1st or 3rd Person

Discussion in 'Employment & Jobs' started by free.heron, Dec 11, 2010.

  1. free.heron

    free.heron Nibble Poster

    69
    1
    22
    Hi guys, do you write your personal statement on your cv in 1st person or 3rd? I originally thought that it should always be written in 3rd person however I have been told recently that this is incorrect.. and have found several sources also stating the same... Just wondered what your opinions were?
    :eek:
     
    Certifications: ITIL v3
    WIP: CCENT
  2. LukeP

    LukeP Gigabyte Poster

    1,194
    41
    90
    I have mine in the 1st person and I'm happy with it. I know people who have it in 3rd person and they're happy with it too.

    I don't think there is right or wrong here.
     
    WIP: Uhmm... not sure
  3. westernkings

    westernkings Gigabyte Poster

    1,432
    60
    107
    Mine is in 3rd Person, but if I added a couple of "I am" into it, it would take 20 seconds to become first person.

    "A focused individual blah blah blah" so could go either way really, stick an I am in there and it's first, stick a He is or Dave is and it's third.

    I prefer third.
     
    Certifications: MCITP:VA, MCITP:EA, MCDST, MCTS, MCITP:EST7, MCITP:SA, PRINCE2, ITILv3
  4. billyr

    billyr Kilobyte Poster

    262
    20
    35
    Personal preference, but I hate CVs that I come across that start:
    E.g.
    David is a network engineer with 5 years experience of ......

    I much prefer:

    A network engineer with 5 years experience .......
    I dont know what it is, it just really gets my back up and I have been guilty of sticking an application to the bottom of the pile because of it.
     
    Certifications: CCNP, CCSI, MCSE W2k/W2k3, MCITP_SA
    WIP: Taking it easy for a while.
  5. westernkings

    westernkings Gigabyte Poster

    1,432
    60
    107
    Good god no. Can't imagine anyone ever using their name in the 3rd Person, it's terrible.
     
    Certifications: MCITP:VA, MCITP:EA, MCDST, MCTS, MCITP:EST7, MCITP:SA, PRINCE2, ITILv3
  6. onoski

    onoski Terabyte Poster

    3,120
    51
    154

    LOL:) that would be classic then is anyone using a 3rd person i.e. David is a network engineer with xyz years of experience. Well, in my opinion of course that is as it comes across as being cheesy.
     
    Certifications: MCSE: 2003, MCSA: 2003 Messaging, MCP, HNC BIT, ITIL Fdn V3, SDI Fdn, VCP 4 & VCP 5
    WIP: MCTS:70-236, PowerShell
  7. billyr

    billyr Kilobyte Poster

    262
    20
    35
    We were recruiting for an admin position a couple of months back and i'd say about 25 percent were written that way.
    I was beginning to wonder if job centres were recommending it. Very strange, must be the characters attracted to paperwork.
     
    Certifications: CCNP, CCSI, MCSE W2k/W2k3, MCITP_SA
    WIP: Taking it easy for a while.
  8. westernkings

    westernkings Gigabyte Poster

    1,432
    60
    107
    In all honesty, saying "David is" is just as bad as repeating "I am XYZ, I am good at this".

    Stick with describing your self in the first person but without the "I am" and "I did" and you will be sorted :D

    I'm actually going to start talking in the third person. 8)
     
    Certifications: MCITP:VA, MCITP:EA, MCDST, MCTS, MCITP:EST7, MCITP:SA, PRINCE2, ITILv3
  9. JonnyMX

    JonnyMX Petabyte Poster

    5,257
    220
    236
    Third person is traditional, but traditions are being eroded by the onslaught of mass ignorance so I don't think it matters too much any more. The only real danger is that your CV will fall into the hands of a traditionalist and it will instantly score you minus points.

    I went on a professional development course recently where they tried to tell us that it didn't matter any more if you used 'yours sincerely' or 'yours faithfully' at the end of a formal letter. Sigh. :rolleyes:

    Personally, I think third person reads a bit odd on a CV. After all, you're writing it about yourself and everyone knows it.But, hey, rules is rules...
     
    Certifications: MCT, MCTS, i-Net+, CIW CI, Prince2, MSP, MCSD

Share This Page

Loading...
  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.