How to Write a Supporting Statement for a Job Application (UK Guide)

The supporting statement is often the part of an application that decides whether you are shortlisted. The good news is that there is a clear method to it, and you don’t need to be a “good writer” to follow it.

If you are applying for a job with a council, a school, a nursery, a college or the NHS, you will usually be asked for a supporting statement (sometimes called “supporting information” or a “personal statement”). It is your chance to explain, in your own words, why you are right for the job.

I ran my own registered childcare setting, so I have sat on the other side of the table, reading applications and deciding who to invite to interview. This guide is what I wish every applicant knew.

What is a supporting statement?

A supporting statement is a piece of writing that shows how your skills and experience match the job. Your CV or application form lists what you have done. Your supporting statement explains how that experience meets what the employer is asking for.

Most public sector and education employers shortlist by checking each application against the person specification. If your statement doesn’t clearly show that you meet a criterion, the panel usually can’t give you the marks for it, even if you have the experience.

Step 1: Start with the person specification

Before you write a word, find the person specification. It is usually part of the job pack, next to the job description. It lists the criteria the panel will use, normally split into:

• Essential criteria: what you must have to be considered.
• Desirable criteria: what would make you stand out.

Print it or copy it out, and number each criterion. This list becomes the plan for your statement.

Step 2: Match each criterion with an example

Next to each criterion, jot down a real example from your life that shows you meet it. Examples can come from paid work, volunteering, caring for a family member, training, or running a home. What matters is that the example is real and specific.

If you can’t think of an example for an essential criterion, be honest with yourself. Can you show something close to it, or how you would go about learning it? A short, honest answer is better than leaving a gap.

Step 3: Give it a simple structure

1. A short opening: two or three sentences on why you want this job with this employer.
2. The main body: work through the person specification in the same order it is written. If the instructions allow it, use each criterion as a heading. It makes the panel’s job easy, and they will thank you for it.
3. A short close: a sentence or two summing up what you would bring to the role.

Step 4: Use the STAR method for your examples

A strong example tells a short story. The STAR method keeps it focused:

• Situation: where were you, and what was happening?
• Task: what needed to be done?
• Action: what did you do? (This should be the longest part.)
• Result: what happened because of what you did?

Here is a short example for the criterion “Ability to build positive relationships with parents and carers”:

“In my role as a playworker, a parent was worried that her son was not settling at after-school club. I arranged a short chat with her at pick-up each day for the first two weeks and shared one positive thing he had done that session. I also asked what he enjoyed at home and set up a Lego table, which he loved. Within a few weeks he was settled and joining in, and his mum told my manager how much the daily updates had reassured her.”

Notice that it doesn’t just say “I am good with parents”. It shows it.

Step 5: Use the employer’s own words

If the person specification says “safeguarding”, use the word “safeguarding”. If it says “working as part of a team”, use that phrase. Panels are checking for evidence against specific wording, so make it easy for them to find.

Step 6: Check the length

Always follow the instructions. Many online application forms have a word or character limit, so write your statement in a separate document first and check the count. If no limit is given, around one to two sides of A4 is common. Every sentence should earn its place.

Step 7: Check it, then keep a copy

Read it out loud. You will hear mistakes that your eyes skip over. Ask someone you trust to read it too. Then save a copy, because the interview questions are often based on the same person specification, and your statement makes great revision.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Copying your CV. The panel already has it. Explain and give examples instead.
• Claims without evidence. “I am a hard worker and a team player” tells the panel nothing on its own.
• Missing out a criterion. If it’s essential and you don’t mention it, you may not be shortlisted.
• Ignoring the desirable criteria. These are often what separates shortlisted candidates.
• Sending the same statement to every job. Each one needs to match its own person specification.
• Letting AI write it for you. Some employers now say in their adverts that they don’t want statements written entirely by AI. More importantly, you need to be able to talk about every example at interview. Read can you use ChatGPT or AI to write a supporting statement? for how to use it safely.

What I’ve seen work

As well as shortlisting applicants in my own setting, I have helped friends, family members and students with their job applications, and their applications got them through shortlisting. Each time, the approach was the one in this guide: cover every criterion in order, and back up every claim with a real example. It isn’t about fancy writing. It’s about making it easy for the panel to see that you meet what they are asking for.

Need a hand?

If you are staring at a blank page, you are not alone. It is the part of an application most people find hardest. I help people turn their real experience into a clear, strong supporting statement, written with you against the essential and desirable criteria.

Applying for a school or nursery role? Read my tips for a teaching assistant supporting statement and what managers look for in a nursery practitioner supporting statement. Applying to the NHS? Read how to write an NHS supporting statement on Trac, with guides for Bands 2, 3 and 4 and admin roles. Applying for a job in Wales? See how to answer Welsh language questions, even if you don’t speak Welsh.

More guides: a care worker supporting statement, school admin and learning support roles, and going back to work after a career break.