Your Personal Development Statement

YOUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT STATEMENT

Name

Date

ACADEMIC STUDY

Detail here anything relating to your degree course. Also include qualifications from school, and any postgraduate study.
· Courses at Kent and skills you have developed on them
· Projects
· Extended essays
· Year abroad
· Language courses
· Word-processing and computing courses.
· Professional examinations
· Evidence of meeting deadlines, working in a team, analysing data
· Leading seminars
· Making presentations
· Examinations passed at school
· Solving problems

WORK

List all your work experience here, no matter how trivial and give dates and employer names as well as the job title. If you've had no jobs, don't be put off - list any voluntary work or similar things.
· Course placements
· Full-time jobs
· Part-time jobs
· Temporary jobs
· Voluntary work
· Work abroad
· Work experience
· Work shadowing
· Work relevant to the job you are seeking after graduation
Evidence of:
· Working in a team
· Leadership
· Office skills
· Computer skills
· Working under pressure/to deadlines
· Responsibility taken
· Positions of leadership

EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Detail here your hobbies and interests, including anything significant that you did in later years at school. Also include holidays and travel here.
· Membership of clubs and societies
· Evidence of taking responsibility: chair, secretary or treasurer of clubs, house or sports captain at school, youth leader etc.
· Creative activities: orchestras, drama groups, school and college magazines and how you contributed
· Practical, artistic, musical or sporting abilities and awards
· Charitable work, helping children, the elderly or disabled, Niteline, fund-raising for Rag etc.
· Holidays and travel abroad: what did you gain from this?
Evidence of:
· Planning and organising
· Showing initiative
· Working in a team
· Contribution to university life

OTHER SKILLS OR AWARDS ACHIEVED

· Driving Licence
· Word-processing or computing skills - be detailed
· Languages spoken - to what level?
· Prizes or scholarships e.g. Duke of Edinburgh Award

PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Note any domestic circumstances that might influence your career choice e.g. preference for a particular part of the country, obligations to other family members (e.g. children, elderly parents).

OTHER INFORMATION

Include here any additional information your tutor might find useful when writing a reference for you.
This might include:
· What are my key strengths?
· What are my main limitations?
· List three ways in which you might be able to convert each limitation
· into an opportunity
· The things that prevent me doing my best are:
· What type of job(s) would you like to do?
· Why are you interested in it?
· Why are you suited to it?
· What type of employer would you like to work for?