The leading engineering training provider in the Yorkshire and Humber region
Crafting the Perfect Personal Statement
HETA's Top 5 Tips to Help You Craft a Compelling Personal Statement
Embarking on your apprenticeship journey with HETA is the first step towards achieving your dream career in engineering!
A pivotal element of your application form is the personal statement – this allows us and potential employers to get to know you a little better.
“What hobbies and interest do you have?”
“Why does a career in engineering appeal to you?”
“What are your aspirations for the future?”
All questions that you may want to consider when crafting the perfect the personal statement and making your application stand out.
To help you through the application process, we’ve compiled some essential tips for writing a compelling personal statement.
1. Showcase Your Passion and Previous Experience:
Expressing genuine passion for engineering is vital when applying for an apprenticeship with us! We’d love to hear about specific experiences or moments that ignited your interest in the field.
Don’t underestimate how much the little things count!
Everybody has a unique path that leads to a career in engineering. As such, we want to hear about your previous experience, no matter how big or small.
Whether you’ve used hand tools at home or completed an internship at NASA, potential employers love to hear about the work you’ve completed prior to your apprenticeship as it showcases your passion for the field.
2. Tailor Your Statement to a Specific Apprenticeship
As part of your application, we will ask you to highlight the areas that you are most interested in, such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering or fabrication & welding.
It is important to consider why these specific areas appeal to you, as they are vastly different in terms of the skills, knowledge and behaviours that they require as part of the apprenticeship and your career as a whole.
We recommend researching the different areas of engineering to find an apprenticeship most suited to your desired skill set.
Don’t mind getting your hands dirty? Then perhaps mechanical engineering is the route for you!
Do you enjoy working with IT and want to showcase your creative flair? A career in design will tick the boxes!
To help uncover the perfect path for you, discover more about our different apprenticeship pathways here.
3. Demonstrate Your Willingness to Learn
While it is important to highlight any relevant experience you’ve had before applying for an apprenticeship with us, we don’t expect you to be the finished article at this stage.
More important than the skills you already have is your willingness to learn and grow!
Throughout the entirety of your apprenticeship you will be expected to apply yourself to learning new skills and apply them as part of your ongoing development.
Failure is a key part of learning, as it provides you with the opportunity to identify areas for improvement and move ever closer to becoming a qualified engineer!
As such, we want to hear about your attitude towards learning new skills and your willingness to take on feedback and apply it to ensure that you are always improving.
4. Pack it Full of Personality
Professionalism is key when writing your personal statement! After all, potential employers will be given access to your application to assist them during the recruitment process.
However, don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through!
You are provided with a section on the application form to write about your own interests, hobbies and achievements. Be authentic and allow your enthusiasm for engineering and your other interests to showcase itself in your writing.
5. Don't Click Submit Just Yet
Finally, we encourage you to take some time to review your personal statement and make any necessary edits before submitting your application.
Be sure to check for spelling and grammatical errors and ensure that your statement is coherent.
A well-polished document that is free of errors showcases your passion and commitment to excellence as much as the content of the statement itself.
We hope that these tips have given you the confidence to craft a compelling personal statement as part of your application.
Now that you’re ready, you can submit your application by clicking the button below: