Recommendations On How To Write An Essay About Yourself For A Job

Many jobs that you will want to apply for will require you to write an essay about yourself. This isn’t unusual, especially for jobs that will pay better, offer benefits, are in a competitive setting, or require a higher level of professionalism. These essays are critical and will say much more about you than just the words that you put down. Here are some things that you should keep in mind.

• Never brag; try to come off as humble.

Although you want to put yourself into a positive light, and it may seem like a good idea to list all of your skills and accomplishments, try not to sound like you are bragging about everything. There will be plenty of time for that later if you get the job. Instead of doing this, you should try focusing on just a couple different qualities about yourself and highlighting them; explain how this will be an asset to the company you are applying to.

• Always review your writing.

One of the dumbest things that you can do is turn in your paper without looking it over. Everyone makes mistakes, even if you have paid attention to what you wrote as you were composing the document. Look it over. Think about sentence structures and the spelling that you used; those are the two areas where most people will make mistakes.

• Use strong, powerful, and inspirational words wherever possible.

Once you have finished writing, go through. Highlight any words that don’t seem as strong as you would like. Words that are common, or used more than twice in the entire page should be changed. Add stronger words that will elicit more emotion from the reader.

• Read it from the employer’s perspective.

When you are looking over your work, try to imagine what the potential employer would be thinking about you as they read your writing. Don’t go easy on yourself either because it is likely that the employer will not. Make any changes that you see fit.

• Have someone else read your essay before submission.

After you have made all of the changes that you feel are necessary, and you are happy with the finished product, have a close friend or family member review it. Make sure it is someone that you trust, and someone that you know will not just tell you what you want to hear. If they are going to help you, they need to be critical and point out every little flaw. This should be your final step-- after you make all of the changes that they think you should make, you will be good to go.

It doesn’t take much, but taking a couple extra steps more than others who will be competing for the same job can make or break the deal. In the end, it’s worth the time you take on your paper to get the job that you want.