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Learning how to write a supporting statement is important. Supporting statements have over recent years become an important part of the application process. This is partly because sending a CV/resume when applying for a job has become easier than ever before. Employers are flooded with applications! On the flip side this has made it harder for the hiring managers to decide whether a person’s is simply spamming their CV and if interest is genuine or not. A personal statement is a great way of filtering that challenge. In this blog post you’re going to learn how to write a supporting statement with examples.
What is a supporting statement
A supporting statement can be considered as a shorter and more concise version of your cover letter. It should be no longer than two paragraphs long and take up approximately a quarter of an A4 sheet of paper, so up to between 80 to 150 words.
Why are supporting statements important?
Supporting statements have a starring role in the modern job application process. The role of the supporting statement is to provide added value to your CV or resume. If your CV or resume is the cake, then the supporting statement will be the icing. It’s an enhancer there to help your CV shine and provide colour to the content. You could even say it is the job application equivalent of MSG, it’s there to bring out the flavour in your CV. Although unlike MSG It has no effect on your health!
Companies also value the fact that you have gone the extra mile when writing a supporting statement for a job. By not simply sending your CV, but also demonstrating that you have an authentic interest in that particular position. This will make it easier for you in your job application to ultimately get through to the interview stage. At the interview stage it’s important to learn the STAR interview technique as well as know which killer interview questions work best. To be able to master this skill I would recommend that you consider interview coaching, as it will allow you to shine in your interviews.
In the rest of this post we’re going to cover the various key aspects when it comes to writing a supporting statement. Furthermore to also discuss example supporting statements.
How to start a supporting statement
When starting to write your supporting statement The key is to build context quickly you’re trying to paint a picture as fast as possible in the hiring manager’s mind. When learning how to write the start of a supporting statement, it’s essential that you mentioned the following:
- Your Job Title or Specialisation as a professional.
- The number of years experience you have.
- The type of industries or organisations that you’ve worked for or with.
The reason why listing your job title or specialisation is very important is that when it comes to writing a supporting statement for a job, this helps instantly build context. The reader will be able to understand your current role and can visualise what you might be doing in your job. Now if it’s the case that your job title doesn’t align very well for the vacancy that you are applying for, maybe you are trying to move into a more senior position. Then it’s better to mention your specialisation, saying something along the lines of marketing professional rather than marketing coordinator since your job title of marketing coordinator is lower than that of a marketing manager which is the role that you’re targeting.
Mentioning the number of years that you have experienced again goes back to the fundamental principles on how to write a job supporting statement, which is to create context quickly. By mentioning the number of years they automatically know how experienced you are. Usually experience correlates with the seniority of the role that you’re applying for for example if you’ve got two years of experience it’s very unlikely that you will be going for a manager role. However it is generally acceptable that if you have around 4 years experience that a manager position is something you’d be suitable to apply for. So from my experience there’s very little negative when it comes to measuring the number of years.
Also by talking about the organisations and industries that you’ve worked in, goes back to that to the importance of painting a picture very quickly when writing a supporting or summarising statement. Particularly if you have worked with or for well-known recognisable brands. This aspect of starting your statement is critical.
How to write a supporting statement
To write a personal statement there are a number of important principles to follow. Below are the list of three key steps you will be able to write a supporting statement for a job whatever your level of experience.
- Be descriptive by using figures and numbers
- Talk about the quantifiable skills that you possess
- Mention something specific that impressed you about the organisation or the role
1) Be descriptive by using figures and numbers
To write a supporting statement first you need to understand that a supporting statement has to be concise and numbers are critical in creating context and understanding quickly. By saying the number of years of experience that you have, the amount of people that you’ve led, the size of the budgets that you manage, and how much money you’ve generated or saved within your company. Will instantly have a positive impact!
2) Talk about the quantifiable skills that you possess
Remember that you’re trying to build a picture as quickly as possible about you in the shower for the shortest amount of time. Soft skills are very difficult to express in writing because they are subjective and require greater explanation. Talking about your quantifiable skills can instantly allow the hiring manager to see your level of competence in ability to do the job for example if you have experience of a particular type of programming language such as Java or have experience of using software’s such as SAS. Or that you know a particular type of analysis technique when conducting research that is easy for others to appreciate and understand.
3) Mention something specific that impressed you about the organisation or the role
A key aspect of the supporting statement compared to a Resume or CV is that you’re showcasing and demonstrating specific interest in that role or the organisation therefore it’s vital that you do that. One of the ways that you can do this is to Showcase in the research that you’ve done on the organisation by mentioning alignment of their values with yours, where specifically their vision and goals, finally alignment with what you will bring to the table.
How long should a supporting statement be?
The recommended length of a supporting statement should be between 100 to 150 words and a maximum of two to three paragraphs long. This is an important rule to stick to because you do not want your supporting statement becoming too long and turning into a cover letter because then it defeats the whole purpose and function of what the supporting or summarising statement is supposed to do. Especially statements when applying to competitive companies such as Google, Amazon, AWS, the NHS and Civil service. If you’re interested in writing a personal statement with example definitely visit our blog section to read more.
Tips for writing your supporting statement
There’s important factors that you need to consider when writing a supporting statement. We’ve already discussed the key components in terms of structuring your supporting statement; however now I will give you some strategies to make it easy for you to write a supporting statement.
- Less is more! Think about how you can write something as concisely as possible, think Twitter rather than a Facebook post.
- Use positive emotive language to speak about yourself.
- If you’re not sure about exact facts and figures, have used approximately or between e.g. approximately £10m, between 20-30 staff members.
Supporting statement templates
So now we’re going to look at some supporting statement examples as well as templates. This includes statements to support job application examples.
[Current job title] possessing over [years of experience], working for the likes of [companies you’ve worked for or with]. Expertise include [list technical expertise]. Garnering a track record of success [ list achievements].
I’m excited by this opportunity at [organisation name] firstly because I believe your mission of [organisation mission] and values [ list values] align with my own. Secondly because I believe that my experiences are an excellent match for [list job title] and I would love to have the opportunity to demonstrate my credentials further in an interview.
So above is a simple yet effective template statement to support job application example. By using it you will be able to write job statements when applying without much stress or bother.
Supporting Statement Examples
Now we’re going to look at some supporting statement example UK, USA, UAE, Singapore and Australia. Also to write a statement examples for anywhere else in the world.
Example 1: Supporting Statement For Digital marketing expert
“My name is [Name]. An experienced digital marketing expert with over 5 years of experience working for the likes of Barclays, JP Morgan, Vans and Adidas. Expertise include developing bespoke social media campaigns across Facebook YouTube Instagram Snapchat and Tiktok. generating revenues in excess of 2 million dollars.
I’m interested in this opportunity because your vision on how to make creative content for big brand, as well as your values of innovation respect any quality align with my own. I believe that with my experience, knowledge and expertise I can contribute to your organisation and would love the opportunity to be invited for an interview.”
Example 2: Supporting Statement For business analyst
“My name is [Name]. MBA-qualified Business Analyst with over 7 years professional experience within the Healthcare, Automotive and Aerospace sector. This includes working for Jaguar Land Rover, Airbus and NHS England. Expertise include business process mapping, multiple stakeholder management, and Excel. Successfully helped deliver over 5 key business Improvement projects valued between £5m-£10m.
I’m excited by the possibility of working with your organisation, your values of honesty, integrity and fun, as well as your desire to create green solutions for the transportation sector. This is something that aligns with my own personal values and mission. I would love to have the opportunity to be able to discuss my credentials in an interview.”
