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>> No. 5736 Anonymous
25th June 2015
Thursday 5:39 pm
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I need to write a personal statement about myself in order to apply for a postgraduate research post but I find this sort of thing to be incredibly difficult. To make matters worse it appears to be hinted that I must write close to the maximum which is given as 'approximately 500 words'.

I've been stuck on this for over a week now so any helpful advice would be most appreciated as I have a hunch that anonymous imageboard users will know where I am coming from. I've had opportunities before squandered by the requirement of the flaming hoop jump of talking about myself and I think it creates some form of paralysis but really I'm not sure as to why.
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>> No. 5737 Anonymous
25th June 2015
Thursday 6:02 pm
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>>5736
Assuming you are still a student, go to your university careers centre and ask for their help.
>> No. 5738 Anonymous
25th June 2015
Thursday 6:24 pm
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Editing is generally much easier than writing, especially for perfectionist types who struggle to get going. Just get your pen moving and give yourself something to start whittling down. When I say pen, I mean it literally - it can be really helpful to start drafting on paper rather than on the computer.

Start by brainstorming a list of your positive traits. Don't filter it, just write down anything that comes into your head - good at Boggle, nice to your nan, it doesn't matter at this stage as long as you're filling up the page. Once you've got a list that seems excessively long, do the same for the requirements of the post.

Compare the lists and look at the overlap. Pick a personal attribute and a job requirement that roughly match up, and write a paragraph or two on how you developed that attribute - think about your life and educational experiences and try to pick practical examples of where you demonstrated that trait. Repeat this for as many of the attributes you think might be even vaguely relevant. Again, we're looking for quantity rather than quality.

By now, you should have far more than 500 words to pick from. It's only at this point that we should start getting critical. Think about which are the most relevant skills to showcase. Cut out the waffle, refine the sentences, start squeezing things down to fit in the word limit. Shuffle things around to highlight the most important parts. Now you're on easy street - it's just spit and polish. If you start running out of steam, just set it aside and come back later with fresh eyes.
>> No. 5739 Anonymous
26th June 2015
Friday 3:16 am
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What sort of postgraduate research? A masters position or a PhD position? If the latter, put effort into it, if the former, you could write 'my turd sniffs of good' and they'd take you.
>> No. 5742 Anonymous
26th June 2015
Friday 5:58 pm
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As Graham Linehan once said, writing is like taking a poo. It's really hard if you don't need to go. But if you can feed your mind, then eventually you'll be compelled to write.

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