer inquiries during peak season. Commended by hotel manager for integrity and professionalism. |
Get the receptionist job you want with a professional Receptionist CV Sample.
CV personal profile: example for UK customer service jobs
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Outgoing customer service specialist with 3+ years of experience in a corporate environment. Patient and resilient. Provided excellent customer care via phone and email with a 93% customer satisfaction rate while at Minty Plus. Looking to create personalised customer care for premium clients while exceeding the team’s KPIs at PetalGold. |
See what really matters in a CV for customer service jobs: How to Write a Customer Service CV.
Personal profile in a CV: example for UK data analysis jobs
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| Dedicated data analyst with 4+ years of experience. Proficient in data mining, predictive modelling, and data visualisation. Keen to support executive decision-making with custom-made Excel reports and PowerPoint presentations highlighting the key findings. At Heit Far, supplied the sales and marketing teams with data that helped to increase seasonal sales by 19%. |
Are you a data analyst? Learn more about writing a great CV: How to Write a CV for Data Analyst Jobs.
Personal profile for CV—example for executive assistants
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| Goal-oriented executive assistant with 6+ years of experience supporting senior management. Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills. Advanced French and Spanish speaker. At BM Trading, arranged business travel, planned board meetings, managed calendars, and responded to inquiries with a 100% success rate. Received frequent praise and recognition for excellent performance. Eager to support the CEO of BluStar during international business travel using my knowledge of foreign languages. |
Thinking of becoming an executive assistant? Learn more: What’s a Great Executive Assistant CV Like?
Personal profile for a CV: example for administration jobs
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| Personable administrative assistant with 3 years of experience in busy corporate offices. Eager to streamline administrative operations at Coffee Now using organizational and computer skills. Experienced user of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. At Yelloo, commended for creating monthly PowerPoint presentations for Sales and Customer Service teams that helped decrease paper use by 8%. |
Though these examples of CV personal profiles are pretty great, trust me: there’s nothing like a tailored personal profile that suits your needs like a glove. I'll teach you how to write one like that in the next chapter.
When making a CV in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional CV template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s CV builder will score your CV and tell you exactly how to make it better.
How to write a good CV profile?
Personal profiles vary as much as the people writing them and the jobs they’re applying for. But I'll show you an easy set of rules that’ll work for every job.
1. Introduce yourself in the first sentence
Your CV profile must say who you are straight away. So, dedicate the first sentence to a brief introduction. Mention your job title, add a neat character quality, and give details about your professional experience. Combine these elements, and you’ll get a powerful CV personal profile.
2. Target the job in question
Don’t write a generic personal profile for a CV. Write it specifically for the job you’re applying to. Mention the name of the company and show that you know what they need. Refer to the job requirements and state that you’ve got the skills they seek.
3. Offer value to the employer
Recruiters reading your CV want to know if you’re a good match for the job opening. You can convince them by saying how you will help the employer. Be as specific as possible—research the company, see its struggles, and understand its objectives. Then, state a goal that you can help them achieve. My experience shows it’s even better to mention something you achieved in the past that can convince the employer you know what you’re talking about.
4. Optimise for ATS
ATS bots screen job applicants and select only the CVs that match the job requirements. To pass ATS, include CV keywords from the job advertisement. So, if the job ad mentions specific skills, follow my advice and make sure to mention them in the personal profile of your CV.
5. Mention your career goals
If your job experience is limited, show that you’re not green behind the ears by stating career goals that align with the company. Don’t be vague! Say exactly what you want to learn, the skills you want to develop, and the goals you want to achieve. Use flattery to convince the employer that you want to learn only at this specific job.
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your CV will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Key takeaways
So now you know how to write a personal profile for a job that’ll get your CV off to a flying start. I've prepared a brief recap for you:
- Keep it concise. Your CV personal profile should be no more than 200 words.
- Make your CV personal summary ATS-friendly. Create a new personal profile for every new application using keywords from the job description.
- Remember the three simple questions when writing your CV profile for a job: Who are you? What can you offer? What are your goals?
- Use the correct grammar to optimise your personal summary. Active voice, third person, no pronouns.
Still struggling with how to write a personal profile for a CV? Want advice on jobs I didn’t cover? Don’t be shy; ask whatever you want in the comments section. I'm here to help.
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