Sample Business Personal Statement
Understanding how business works in a globalised economy is not only about learning its processes. It is also essential to understand the international contexts in which these processes take place, and the importance of communication between them. Having exhibited a talent for language learning, and gained practical experience in the field, I am confident I can apply, and ultimately add to, this understanding.
Studying French and Spanish has enhanced my ability to communicate with a large number of native speakers, as well as offering opportunities to encounter the social, cultural and business contexts of these countries through regular exchange trips. Spending two weeks at a college in Salamanca in March 2009 was a particularly rewarding experience, as it proved my ability to both live and study immersed in another culture. I have supplemented this knowledge of languages through study of Maths and Biology, both of which encourage thinking in a methodical, logical fashion and breaking complex systems down into their constituent parts in order to understand them, essential for understanding the complex systems of the business world.
To gain a sense of how business theory is applied, I undertook work experience at the Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group insurance company and Charters Associates accounting firm. Seeing how central the mathematical principles I had encountered and the communication skills I had honed were to running a successful business confirmed my suitability for further study. I also gained work experience as an Exhibitor for the Indian Property Show, working in the marketing and finance departments of the Vaastu and Palmistry section. This experience broadened my knowledge of the place of communication within business, both between firms and clients and between staff.
As a keen traveller, I have been lucky enough to visit numerous regions, including India, South America and Japan, where I trekked to the top of Mount Fuji. Inspired by the importance of Asian economies I have begun to learn Mandarin, passing breakthrough level in June 2011. My appetite for experiencing and understanding cultures, particularly through their languages, drives my ambition to live and work across international contexts, creating opportunities for communication which can enhance all levels of business, from local traders to large franchises.
I have also remained in touch with my own culture. At 14, I won a trip to India through a Hindi Speech Competition, building my confidence at public speaking; further honed through my school’s second placing in a Senior Bar Mock Trial regional competition. The skills I gained through teaching Hindi also proved essential in performing several roles within my school, including Senior Prefect, Form Captain and Senior Peer Mentor. Communicating with pupils, staff and parents demonstrated the importance of fostering strong working relationships, in both education and business.
I also enjoy sports and other physical pursuits. I have gained my Intermediate Diploma in Indian Classical Dance and have achieved a Brown Belt in Karate, both of which have encouraged discipline, teamwork, and mental and physical strength. I have also been a member of the Slough Badminton Club for five years, winning the Mike Teather Tournament in 2008 and our in-house Ladies Singles competition in 2011.
Having worked hard to gain intellectual and practical experience of both working within business and studying and living in different countries and cultures, I have demonstrated my ability, and my dedication, to understanding and improving communication between international contexts. By building on this previous knowledge and experience through undergraduate study, I hope to lay a foundation that allows me to successfully foster this communication in my future career.
This sample Business personal statement should be used as an informative guide to appropriate content and sound structure for a personal statement.