cv personal statement dentist

Build my resume

• Build a better resume in minutes
• Resume examples
• 2,000+ examples that work in 2024
• Resume templates
• Free templates for all levels
• Cover letters
• Cover letter generator
• It's like magic, we promise
• Cover letter examples
• Free downloads in Word & Docs

7 Dentist Resume Examples Guaranteed to Work in 2024

Best for candidates with 3+ years of experience

With your job experience and a stunning resume layout, recruiters will be ready to give your application the official stamp of approval.

Resume Builder

Like this template? Customize this resume and make it your own with the help of our Al-powered suggestions, accent colors, and modern fonts.

• Dentist Resumes
• Dentist Resumes by Experience
• Dentist Resumes by Role
• Writing a Dentist Resume

Good dentists are worth their weight in gold. Your competent and steady hands go a long way toward improving people’s smiles.

Your dentist resume has the power to demonstrate your technical skills and your ability to be an empathetic advocate for your patients.

While you’re incredible in all things teeth, you might need help determining where to begin on your resume. That’s why we’re here!

We’ve done the hard work researching the good, the bad, and the ugly for all types of dentist positions and their respective resumes  (such as  dental hygienist resumes  and  dental assistant resumes ). We’ve taken everything we’ve learned to design these seven dentist resume samples to help you  create a resume  to land your next dental job in 2024!

Dentist Resume

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• Once you’ve gotten some inspiration, customize your resume by adding responsibilities and skills according to the job description.
• For example, if the description mentions needing a dentist to train new hires, include any experience you have helping new dentists learn complex techniques.
• Try listing three to four of your most recent jobs, which will provide you with ample space to write thorough work experience bullet points.
• You can always reference other relevant positions during your interview!

General Dentist Resume

• Check your resume  for proper punctuation, active language, and consistent verb tenses.
• On that note, be sure to stay on top of renewals. Check your state’s guidelines to avoid penalties for not having the correct licensure.

Recent Graduate Dentist Resume

• Making your resume aesthetically pleasing isn’t easy, but using a  resume template  can help you add pretty (and functional) stylistic elements.
• If your skills barely match the job description, keep looking for a job that better fits your competency areas; however, don’t feel pressure to have every technical skill they require. Your fellow dentists will be happy to help you learn complex dental procedures.

New Dentist Resume

• An objective can highlight your personality traits, demonstrate your willingness to grow, and explain your desires and goals in that particular position.
• If you use an objective, tailor it for each job application by including the company’s name, the role you’re seeking, and your relevant skills.
• Consider adding any research positions, your clinical rotations, 

Senior Dentist Resume

• Ensure to add metrics of how many patients you served on a weekly/monthly basis and your surgery success rates. Adding information on how you trained junior dentists and helped gain profits for a dental clinic are also great extras to highlight!

Pediatric Dentist Resume

• Normal dentist experience works great too! Highlight any specific tasks you’ve handled that helped children. Any pediatric dental clinic will look out for dentists interested and passionate about helping children from the beginning.

Associate Dentist Resume

• Structuring your associate dentist resume in reverse-chronological order will keep your most relevant experience at the top, helping to convince the hiring manager you have the right qualifications.
• Start with your last associate position and place clinical rotations and/or other entry-level experience last.
• Similarly, spend more energy describing your duties and accomplishments in your associate dentist work experience rather than your clinical rotations. Your most recent work will have progressed significantly since your days of supervised learning and practice.

Related resume guides

• Dental hygienist
• Dental Assistant

Create a Tailored Dentist Resume Based on the Job Description

As a dentist, you need to plan for every patient’s unique circumstances. Some may need help with periodontal issues, while others struggle with an overbite. Plus, you have to understand your patients’ lifestyle factors. 

Like every dental issue requires a tailored approach to patient needs, your resume will require a similar touch. The best place to start will be reviewing the job description . That way, whether the office focuses on cosmetic procedures or traditional cleanings, you can list the right skills for the job.

Need some ideas?

15 popular dentist skills

• Patient relations
• Root canals
• Tooth cleanings
• Extractions
• Restorative dentistry
• Sedation medication
• Sterilization
• File management
• 3Shape TRIOS

Your dentist work experience bullet points

When patients choose a dentist, they’ll want to know they’ll get the desired results from visiting your office. That’s why dental hiring managers put extra time and consideration into the specific work achievements you list on your resume. 

A great way to stand out is going above just listing job duties like routine examinations and root canals. Instead, aim for actionable one-sentence descriptions using metrics like how you boosted patient satisfaction rates or provided guidelines that helped reduce receding gums by 45 percent. 

Here are some great metrics you can add to make your dental resume stand out.

• Success rate: When you prescribe a treatment or procedure, is it successful? Any time you can share positive results, it’ll make you stand out as a dentist.  
• Patient retention: Patients continuously coming back to the same dental office is a great sign that you and your team were doing something right to create an excellent experience. 
• Accuracy: Great dentists can manage data and identify oral health problems accurately before they become a major issue. 
• Safety scores: Dental offices must operate precisely, so any impact you can make on sanitization and procedural safety scores will stand out. 

See what we mean?

• Educated 332 parents and guardians on pediatric oral health using charts and infographics, which led to a 42% increase in preventative care appointments.
• Consistently maintained a 94% on-time schedule rate for daytime visits using the Open Dental platform for appointment management.
• Digitized, updated, and reorganized files, reducing paper waste by 74% and improving lab efficiency by 11%.
• Implemented new scanning technology to increase patient engagement, increasing patient retention by 30%.

9 active verbs to start your dentist work experience bullet points

• Implemented
• Recommended

3 Ways to Bolster Your Dentist Resume When You Lack Experience

• You’ve completed rigorous education to obtain your DDS or DMD, so any achievements you had along the way can be included on your resume to show you have the necessary skills. For instance, you could write about passing an embryology exam involving identifying oral tissues accurately to get a 98 percent overall grade. 
• A good resume objective is a great way for inexperienced dentists to immediately present some top skills and career goals. For example, you could write a couple of sentences about how you’re a passionate dental professional and are eager to apply your patient-first mindset to create a great experience when performing restorative procedures. 
• Internships or residencies you’ve completed are also valuable experiences that will help you show your skills at the early stages of your career. For example, you could talk about assisting in root canals or applying lab safety procedures to maintain operational compliance. 

3 Tips to Shine Up Your Dentist Resume When You Have Experience

• When you have ten or more years of dentistry experience, a summary statement can help you emphasize key achievements and skills that make you stand out. For instance, you could write a few sentences about how you’ve placed over 500 implants and bridges in your 12-year career with a 99% success rate. 
• Hiring managers in busy dental offices need to review resumes quickly to narrow down which candidates they choose to call for an interview. So, keep it on a single page and narrow in on the needs of each dental office, like teeth whitenings and veneers for a dental office that focuses on cosmetic procedures. 
• You’ve grown a lot as a dentist since you started your career at initial internships or residencies. If you have lots of experience, you can remove those early-stage jobs to emphasize your most relevant skills in restorative procedures and cleanings. 

Let’s recap so we can get you on your way!

How to write a dentist resume

Accomplished and seasoned dentists, you can take advantage of a summary statement by highlighting your greatest career accomplishments, like pediatric care where your work impacted the oral hygiene in children, families, and schools. If you’re just starting your dentistry career, your objective can assure employers you’re skilled and ready to meet the specific challenges of the clinic, like improving the quality of life for the underprivileged. Alternatively, skip this section if you’re in a hurry.

Recount your experience in reverse-chronological order in your dentist resume. For example, the top third of your resume might contain your senior dentist role where you not only served patients daily in minor oral surgeries, extractions, and exams but mentored other dentists, coordinated international trips to initiate dentistry programs, led presentations at conferences and community programs. Clinical rotations and associate dentistry roles are better saved for the bottom two-thirds of your resume.

Quantify your impact in dentistry for a winning dentist cover letter and resume. Was patient education your passion? If so, did you see a decrease in cavities or gingivitis in your pediatric population? Or, maybe you worked to implement new technologies that increased the accuracy of diagnosing oral disease. By how much did this technology increase the accuracy of diagnosis, and how did this affect your treatment and education plans for the patient?

No dental position is the same. Strategically pick skills to include on your dental resume by first thinking about the skills you possess and then matching those skills to what you see in a business’ job description. One clinic may focus on disease prevention for underserved geriatric populations while another primarily cares for families. So, skills in sedation, preventative dental education, and extractions might be appropriate for a clinic focused on disease prevention.

Include your dental accreditation and education, so employers can quickly assess your qualifications. Whether you earned a DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) or a DMD (Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry), this degree with the year earned and the institution should come first in your education section. Undergraduate work can follow. If you just finished dental school, consider adding awards and recognition, such as the inaugural Dr. Jeanne Craig Sinkford Student Leadership Award.

List your dental licenses in a small section beneath your education and skills. Include your state dental license as well as any other required certifications and licenses, such as a CPR certification or DEA license.

Dentist FAQs

You should customize your resume to the needs of each job you apply to. It’ll help you stand out when one office focuses on periodontics and another specializes in endodontics. That way, you can present relevant abilities for each one that catches a hiring manager’s attention. 

Aim to keep your dental resume to three or four jobs. To stand out, choose positions that are the most recent and relevant to list on your resume. For instance, if you’re applying to a pediatric dental office, previous experiences and achievements helping children with preventative dental care would be great to emphasize throughout. 

Then, harness the power of your greatest achievements in your resume by expounding on the how and why behind the success for the key to writing a great cover letter .

Action words like “monitored” and “treated” are a way to write in an active voice and make your dental experiences sound more engaging. It makes a big difference when you can say you “treated over 100 patients with early-stage gingivitis, resulting in a 90% average reduction in symptoms” compared to saying you “know how to treat gingivitis.”  

View Premium CV Package

3 Dentist CV Examples and In-Depth Dentist CV Writing Guide

Posted by CV Nation on Jan 23, 2021

A comprehensive, illustrated guide to writing a dentist CV for dentists in the UK, United States and across the world, which includes 3 dentist CV templates and samples that you can use today.

As of 2020, there were over 41,300 dental practitioners in the UK . This number is forecasted to grow in the coming years, with the number of dentistry jobs expected to increase by 3%.

To stand out and ensure you come across as a professional candidate, it’s important to equip yourself with an effective CV when pursuing dentist jobs.

Dentist CVs are similar to medical CVs in that they contain many more sections than CVs for other professions.

This include research, licensures, memberships, presentations and publications sections.

Many dentists and aspiring dentists find presenting this information to be a daunting task.

In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to prepare all aspects of your dentist CV to ensure you have the best chance of success with your job search.

This guide is perfect for all dentistry professionals, including general dentists, orthodontists, prosthodontists and maxillofacial surgeons.

Dentist CV Example

How to write a dentist CV

Name and contact details.

Begin by including your name, contact details and location. If you have a LinkedIn profile, include your LinkedIn URL alongside you contact details.

It’s not necessary to detail your full address. Due to privacy issues, it’s common practice to simply include the town/city and country you live in.

Don’t title your CV with the words ‘Curriculum Vitae’ or ‘CV’. This is not necessary and will cause your CV to appear unprofessional.

Personal statement/professional profile

Personal statements, often referred to as professional profiles, are short summaries at the beginning of CVs. The aim of your personal statement is to sell yourself to the reader and communicate your value in just a few sentences.

It isn’t always necessary to include a personal statement on medical and dental CVs. However, in some cases they can add value by showing the reader what makes you unique.

Here is an example of a dentist CV’s personal statement:

Now it's time to include your qualifications.

Dentists in the United States should have usually completed an undergraduate degree and a doctoral degree. They are also required to complete a Dental Admissions Test (DAT) prior to enrolling at dental school. You may want to consider highlighting details of your DAT in your education section, along with your degrees.

In the UK, dentists should have obtained a bachelor of dental surgery (BDS) degree – or equivalent – as well as on the job training.

When writing your CV, ensure to highlight the qualifications you have obtained that are relevant in the country you live in.

How should you format your education details on your dentist CV?

Include the degree you obtained, the grade you achieved, the university you attended and your dates of study. To see examples of a dentist CV's education details, take a look at the CV samples in this guide.

Licensures & certifications

In this section, list any licences and certifications. Relevant licences and certifications required to practice as a dentist vary by country and state.

In the UK, dentists must obtain GDC registration in order to practice dentistry unsupervised. In the United States, dentists are required to obtain a licence in the state in which they practice.

When writing this section, UK dentists should state that they are GDC registered and include their GDC registration number. Dentists in the US should highlight their state issued licences, along with any relevant licence numbers.

Here is an example of dentist CV's licensures and certifications section:

Professional experience

In this section, list your professional experience as a practising dentist. Use the reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent position and working backwards.

How do you format your professional work experience on your dentist CV?

Include your job title, the name of your employer, the location of employment and the dates of employment. Then use bullet points to provide some information about your work and your role as a dentist.

Here is an example of a professional experience section on a dentist’s CV:

Research experience

Do you specialise in dental research? Or have you taken part in any dentistry research alongside your work as a dentist? If so, highlight your research experience in this section.

For many dentists, this section will not be relevant. Ignore this step if you don’t have any research experience.

How do you present your dental research experience?

Detail the title of the research project, the location of the research project, your teacher’s name (if relevant), the dates of the project and details of any conferences/presentations associated with your research project.

Here is an example:

‘Replacing Damaged Bone’ – Example University, New York, U.S. (June 2014 – July 2016)

- Executed a two-year research project on implants to replace damaged bone

- Presented paper and findings at the Annual Dentistry General Conference of New York in 2016

Honours and awards

Honours and awards are a great way of making your CV stand out and showcasing your expertise. Relevant awards and honours may include those achieved during your studies or during your professional endeavours.

How do you format honours and awards on your dentist CV?

List the name or title of the award you achieved, followed by the by the name of the institution where you obtained the award and the date you achieved the award.

‘The Official Florida Best Leader Award, Florida Dental Organisation (2021)’

Publications

Has your work been published in research papers or conference papers? If so, include a section to showcase your publications. Including your publications is a fantastic way of drawing attention to your areas of expertise in dentistry.

When listing your publications, use the MLA style. This will ensure the section is formatted in a professional way that is easy to follow.

The MLA style is a format of writing that follows a specific structure. It involves listing the author’s name (your name), followed by the article title, the name of the publication, the volume number, the date and the page numbers that feature your publication.

Here is an example of a dentist CV’s publication listing using the MLA style:

‘Joseph B. Harris. ‘A study of tooth decay in the elderly’. The Monumental Dental Association Journal, 11(4), 2020, 41-43.’

Presentations

If you’ve delivered any formal presentations related to dentistry, list them in this section. Use the same format that you used to detail your publications.

Presentations indicate strong communication skills, as well as your knowledge of the subject in question.

Here is an example of a presentation listed on a dentist's CV:

‘Tooth decay and causes in 2021’, The Dental Conference, Los Angeles, California (2021)’

Memberships and affiliations

If you’re a member of any professional associations related to dentistry, such as the British Dental Association, list them in the section.

Highlighting memberships and affiliations on your CV can help optimise it for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) – recruitment screening software used by many employers – as ATS is often scanning for association with such organisations.

Detail your title within the organisation (or simply ‘member of’), as well as the name of the organisation and the dates of your membership.

'Member of the California Dental Association (2002 – 2012)'

Additional information

Use the final section of your CV to highlight any additional information. This may extend to IT/software proficiency, voluntary work, languages and soft skills training.

Further tips for your dentist CV

Layout and presentation.

Professionally prepared and organised CVs can be up to 60% more effective when applying for jobs. As such, it’s vital to ensure that your CV is professional in appearance, like the dentist CV templates in this guide.

If you’re preparing your CV from scratch and not using one of our CV templates, ensure to add adequate spacing between sections and lines of text. This will make for a better reading experience. It will also ensure the key information is east to locate.

Should your dentist CV have a photo?

Dentists in the UK, US, Canada and Australia should not include a photo on their CV.

Photos are expected on CVs in some countries, including those in continental Europe. To find out more about which countries require a photo on CVs, take a look at our guide on the topic. This guide states whether photos are required on CVs on a country by country basis.

Fonts and font sizes

Select a standard, modest font, such as Times New Roman or Calibri. Avoid overly creative fonts, which may cause your CV to look unprofessional.

The most appropriate font size will depend on the font you have selected. The best font size for Calibri is usually between 11 and 11.5. The best font size for Times New Roman is usually between 11 and 12.

ATS and keyword optimisation

Many employers and HR departments use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) – a type of recruitment screening software that filters and ranks candidates CVs – to improve the efficiency of their recruitment process.

As such, it’s important that your CV is optimised for ATS .

How do you optimise your dentist CV for recruitment screening software and ATS?

Ensure relevant keywords are peppered throughout your CV. For dentists, relevant keywords will largely be related to degrees, training, job titles, certifications, licences and associations.

By following the steps highlighted in this CV writing guide, these keywords will naturally be included on your CV.

Design and layout is also important when it comes to passing through and ranking well with ATS. Tables, graphics, multiple fonts and multiple colours can all have a negative effect on your CV's ATS compatibility.

Use one of the CV templates in this guide to improve your chances of ranking highly with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). These CV templates are all optimised for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

Should you include references on your dentist CV?

No. References will be requested at a later stage of the job application process, should you reach that stage.

We hope you have found this guide helpful in preparing a good dentist CV.

Dentistry is a growing industry. As stated in Dealson Health’s article , the number of employed dentists in the UK grew by 5,200 from 2007 to 2017. This trend is expected to increase in the coming years, so the future is bright for dentists.

If you’re interested in investing in our bespoke CV writing service, please take a look at our Premium CV package.

Share this post

← Older Post Newer Post →

Dentist CV Example for 2024 (Skills & Templates)

Create a standout dentist cv with our online platform. browse professional templates for all levels and specialties. land your dream role today.

Welcome to our Dentist CV Example article! Writing a dentist CV is no easy task, as it requires a great deal of knowledge, skill, and experience. This article will provide you with an in-depth guide to creating the perfect dentist CV that will help you stand out from the competition. We will go over the structure of a dentist CV and provide you with useful tips and advice on how to craft a compelling and effective dentist CV. We will also provide you with a free to use dentist CV example to help you get started.

We will cover:

• How to write a CV , no matter your industry or job title.
• What to put on a CV to stand out.
• The top skills employers from every industry want to see.
• How to build a CV fast with our professional CV Builder .
• What a CV template is, and why you should use it.

What does a Dentist do?

A dentist is a health care professional who specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aids in providing oral health services. The dental team includes dental assistants, dental hygienists, dental technicians, and sometimes, dental therapists. Dentists diagnose and treat problems with teeth, gums, and other parts of the mouth. They also provide advice and instruction on taking care of teeth and gums and on diet choices that affect oral health.

• Caregiver CV Sample
• Certified Nursing Assistant CV Sample
• Chiropractor CV Sample
• Dental Assistant CV Sample
• Dental Hygienist CV Sample
• Dentist CV Sample
• Dermatologist CV Sample
• Dietitian CV Sample
• EMT CV Sample
• Exercise Physiologist CV Sample
• Home Health Aide CV Sample
• Licensed Practical Nurse CV Sample
• Massage Therapist CV Sample
• Medical Assistant CV Sample
• Medical Biller CV Sample
• Medical Records Technician CV Sample
• Midwife CV Sample
• Nurse CV Sample
• Nurse Practitioner CV Sample
• Nutritionist CV Sample

What are some responsibilities of a Dentist?

• Examine teeth and diagnose patients' dental conditions
• Plan and provide appropriate dental treatment
• Advise on preventive dental care, including diet, brushing, flossing, and the use of fluorides
• Restore and replace decayed and missing teeth using crowns, bridges, dentures, and implants
• Remove decay and repair defective fillings
• Carry out surgical procedures on teeth, gums, and supporting bones to treat gum disease
• Educate patients on proper oral hygiene
• Instruct on diet and use of fluorides
• Administer anesthesia to limit the amount of pain experienced by patients
• Supervise dental hygienists and assistants
• Maintain patient records

Sample Dentist CV for Inspiration

Name: Dr. John Smith

Address: 1234 Main Street, Anytown, CA 99999

Phone: (123) 456-7890

Email: [email protected]

Dr. John Smith is a highly experienced and skilled dentist with over 15 years of experience in the field. He has a strong commitment to providing quality care to his patients and uses the latest technology and techniques to ensure that all procedures are performed safely and effectively. He is also a strong advocate for preventive dentistry and patient education, and promotes a healthy lifestyle for his patients.

Work Experience:

• Private Practice – Dentist – Anytown, CA – 2017 to Present
• Dental Specialists – Dentist – Anytown, CA – 2012 to 2017
• Dental Associates – Dentist – Anytown, CA – 2007 to 2012
• University of California, Anytown – DDS – 2007
• University of California, Anytown – BS – 2003
• Root canal therapy
• Dental implant placement
• Crown and bridge restoration
• Dental X-rays and imaging

Certifications:

• American Dental Association – Certified Dentist
• California Dental Association – Certified Dentist

Languages: English, Spanish

CV tips for Dentist

Crafting an impeccable CV that kickstarts your career is a challenging endeavor. While adhering to fundamental writing principles is beneficial, seeking guidance customized for your unique job pursuit is equally prudent. As a newcomer to the professional realm, you require Dentist CV pointers. We've curated top-notch advice from experienced Dentist individuals. Explore their insights to streamline your writing journey and enhance the likelihood of fashioning a CV that captivates potential employers' attention.

• Highlight your qualifications and certifications
• Focus on relevant experience and skills
• Describe any research or publications you have written
• Include any awards or honors you have received
• Demonstrate your commitment to dentistry and patient care

Dentist CV Summary Examples

A dentist CV summary or CV objective is a great way to provide potential employers with a brief overview of your qualifications and experience in the field. It can help employers quickly identify the skills and experience they are looking for in a dentist. It also helps to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the job and your commitment to the field. It can also be used to emphasize any additional qualifications or certifications you may have acquired, as well as any unique skills or experiences that make you an ideal candidate for the job. For Example:

• Highly experienced Dentist with over 10 years of professional experience. Skilled in all areas of dental care, including cosmetic dentistry, preventive dentistry, and endodontics.
• Dedicated Dentist with a strong commitment to patient care. Possesses excellent communication and interpersonal skills and a high level of professionalism.
• Proficient Dentist with a solid background in patient management and dental procedures. Able to stay current with best practices and new technologies in the field.
• Talented Dentist with extensive experience in treating a variety of dental issues and providing preventive care. Passionate about providing high quality care to patients.
• Knowledgeable Dentist with a broad understanding of all areas of dentistry. Experienced in patient assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning.

Build a Strong Experience Section for Your Dentist CV

Building a strong experience section for a dentist CV is important because it showcases your professional background and skills to potential employers. It allows you to highlight your specific accomplishments and successes in the field of dentistry. Your experience section should be detailed and include information about your education, clinical experience, and any special qualifications or skills you possess. It should also provide a clear overview of the dentistry services you are qualified to provide. By having a strong experience section, you can demonstrate to employers that you have the knowledge and skills necessary to be a successful dentist. For Example:

• Performed a wide variety of dental procedures, such as fillings, root canals, extractions, crowns, and implants.
• Provided comprehensive dental care services, including cleaning, exams, x-rays, and dental treatments.
• Educated patients on proper oral hygiene techniques and preventive care.
• Conducted oral cancer screenings and administered local anesthesia.
• Developed patient treatment plans and prescribed medications.
• Maintained detailed patient records and updated patient information.
• Communicated with patients to explain findings and treatment options.
• Maintained a clean and organized work environment.
• Developed and implemented policies and procedures for the dental office.
• Collaborated with a team of dental professionals to provide the best care possible.

Dentist CV education example

A dentist must complete a four-year doctoral program in dental school, which is known as a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD). Depending on the school, the length of the program can range from four to six years. In addition to the dental school curriculum, dentists must complete a licensing exam in order to practice. Here is an example of an experience listing suitable for a Dentist CV:

• Doctor of Dental Surgery, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL, 2015
• Bachelor of Science in Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2012
• Certified in Advanced Restorative Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2017
• Continuing Education Courses in Endodontics, Northwestern Dental School, Chicago, IL, 2018

Dentist Skills for a CV

It is important to add skills for a Dentist CV to demonstrate the qualifications and experiences that make them a qualified candidate for the job. Skills should include any technical knowledge or experience, communication abilities, problem-solving skills, and any other qualifications that make the Dentist stand out among other applicants. Adding skills to a Dentist CV ensures that the employer knows exactly what the candidate is capable of and can determine if they’re a good fit for the job. Soft Skills:

• Communication
• Patient Care
• Organizational
• Problem Solving
• Time Management
• Attention to Detail
• Interpersonal
• Professionalism
• Dental Treatment
• Tooth Health
• Restorative Dentistry
• Periodontology
• Crowns & Bridges
• Endodontics
• Oral Surgery
• Cavity Filling
• Implantology
• Orthodontics

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Dentist CV

In today's competitive job market, an average of 180 applications floods employers' inboxes for each vacant position. To streamline this influx of CVs, companies frequently employ automated applicant tracking systems that weed out less qualified candidates. If your CV manages to surpass these digital gatekeepers, it must still captivate the attention of the recruiter or hiring manager. Given the sheer volume of applications, a mere 5 seconds is typically allocated to each CV before a decision is reached. With this in mind, it's crucial to eliminate any extraneous information that might relegate your application to the discard pile. To ensure your CV shines, consult the list below for elements to avoid including in your job application.

• Skipping the cover letter: A well-crafted cover letter is an opportunity to showcase your suitability for the role and express your enthusiasm for it.
• Excessive jargon: CVs laden with technical terms can alienate hiring managers who lack specialized knowledge.
• Neglecting vital details: Incorporate your contact information, education, work history, and pertinent skills and experiences.
• Relying on generic templates: Tailoring your CV to the specific job exhibits your commitment to the position and company.
• Errors in spelling and grammar: Proofreading is essential to eliminate typos, spelling errors, and grammatical blunders.
• Overemphasizing duties: Highlight accomplishments to underline your candidacy's value.
• Sharing personal information: Steer clear of revealing personal details like age, marital status, or religious affiliations.

Key takeaways for a Dentist CV

• Include relevant experience and qualifications.
• Highlight any awards or special recognition.
• Include a professional summary and highlight your top skills.
• Include contact information, such as a website or professional social media profiles.
• Include relevant professional affiliations.
• Include any volunteer work related to dentistry.
• Provide details about continuing education.
• Include a list of references.

• Dental School

10 Dental School Personal Statement Examples

Including key tips for a strong dental school personal statement.

Before you start crafting your own stellar dental school personal statement, you must review some dental school personal statement examples. Why? These sample essays can help you brainstorm and reflect on what you would like to include in your essay. This blog dives into some dental school personal statement examples from our own past successful students, and then our  dental school advisors  will go over our proven strategies to help you create your own from scratch! As you review these examples keep in mind that these are final works and the result of multiple rounds of reviews by our admissions experts as part of our  application review  programs. Writing fantastic statements for dental school requires patience and multiple rounds of revisions before a perfect statement can be written.

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free initial consultation here <<

Listen to the blog!

Article Contents 15 min read

Dental school personal statement example #1.

In the final moments of a key game in a hockey tournament, I jumped over the boards and onto the ice without putting my mouth guard back in place. It was attached to my helmet, but I had a chance for the puck, and I took it. Moments later, an opponent’s stick caught me in the face, knocking out my front tooth. Play stopped, and my team found my tooth on the ice. I looked to the bleachers. My mom was already on the phone getting initial instructions from our dentist for saving the tooth. Within 15 minutes, we were outside the clinic as my dentist unlocked the door, despite it being a Saturday night. As I was treated within half an hour, my tooth could be saved by stabilizing it as it healed. Until that moment, I thought of my dentist as someone I only saw every six months; I hadn’t seen her as a critical part of my healthcare team.

I realized from this experience that time is a factor in dental care, and thus a career in dentistry. My tooth was saved because I lived in an urban centre and had immediate access to care, not to mention the continuity of care I’ve had since I was a child. My mother is employed and has good dental coverage, but this is not the case for many. Without timely check-ups, both oral and medical issues that could be detected and prevented can become more serious conditions.

With this awareness, I have for the last 6 years volunteered in two ways. In the time since my hockey accident, I’ve worked with my dentist on a safety awareness campaign for young hockey players and their families, teaching about the necessity of mouth guards, as well as how a quick response to such injuries may help in recovery. I’ve also worked alongside dentists for the Smiling Children Foundation in vulnerable neighborhoods, where dental neglect is not uncommon, and continuity of care is rare. Recently, we set up a mobile clinic in a school, where I record personal information and take a medical history for each child. A young boy, 10 years old, complained of constant headaches and pain in his body. Upon examination, the dentist noticed his gums were dark purple in places and bled easily. Our team alerted a community doctor of a potential immune disorder, and the young boy was diagnosed and treated, returning to good health within months. That day, I learned that oral healthcare is holistic healthcare, and that it is a privilege to support those who may not have time, resources, or access to oral healthcare.

I have had this privilege in what began as dental shadowing and is now part-time employment, where I liaise between patients and insurance companies, manage team schedules, and comfort anxious patients. This might be as simple as holding a hand while the dentist performs the procedure. Or, I might hold a baby while the father sees the hygienist. I’ve learned to read an X-ray accurately, prepare the instruments needed for a procedure, and balance the books. I have been mentored by both a medical and business professional, and I have borne witness to our patients’ high and low points. I have worked hard to understand what goes into growing and maintaining a successful dental practice and feel capable to meet the challenge of the multiple roles required in this dynamic vocation.

It bears mentioning why my first-year grades are not what I’d hoped they would be. I joined a good number of co-curricular clubs with the intention of participating in our campus community and developing my professional skills. By midterm, I realized I had oversubscribed myself. Unfortunately, willpower and desire were not enough. My grades suffered as I tried to manage my responsibilities. By attending time management seminars and learning to manage time rather than be managed by time, I was able retrieve my grades. From 2nd year forward, I’ve maintained a 4.0 GPA while moving up the ranks of student organizations and taking an active role in a research project. Resilience is like a muscle that needs time, exercise, and perseverance to build.

From a sports accident, to volunteer work in an underserved community, to employment in a dental office and an academic career that shows both mistakes and recovery, I have thought carefully about what dentistry is. A dentist is part of a larger healthcare team, and a dentist can often treat not only a single patient over decades, but provide intergenerational care to a family. I aspire to dentistry to accompany my patients through life, 6 months at a time, offering compassionate, whole-person healthcare. (4,497 characters, including spaces)

• Inciting incident: the moment that influenced the student’s outlook on dentistry as a career is highlighted in spades. Seeing the structure here as almost like a story, you’re taking the reader on a journey from point A to point B. For the personal statement, your opening should hook in the reader. This writer does this well.
• Addresses weaknesses: the student mentions how their first-year grades weren’t what they’d hoped for. They acknowledge their faults and briefly outline the circumstances without making excuses before getting into the most important part: what they did to improve or learn from their mistakes. If you’re in a position to use your personal statement as a way to address gaps or inconsistencies, then you can follow the same rule.
• Major experiences are detailed: you need to show the admissions committee that dentistry is the right career for you. The best way to do this is to describe clinical experiences, ideally in a dental setting. The student who wrote this sample described their experiences shadowing, being a part-time employee, and volunteering at a foundation. If you have many experiences like these, don’t simply list them off, but select a few to describe in more depth.

Want some tips for writing a dental school personal statement? Check out this video:

"Ready, Set, Bake,” shouted the host of Bake-Off. I was 16 and a contestant of a televised baking show. Our 6th challenge gave us 3 hours to perfectly bake the most decadent and timing consuming dessert: the mille-feuille – layers of puff pastry, filled with whipped cream and custard, and glazed on top. Despite being the only teenager in a field of contestants ranging from 20-70 years of age, I’d made it through several days of cuts for one of the spots on the show. I wish I could say that my dessert was a masterpiece, but as the timer counted down and I plated it, the filling oozed, and the pastry crumbled. I’d made to the Top Six, but the mille-feuille defeated me and I was asked to hang up my apron. As I reflect on this experience, the solo and team challenges, the practice to get on the show, the mastery needed to gain a top spot, I realize that I’m grateful even for the defeat, because I learned valuable lessons that helped me develop key qualities and skills that are in-line with the core competencies necessary for dentistry, my chosen profession. Both dentistry and competitive baking require innovation and excellence, communication and accountability, and the necessity of precision, focus, and a steady hand.

Both of my parents are dentists. While the influence of their careers on my own access to knowledge cannot be underestimated, I have been deeply cognizant of making an autonomous career decision. That decision is my own, but my parents have admittedly opened unique conversations around ethics, technology, and patient care to me. My earliest memories include attending dental conferences with them and being encouraged to explore the Exhibits Floor, where I learned about the newest dental products and treatments and “test drove” the latest innovations in dentistry. I developed an aptitude for predicting which products and technologies were gimmicks and which would effectively support excellence in patient care. This knack has made me something of an informal consultant for my parents and their colleagues, who value my insights on innovation and efficacy of new treatments.

While technology is at the forefront of change, what remains consistent over time is the importance of communication and accountability to provide excellent patient care. I’ve had the privilege to shadow Dr. Ann Lee, an oral surgeon, over the past 3 years. Among many things, she showed me that inherent in communication is accountability. Many of her patients are children and teens having teeth extracted for orthodontic reasons. The son of a family who had been Dr. Lee’s patients for over a decade arrived for a complicated wisdom tooth extraction. Despite familiarity with the family, the doctor painstakingly reviewed the extraction process to prepare them effectively. The procedure went well in the office; however, on the way home, the boy began haemorrhaging. An artery had been compromised during the surgery. I watched as Dr. Lee packed bone wax around the artery to stem the bleeding. What struck me about this experience was the standard of accountability to which the surgeon held herself, as she communicated with the family by phone, made a house call later that evening on her way home, and remained on-call over the weekend to ensure the safety and healing of the child. The family maintained their trust in Dr. Lee because of her open communication and sense of accountability. I also learned just how fragile and technical dental work is, requiring both dexterity and precision.

Volunteering in a dental brigade in Haiti, Mirlande, 6, taught me about vulnerability and trust. Mirlande was scared and reluctant to open her mouth for her first dental exam. I took her aside and, as she watched, I carved a perfect tooth from soap using dental instruments. I carved slowly and precisely, and then presented her with the gift. She put the tooth in her pocket and then allowed me to clean her teeth. I was immediately struck by the vulnerability of not only soft tissue, but of hearts, as she leaned back and opened her mouth in trust. This moment solidified my decision to become a dentist.

Though the earlier comparison between baking and dentistry is merely an analogy, it is one that suggests I have developed key skills and am aware of the core competencies a dentist must hold to best serve their patients professionally and ethically. Dentistry is my vocation, baking a hobby, but both speak to my investment in excellence, precision, and doing for others.  (4,500 characters, including spaces)

A dental school personal statement is your opportunity to show admissions committees who you are as a person and aspiring dental professional, aside from your CV, GPA, Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) score, and other quantitative data. As any personal statement essay, the dental school personal essay should be a narrative account that gives the admissions committee the opportunity to learn more about you than what can be conveyed in a dry document like a CV or transcript. 

For dental school  ADEA AADSAS  applications, the American Dental Education Association requires an essay of no more than 4,500 characters (including spaces), which must demonstrate your key personal qualities, aspirations, and reasons for pursuing a career in dentistry to the schools to which you are applying. This process isn’t as standardized in Canadian programs, so you’ll need to check the application requirements for the programs and schools to which you are applying to see if a personal statement is required. In doing so, you can also learn whether there are any specific requirements regarding the length of the essay, whether there is a specific prompt to which you must respond in your dental school personal statement, and whether there are any other application requirements.

Want some more personal statement examples? Watch this video:

Writing a Strong Dental School Personal Statement

If you're applying to  dental schools in Canada  or the US, a personal statement, or similar essay, is often required as part of your application package, regardless of whether you're applying through AADSAS or  TMDSAS . It’s important to craft a statement that draws from your experiences, such as your dental school extracurriculars. You can also refer to your dental school application experience examples , or even your dental school letter of recommendation for help. This blog will help you understand the key things you must do (and that you must avoid) in composing your essay, with dental school personal statement examples that demonstrate these strategies, so that you can draft the strongest, most compelling dental school personal statement possible.

1. Tell a story

Ideally, you will craft a story or detail a defining moment that helped you realize why this is the profession you want to pursue. Providing an anecdote or vignette – perhaps an experience you’ve had as a dental patient, an interaction you’ve witnessed as a volunteer or while shadowing a dental care professional, a story about someone you know, etc., – is often a useful way of giving the evaluators a window into your life and motivations.

2. Demonstrate why you’re a “good fit”

Your dental school personal statement should also express why you are a strong candidate and a "good fit" for the school and program, while stirring the interest of your reader. Review our blog,  dental school acceptance rates  to find out which schools are best suited for you. Admissions committees will review hundreds of these personal statements, so draw on the values of the profession and the mission of the institution to highlight your alignment with the vision and goals of this vocation, and do so in a way that is engaging and enjoyable to read. Again, narrative is a great way of doing this – people love stories and are often naturally drawn in by them. Bear this in mind as you begin drafting your essay.

Here are some more tips for writing a dental school personal statement:

3. Be authentic and readable

In your personal statement, you want to present your very best self, emphasizing your genuine passion for the field and your enthusiasm for working in a healthcare profession like dentistry. Don’t try to cram in complicated terminology or jargon, thinking it will make you sound smarter (it won’t – true experts know how to explain their ideas effectively to an audience of non-specialists), and don’t rely on clichés (e.g., “I want to help people” – this is a lovely desire, but it’s over-used and too generic). Use polished prose that represents your genuine voice and reasons for pursuing the profession, and write in a way that will be comprehensible even to those outside this particular specialization. This can take practice. You might go through multiple drafts of your essay before you’re confident in submitting it. If you’re having trouble getting to this point, consider dental school admissions consulting . 

4. Express your desired contributions to the field

Quite simply, you need to explain why you will be a good dentist, in both practical terms and in terms of devoting yourself to patient care. You need to show that you know how to become a dentist in terms of skills and experience; there will be other opportunities to address other aspects of your candidacy through things like the dental school manual dexterity question or the multiple mini interview (MMI) collaboration station . For now, answer the following questions: what does it mean to you to dedicate yourself to the profession and to patients? What experiences have you had with the dental profession so far, and how have these impacted you? What are your priorities as an aspiring dentist? Thinking through these questions, while also pointing to concrete experiences or accomplishments that support your responses, will help the committee see not just who you are now, but who you are working to become as you pursue the goal of becoming a dental professional.

Need help with your dental school application? Learn what our students say about our services:

Things to Avoid in a Dental School Personal Statement

Here are some key “don’ts” in composing your dental school personal statement:

1. Don’t summarize your CV

Your personal statement shouldn’t simply repeat information available elsewhere in your application materials. Referring to experiences discussed in those materials, for the purpose of expanding on them or contextualizing them, is fine. Just ensure that you’re actually doing that work and demonstrating the significance of the experience(s) you describe. For example, if your CV indicates that you’ve done volunteer work at a dental clinic or with an organization, it’s totally fine to discuss this volunteer work in your personal statement; however, that discussion must go beyond what is offered in your other application materials. Your dental school personal statement shouldn't be a dry recitation of events in your CV. It should be a persuasive and engaging work that draws on just a few select experiences that epitomize your interests, priorities, and the work you've done so far in working toward becoming a dentist. For example, instead of giving names, dates, and general facts about your experience as a volunteer, you can tell a story of a particularly meaningful accomplishment or interaction, reflecting on how it helped solidify your desire to pursue this career.

2. Don’t dwell on negative experiences

If you’ve overcome challenges or if there are less-than-ideal aspects of your educational experience so far (such as a term where your GPA took a dip), it’s fine to address these in a personal statement essay. However, it is crucial that you reflect on this from a perspective of growth, resiliency, and capacity for improvement, rather than focusing on the negatives. If your grades took a hit one term because of extenuating circumstances, by all means, take some time to explain this, if you think it will be helpful (and it often is). However, the discussion around the circumstances should be minimal – just a set-up for a more substantial discussion of what you learned, how you grew, etc. – and you shouldn’t use this as an opportunity to make excuses. Rather, briefly describe the event, own up to your mistake or misstep (if applicable), and then spend the most time explaining how you addressed the issue, how you moved past it, and why you will be a better future professional for having gone through it.

Probably the biggest mistake students make is to not take the personal statement seriously enough, waiting until just a few days before it’s due to even begin. You must begin early – a strong personal statement essay can take months and numerous revisions to be the best it can possibly be. You need to put a lot of thought into this document, as it is a very important component of your application. This is your chance – and often your only chance – to address the evaluators on a human level, prior to answering  dental school interview questions , including   MMI questions . So, rather than thinking of this as a chore, think of it as an opportunity to demonstrate your best self to the admissions committee. 

4. Don’t submit your dental school personal statement without getting expert feedback

The personal statement isn’t just about what you’ve done, it’s about who you are – what your values are, what your priorities are, what your reasons for pursuing this profession are, and how all of these things align with the discipline and school you are approaching with your application package. Getting expert feedback from those on the “other side” of such applications, those who have gone through the process successfully or those who have been part of admissions committees, will give you incredibly valuable insights into how to make your own personal experiences stand out and work for you most effectively. At this stage of your professional development, you face a wealth of “unknown-unknowns”; i.e., things that you don’t even know to look for or consider, because it's likely that you simply haven’t been exposed to the field or the process long enough or in an official capacity. This can be a considerable hindrance, so don’t try to take on this task alone. Seek out expert feedback, and do so early enough that you can review, revise, and implement any necessary changes to make your dental school personal statement the best it can possibly be.

8 Dental School Personal Statement Examples

Dental school personal statement example #3, dental school personal statement example #4, dental school personal statement example #5, dental school personal statement example #6, dental school personal statement example #7, dental school personal statement example #8, dental school personal statement example #9, dental school personal statement example #10.

• Starting too late. Getting your personal statement right requires multiple edits and revisions. If you start working on your statement too late, you risk running out of time for proper revisions and edits, leaving a rushed, sub-par statement. Remember, your personal statement is a direct reflection of who you are as a person, and who you'll become as a dentist. It's not something that can be, nor should be rushed.
• Showing instead of telling, for example, saying “I'm a great listener” instead of demonstrating that you're a great listener through real examples in your essay.
• Focusing on too many experiences. In general, it's best to discuss 2-3 experiences in your personal statement. You should be able to discuss each experience in-depth, and reflect on what you learned from a particular experience. Too many experiences crammed in doesn't allow you to really expand on each experience and doesn't provide an in-depth analysis of how this experience was transformative on your path to becoming a dentist.
• Listing information that's already found in your application materials. Your personal statement is not a list, instead, it should be a story of your journey to dentistry.
• Jumping around in time. Your personal statement should be in chronological order, beginning with your initial interest in dentistry and evolving to your absolution that dentistry is the right career path for you. Jumping around in time makes for a disjointed essay that will come across as confusing to admissions committee members. In addition, you want to ensure that you utilize strong transitional sentences, as these tie together paragraphs and aid in the overall flow of your essay.
• Spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Mistakes and errors in your personal statement are harmful because they tell admissions committees that you're not detail-oriented, you rushed your statement and because of that, you don't really care about it, or their program. Ensure your statement is reviewed multiple times, ideally with a professional's help, to ensure your essay puts your best foot forward and is free from any spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.
• Boasting. While you can certainly highlight a few key accomplishments in your statement, such as finishing at the top of your class or raising money for a good cause, it's important that you are tactful in how you phrase your accomplishments. You always want to be humble, and think about what an achievement means to you and why. Lastly, it's a good idea to reflect on what you learned from your achievements and how that can translate in your career as a dentist.

While the majority of your personal statement should be about you - your experiences and how they relate to your decision to pursue dentistry, you can certainly include information relating to another person. For example, you could mention a family member's struggle with a disease, a patient's story, or a conversation with a dentist. As long as you circle back to why this story is significant in your pursuit of dentistry, what you learned from the experience or even how an experience changed your point of view.

Your personal statement must adhere to the ADEA's character count of 4500 characters, including spaces. However, this doesn't mean that you must include this many characters. As long as your essay is below the count, it's most important that you focus on creating a powerful, in-depth essay that proves to the admissions committee why you want to be a dentist and why you would be suitable for a career in this field, then it's perfectly acceptable.

Your personal statement is one of the most important aspects of your entire dental school application. It will serve as your introduction to admissions committees – letting them know who you are a person, who you are as a candidate, and essentially, that you're suitable for a career in dentistry. A poorly crafted personal statement can result in rejection from dental school, so it's essential that your statement is both engaging and memorable to secure you an invitation to interview.

No, remember, this information will be included elsewhere in your application, so it's not suitable to include this in your personal statement.

• Brainstorm ideas.
• Create an outline.
• Focus on body paragraphs first using a maximum of 3 experiences.
• Ensure you SHOW what you learned (don’t tell) by using examples.
• Write your conclusion.
• Write your introduction last.
• Attention-grabbing introduction: Not just a thesis statement, but something interesting to draw the reader in, like a quote or a story.
• Transitions: These should lead from one paragraph to the next, creating flow. Use linking words such as however, additionally, also, next, etc.
• Strong examples: This way you are showing, not telling.
• Clear and direct language: Your language does not have to be fancy, what's most important is that it's easy to read and follow. For example, “utilize” is one of the most over-used words in academic essays and “use” works just as well.
• Conclusion: This should summarize your main points, but also leave the reader with a compelling closing sentence that makes them want to find out more about you. For example, include a call back to your opening anecdote and highlight how far you have come.

Dental school personal statement editing, just like medical school personal statement editing , is very important. Begin by writing the BEST first draft you can and then begin your edit. Don’t write something of average quality, half-done, or way over the character limit. Trying to work from these copies will only create confusion and delays. Next, you should read your essay out loud to yourself sentence by sentence to ensure it flows well and to catch any grammatical errors. Each sentence should be contributing to the overall point. If you find yourself repeating your thoughts in multiple forms, think about paring your sentences down. Quality is more important than quantity.

Next, repeat this process 2-3 times. Resist the urge to keep tinkering over and over again. There are multiple strong ways to word sentences and express your thoughts. There are probably even multiple experiences you could highlight and have an equally strong personal statement. However, obsessing over each sentence and word once you have written a strong statement will just lead to changing too many things, delays, you feeling nervous, and sometimes even a weaker essay than you started with!

Yes, you can definitely mention experiences in your personal statement that are non-academic or not related to dentistry. A strong experience to mention should be one that taught you important skills and that influenced your decision to pursue dentistry. Personal experiences can also have a strong influence on which profession you pursue, so you can definitely mention non-academic experiences.

It’s certainly normal to want input from others when we are crafting personal statements. A strong reviewer is one who has experience and expertise with professional school applications and has helped other students before. For example, someone with an advanced degree like a practicing dentist or other professional. Even though you may feel tempted to ask friends and family, you may want to refrain from this, as they are often invested in your success and may find it hard to be objective.

Try to find someone who does not know you so well so they can give objective guidance. The other thing you want to avoid is having “too many chefs in the kitchen.” Too many different people reviewing your statement is only going to pull it in too many different directions, ultimately leading to confusion and even more delays. And again, some students might feel more comfortable using a dental school admissions consulting service for this aspect of their application.

Just like you would address this during an interview, your statement can address areas of concern by following these steps:

• Take responsibility.
• Explain mitigating factors.
• Don't make excuses.
• Share strategies for what you learned and how you would avoid a situation like this in the future. 
• Make sure you end on a positive or proactive note.

Want more free tips? Subscribe to our channels for more free and useful content!

Apple Podcasts

Like our blog? Write for us ! >>

Have a question ask our admissions experts below and we'll answer your questions.

Yutika Maharaj

Hi there Do you have any sample personal statements for a foreign trained dentist applying to ADEA PASS and ADEA CAAPID. Thanks

BeMo Academic Consulting

Hi Yutika! Thanks for your comment. As an international applicant, your personal statement should follow the same structure and contain pertinent info about yourself and your application. Use these samples to construct your own, unique narrative!

It is remarkable, very good information

Thanks, Code!

Get Started Now

Talk to one of our admissions experts

Our site uses cookies. By using our website, you agree with our cookie policy .

FREE Training Webinar:

How to make your dental school application stand out, (and avoid the top 5 mistakes that get most rejected).

Guides & Info

Dentistry Personal Statement Examples

Last updated: 05/10/2022

• Is Medicine Right for Me?
• What do Doctors do?
• The Daily Life of a Doctor
• How to apply to medical school
• Different Routes into Medicine
• Factors to Consider
• Medicine at Oxford and Cambridge
• Your Fifth UCAS Choice
• Getting Your Grades
• Extra-curricular Activities
• What is the UCAT?
• Preparing for Your UCAT Test Day
• After Your UCAT
• BioMedical Admissions Test (BMAT)
• Work Experience and Dental Schools
• NHS Work Experience
• Personal Statement
• Medicine PS Examples
• Dentistry PS Examples
• UCAS References
• Medical and Dental School Interviews
• Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs)
• Medical School Interview Questions
• Dental School Interview Questions
• Graduate Entry Courses
• Foundation and Access Courses
• International students
• Taking a Gap Year
• Medicine in Australia and NZ
• Medicine in Ireland Medicine in Eastern Europe
• Other Roles in Healthcare
• What Our "Plan B" Looked Like

The personal statement is changing to a series of free text questions for 2026 entry onwards, however it remains unchanged for 2025 entry. Keep an eye on our live updates page for guidance on these changes.

Writing a dentistry personal statement that you’re proud of is hard.

Many students struggle to boil down their skills and experiences to just 4,000 characters and it is tricky to know where to focus. 

Example statements are a great way to gain this insight.

In this article, we cover the following:

• Strong and weak dentistry personal statements 
• A breakdown of other peoples’ successes and mistakes
• Ideas for what to include in your own personal statement 

Once you've read this, check out dental interview questions to build on what you've learnt.

For an overview of personal statement writing, read our Personal Statement Guide for Medical and Dental Schools . This is essential reading and goes further than just examples!

Strong personal statement example

“I first became interested in studying dentistry between the ages of 12 and 15, when I visited my local dentist frequently to get my braces checked and tightened. 

I talked with her at length about the nature of her job and was struck by the huge impact she could have on the people she met daily. 

She actively improved the quality of life of every patient she encountered, and had to astutely apply scientific principles in a social setting in order to make patients feel at ease and achieve the best results. I was truly inspired by this experience and decided to investigate dentistry as a career.

In order to deepen my insight into the profession I carried out a week’s work experience in a local dental hospital. I saw how dentists of every stage were keen to learn, constantly assessing their performance and striving to improve. 

This drove home the importance of self-awareness and constant reflection, but also introduced me to the idea of lifelong learning which is something I find particularly attractive. 

During this placement I also took my first look inside a patient’s mouth and observed dentists constructing bridges, veneers and crowns. This exposed me to the aesthetic side of dentistry - a dentist not only aims to alleviate pain but can engage with the more cosmetic aspect of healthcare, something that most medical specialties cannot match. 

I organised a number of work experience placements in local dental surgeries, and throughout my shadowing was struck by the bonds dentists formed with their patients. They often had to utilise great communication skills and empathy to calm down or reassure anxious patients, and they worked hard to build up a rapport with everyone who entered the surgery. This encouraged patients to attend checkups more frequently and be more open about their worries, thereby improving the quality of care they received. 

As a result of my reflection on these experiences, I took up weekly volunteering in a local care home and reading to children in the dental hospital. These opportunities helped me become a far better communicator, as many of the residents of the care home were elderly or suffered from dementia meaning I had to adopt different visual or verbal strategies to get my message across. Many of the young patients in the dental hospital felt lonely and nervous, and by empathising with them I was able to help them relax and focus on the positives.

Outside academia, I play water polo and run in my school’s athletic team. Both of these sports have helped me become a better team player and I’ve learned that you can always achieve the best results by working efficiently in a team rather than going it alone. 

I am a particularly ambitious sportsperson and I’ve received the Most Valuable Player award in my waterpolo league for three years running, and have been a captain for four. 

As a captain, I am a decisive leader; In the heat of a match it’s important for me to make snap decisions and for my teammates to trust me. However, out of the pool I take every view into account and try to make sure that everyone has been heard and feels involved. 

I also try to identify the strengths and weaknesses of everyone in the team - myself included - so that we can play to our strengths in matches and work on our weaknesses in training.  

I think that the ambition, teamwork and leadership I’ve demonstrated through my sports will serve me well as a dentist, allowing me to work efficiently with others while constantly striving to improve personally. My participation in these sports has also allowed me to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

Becoming a dentist would allow me to have a truly positive effect on the people I work with, while also challenging me and ensuring I’m always learning and improving. I believe that my work experience, volunteering and extracurricular activities have provided me with the skills and insight necessary to become an empathetic and effective dentist.”

Strong personal statement analysis

This example displays many characteristics of a good personal statement. 

• Well structured.
• The candidate comes across as well-rounded and motivated, without appearing arrogant.
• There are some minor areas that could be improved, but overall we think that this personal statement would impress university assessors.

Introduction

• The introduction uses an anecdote to illustrate the candidate’s interest in dentistry. This is a good way to show how your interest in dentistry might have started, but it wouldn’t be suitable to write that you decided to apply to dentistry simply because you liked seeing your dentist as a child. The candidate doesn’t fall into this trap, and makes sure to highlight that this experience only inspired them to do further investigation into the career.
• The candidate goes on to describe how they deepened their insight in the main body paragraph, adding cohesiveness.
• The candidate also demonstrates some good insight into dentistry by discussing the unique blend of social skills and scientific knowhow required by dentists.

Main body paragraphs 

• Variety - the candidate’s three main body paragraphs discuss some of their work experience placements, volunteering roles and extracurricular interests. 
• Quality over quantity - they focus far more on individual experiences while going into more detail, and avoiding lists (although they witnessed a huge number of things during a week of work experience, they choose to focus on a couple of key experiences).
• Insight - the statement demonstrates insight into the profession on multiple occasions. They talk about the prominence of lifelong learning, the aesthetic/cosmetic side of dentistry, and how building a rapport with patients can lead to better outcomes.

Re-read the example, consider how the candidate: 

• Reflects on their experiences 
• Built on their experience
• Demonstrates relevant skills
• Demonstrates that they are ready for the challenges inherent in dentistry

Conclusion 

• Short, brief, and succinct. It doesn’t introduce any new information.
• The candidate doesn’t really speak enough about why they chose to study dentistry over medicine. They mention the dual focus on health and cosmetics, but could mention some other factors as well - for example, the fact that dentistry is more specialised from the start of the degree than medicine.
• They could show some more awareness of current news in the dental world.
• The candidate could also speak a little more about the challenges dentists face in the workplace and how they would cope.
• Discussion of paid employment would also have been beneficial.

Find more in-depth advice, tips and examples in our Personal Statement Course .

Weak personal statement example

“Dentistry has fascinated me from a very early age, as to me it seems like the perfect combination of practical and mental challenges. This has become even stronger since my brother found work as a dentist, having recently graduated from manchester University.

For the past 4 years, I’ve been looking after a local elderly lady who sometimes struggles to go shopping or carry out her daily tasks. This has helped me appreciate the satisfaction one can gain from helping others, and inspired me to pursue a career which will allow me to improve the lives of those around me - like dentistry!

As a result of my interest in medicine, I studied biology, physics and maths at A-Level. 

I’ve also carried out a variety of work experience placements over the years. During my GCSEs, I spent a week volunteering in a local NHS surgery, which exposed me to some of the challenges dentists face; they were often overworked, and had to deal with frustrated and anxious patients on a daily basis. 

I really enjoyed this experience, so I decided to take on another two week block at a dental hospital . While I was there, I shadowed receptionists, helping them to book appointments and organise the dentists’ timetables. I also managed to see dentists make diagnoses and watch a huge range of different dental procedures, from regular checkups to fillings and root canals. I spent time in the in-house dental laboratory, and was taken through the construction of veneers, crowns and bridges. I was also able to shadow dentists over a whole day in their life, seeing the admin and meetings they had to trudge through on top of the more exciting clinical work.

In my free time I enjoy playing the violin and listening to music. I am also a dedicated member of a number of sports teams, including basketball, tennis and hockey. I am proficient at both individual and team sports, showing that I can work well with others, but also self-motivate and set my own targets. 

I also enjoy watching films and socialising with my friends. More recently, I’ve really enjoyed keeping up with current dental news by reading the Journal of Dental Research and my brother’s old copies of the British Dental Journal.

Looking to the future, my great ambition is to work within the dentistry profession, where I believe I could have a really positive impact on the lives of the patients I work with. 

My work experience has set me up well to succeed, and I feel I have the desire and commitment to stick the course and become a successful yet empathetic dentist”

Weak personal statement example analysis

• Likely not to score well
• It isn’t nearly long enough (2520 characters) 
• It hasn’t been proofread and contains errors
• Did the candidate genuinely want to study dentistry from a young age? If it is true, it implies that they made this important decision based on an emotional impulse as a child.
• Being inspired to go into dentistry just because your sibling did is also not recommended. Just because it was right for them doesn’t make it right for you. 
• The mention of helping an elderly neighbour is good, but too brief. This is a great experience to reflect on and use to demonstrate both your motivations to study dentistry and your suitability for a caring role.
• At no point in the statement does the candidate explain why another caring profession wouldn’t be just as suitable for them. 
• There’s no mention of anything particularly specific to dentistry.

Main body paragraphs

• The first paragraph follows a list, with the candidate demonstrating that they have a real range of work experience placements (which is good) but without going into sufficient detail.
• There is very little reflection throughout these paragraphs. The candidate clearly has a good breadth of experience but can’t really explain anything they learned from it.
• They demonstrate very few relevant skills throughout the statement. They should talk more about how each experience they’ve had has improved them, either by helping them develop or demonstrate key skills that dentists need. Then, they should explain why dentists need these skills in the first place. 
• Describing the dentist’s admin and meetings as a ‘trudge’ and clinics as ‘exciting’ isn’t wise. This may be the case, but the reality is that dentists do spend a lot of their time writing notes, filling out paperwork and liaising with other healthcare professionals. If you find this particularly boring you either won’t be able to handle the job in the first place, or you’ll cut corners and thereby put patients at risk.
• There’s no mention of the importance of a work-life balance when talking about how they relax.
• It is crucial not to lie in your personal statement. It is possible that they do 'really enjoy' reading dental journals, but it is likely that your interviewers will latch onto this and quiz you repeatedly on it. 

However, it is worth mentioning the things these main body paragraphs do well:

• There is some reflection on the challenges faced by dentists, which will reassure the assessors that the candidate does have some insight and can reflect on their experiences.
• The candidate discusses the skills they demonstrated through their sports which is exactly the right thing to do. The only thing they’re missing is a linking of this to dentistry.

The Ultimate Guide to Studying Dentistry in the UK

• Remains brief and concise while summarising the rest of the statement and finishing with a strong, confident claim. 
• It is better to show “desire and commitment” to the profession earlier in the statement before introducing it in the conclusion. 
• Saying that work experience will set you up well for a career in dentistry is simply not true. Watching a couple of weeks’ worth of dental procedures will not make you a better dentist later in life. It is the reflection on those experiences that assessors are looking for.

Medify's Personal Statement Course

Looking for more dentistry personal statement examples? Our Personal Statement Course has over 100 personal statement examples, plus in-depth tutorials and guidance from admissions experts.

Lost for words?

Need a helping hand?

Create a ready-to-submit PS in 3 days

Find your voice with medify’s ps course.

Personal Statement Examples for Medicine

Admissions References

—Get into Medical School

online courses

Guides & information, useful links & resources.

Dentist Resume - Examples & Guide for 2024

You’re a dentist. You allow patients to smile comfortably and confidently. 

Well, when you get the job!

You first need a squeaky-clean resume that brushes away the competition.

In this guide, we take you through a simple step-by-step process of creating a dentist resume that gets results.

• An example of a finished dentist resume that works
• How to write a dentist resume that’ll fill up your interview diary
• How to make your dentist resume stand out [with top tips & tricks]

Before we jump into the finer details, here’s a dentist resume example, created with our very own resume builder :

Follow the steps below to create a dentist resume that works as well as the above example.

How to Format a Dentist Resume

Picking the best dentist resume format is the most important part of your resume. 

You see, different formats highlight your skills and experiences in different ways. It’s important to have a resume that is specific to your own skill-set.

The most common resume format for a dentist is “ reverse-chronological ”, and it’s easy to understand why. Essentially, this format puts your most valuable assets up-top, rather than being hidden lower down the page. We recommend dentists start with this format.

The following resume formats also get our approval:

• Functional Resume – If your dental skills are stronger than your work experience, a functional format is recommended. It’s ideal for skilled dentists that are newly qualified or have gaps in their employment history
• Combination Resume – Combining both “Functional” and “Reverse-Chronological”, a combination dentist resume places an equal focus on skills AND work experience. Dentists with a lot of work experience may want to use this format

Once you’ve picked your format, it’s time to organize your resume layout.

Use a Dentist Resume Template

There are many ways to write your resume, with most applicants choosing to use Microsoft Word.

Using a simple text editor can result in formatting issues.

In fact, your resume layout can collapse with a single alteration. 

Want to skip formatting issues? Use one of these resume templates that can be easily personalized for a dentist position.

What to Include in a Dentist Resume

The main sections in a dentist resume are:

• Work Experience
• Contact Information

Want to go a step further? You can also add these optional sections:

• Awards & Certification
• Personal Projects

Interests & Hobbies

Perfect! But what should you write for each section? 

Read on to learn how.

Want to know more about resume sections? View our guide on What to Put on a Resume .

How to Correctly Display your Contact Information

Dentistry requires little flair, and so does your contact information section. 

The only requirement is a factually-correct section that allows the hiring manager to contact you with ease.  

The contact information section on your resume must include:

• Title – In this case, “Dentist”
• Phone Number – Check this for errors
• Email Address – Use a professional email address ([email protected]), not one from your childhood ([email protected]).
• Location - if applying for jobs in different cities/countries mention that you are open to relocation.
• Daniel Smith - Dentist. 101-358-6095. [email protected]
• Daniel Smith - THE Dentist. 101-358-6095. [email protected]

How to Write a Dentist Resume Summary or Objective

As a dentist, you prepare for oral surgery by putting your patient to sleep.

This is the last thing you want to do with the recruiter.

In fact, you need to command attention to your resume. 

To do this, use a resume summary or objective .

These are powerful resume introductions that go on top of your resume, just under your contact information.

But what is the difference between the two sections?

A resume summary is a 2-4 sentence summary of your professional experiences and achievements.

• Personable dentist with 12 years of experience improving oral health so that patients can smile confidently. Introduced new booking system to reduce waiting times by 20%. Skills include ICON Aesthetic Infiltration, Restorative Procedures, Crowns, Bridges & Veneers, and ICON Aesthetic Infiltration.

A resume objective is a 2-4 sentence snapshot of what you want to achieve professionally.

• Passionate dental graduate with 100+ hours of workplace experience at XYZ Dentistry. Seeking an opportunity to be the next dental hygienist at Smile Proud. Skills include Assessments, Restorative Procedures, and Fluoride Treatments.

So, which one is best for your specific situation?

Generally, we recommend that dentists use a resume summary if they have relevant work experience. An objective is suited to individuals who have the skills, but lack the industry experience, like dental hygienists or dental graduates.

How to Make Your Dentist Work Experience Stand Out

You can have the best degree in the world, but nothing beats an impressive work experience.

It shows that you can walk the walk.

Here’s the best way to structure your work experience section:

• Position name
• Company Name
• Responsibilities & Achievements

03/2013 - 06/2018

• Assessed over 1000+ patients for oral health conditions
• Instructed and supported dental staff on various procedures
• Performed 500+ clinical treatments, alginate impressions and dental x-rays

To separate your work from the other dentists, you should focus on your best achievements instead of your daily tasks. This will highlight the direct benefits to hiring you for the job. 

Instead of saying…

“Patient care”

“Assessed over 1000+ patients for oral health conditions”

Simply put, the second statement is way more specific. It shows that you have a lot of experience helping patients. 

Hard numbers that prove your skills – sounds like a winner!

Use Action Words to Make Your Dentist Resume POP!

to stand out from the other applicants, you may want to use action verbs and power words for extra punch:

• Streamlined
• Standardized

How to Correctly List your Education

Next, it’s time to talk about your education.

There’s no need to overcomplicate this section, just simply enter your education history in the following format:

• Degree Type & Major
• University Name
• Years Studied
• GPA, Honours, Courses, and anything else you might want to add

Doctor of Dental Science (DDSc)

Havard University

2012 - 2017

• Relevant Courses: Oral Biology, Patient Assessment, Clinical Skills, Oral Sciences and Medicine, and Peridontology

Still got questions?

If so, here are the answers to some of the most frequent questions that we get:

• What if I haven’t completed my education yet?

Be honest about your education. You aren’t likely to become a dentist if you haven’t finished your education, but there may be another role you can do. Simply mention every year of education to date.

• Should I include my high school education?

Include your highest level of education that is relevant to the job. So, include your high school education if you don’t have a relevant dental degree.

• What goes first, my education or experience?

Experiences are the most impressive to the recruiter, so those go first. If you’re a recent dental graduate, you will likely need to start with education.

Check out our guide on how to list education on a resume .

Top 15 Skills for a Dentist Resume

You’re a well-trained dentist with all the skills needed.

Your competition is fierce.

The hiring manager needs to see that your skills are next-level, which includes listing the skills that matter the most.

Create a short list of your top dental skills, like the example below.

Hard Skills for a Dentist Resume:

• Four-Handed Dentistry
• Crowns, Bridges & Veneers
• Assessments
• Smile Makeovers
• ICON Aesthetic Infiltration
• Restorative Procedures
• Laser Whitening
• Fluoride Treatments
• Preventative Dentistry

Soft Skills for a Dentist Resume:

• Communication
• Team Player
• Working under pressure
• You may also want to list any dentist specialities. If you’re an expert in Maxillofacial Surgery, make sure to list it.

Here’s a more comprehensive list of 100+ must-have skills this year .

What Else Can You Include?

We’ve now covered every essential dentist resume section .

But don’t call it a day just yet. 

Just like your service, your resume needs to be first-class!

This means adding extra sections that could be the deciding factor in whether you’re hired for the role or not.

Awards & Certifications

Have you won a dental award?

Have you completed any courses that improve your skills?

Whatever it is, include any certificates or awards in your resume!

Here’s an example:

Awards & Certificates

• “Learning How to Learn” - Coursera Certificate
• “Implant Dentistry” – Coursera Certificate
• “Critical Thinking Masterclass” - MadeUpUniversity

While being able to speak multiple languages is not needed to be a great dentist, it is still an impressive skill. 

Besides, you never know when it will come in handy. 

As such, feel free to add a language section if you have space.

Rank the languages by proficiency:

• Native or bilingual
• Intermediate

Now, you are most likely thinking, “why do I need a section that talks about my interests and hobbies?”

Well, they show what kind of person you are. 

Your future place of work wants someone that will be pleasant to work with.

Hobbies show that you’ll be a good part of the team, especially if you enjoy social activities. 

Here’s which hobbies & interests you may want to mention.

Include a Cover Letter with Your Resume

Is a cover letter still important in today’s job market?

Unlike the generic resumes piled up on the recruiter’s desk, a cover letter is a personal piece of content that shows you want to work for their company.

Here’s how to structure a cover letter for dental jobs:

You should complete the following sections:

Personal Contact Information

Your full name, profession, email, phone number, and location.

Hiring Manager’s Contact Information

Full name, position, location, email.

Opening Paragraph

The hiring manager will likely skim over your letter. As such, be sure to look at them within the first few sentences. Use concise language to mention:

• The exact role you’re applying for
• Your experience summary and best achievement to date

Will the hiring manager hooked, you can detail:

• Why you chose this specific dentist
• What you know about the dentists
• How your skills are relevant for the job
• Which similar jobs have you held before

Closing Paragraph

All great letters finish with a closing paragraph, so: 

• Conclude the main points of the letter
• Thank the hiring manager for the opportunity
• Finish with a call to action to continue the conversation. Simply say: “At your earliest opportunity, I’d love to discuss more about how my skills will help dentist X” 

Formal Salutations

End the letter in a professional manner. Something like, “Kind regards” or “Sincerely.”

For more inspiration, read our step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter .

Looking for a resume example for a different position in the medical field? Check out our other resume examples:

• Medical Assistant Resume
• Nurse Resume
• Pharmacist Resume

Key Takeaways

You’re about to land that dream role.

Well, only if you followed the above advice.

Let’s quickly summarize everything we have learned today:

• Format your dentist's resume in the correct way. You should prioritize the reverse-chronological format. Oh, and always follow the best practices on content layout
• Use a resume summary or objective to catch hook the recruiter
• Under the work experience heading, make sure to highlight your best dental achievements
• To really beat your competition, include a convincing cover letter

Suggested Reading:

• Best Resume File Type - PDF vs Word [+Templates]
• Use Resume Keywords to Land the Job [880+ Keywords]
• 101 Best Career Tips From Industry Experts [2024 Edition]

To provide a safer experience, the best content and great communication, we use cookies. Learn how we use them for non-authenticated users.

• CV Templates Simple Professional Modern Creative View all
• CV Examples Supermarket Student Cleaner Care Assistant Sales Assistant View all
• Cover Letter Templates Simple Professional Modern Creative View all
• Cover Letter Examples Care Assistant PhD Internship Cleaner Short View all
• Cover Letter Builder
• CV Examples

Dentist CV Examples & UK Templates

The ever-more serious dentist shortage in the UK finds recruiters under intense pressure to fill widespread vacancies. Still, when pursuing an appealing job opportunity, it’s no less critical that your dentist CV is outstanding enough to put a smile on any hiring manager’s face.

Resume.io is well-equipped to help with UK job search tools, including a growing number of occupation-specific writing guides, paired with CV examples.

Keep reading for CV writing advice geared specifically to dentists, alongside an adaptable dentist CV example. Topics covered:

• The role and job outlook for UK dentists
• How to structure your dentist CV — the root components and best format
• Extracting one CV section at a time to portray its importance — header, profile, employment history, education and skills
• CV layout, design and formatting tips for a professionally polished look.

Knowing how to write a CV takes effort, but we help break down the mystery. Take a look at this detailed guide to learn more about how to structure, write, and design a job-winning CV.

What do dentists do?

For every smile that lights up a room, dentists typically deserve part of the credit. And that’s only the visible part of their highly-skilled work as comprehensive oral healthcare professionals. Whether NHS or private, dentists have a selection of duties on a daily basis.

Conducting examinations, filling cavities and cleaning the teeth are merely the basics of what dentists do to help patients attain and maintain optimal oral hygiene and health. Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dental diseases encompass the gamut of mouth and gum conditions. From x-rays, teeth cleaning, and extractions to root canals and crown, denture or bridge fittings, it’s all in a day’s work for dentists in general practice. Specialist training options include endodontics, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, orthodontics. and oral and maxillofacial pathology. 

UK dentists are typically self-employed associates in a general dental practice, providing  patient care on a private basis or through the National Health Service (NHS). Many have a combination of private and NHS patients.

According to the UK’s National Career Service , dentist incomes range from £34,728 to  £96,154 per year, depending on experience level. 

These basic annual salaries apply to NHS dentists, starting with trainees:

• Mandatory year of foundation training — £36,288
• One to three years of core training — £40,257 to £51,017
• Dental specialty trainees — £51,017 to £58,398
• Salaried dentists (mainly providing community dental services) —  £88,364 to £119,133
• Hospital consultants in dental specialties — £88,364 to £119,133

According to uk.talent.com , the average private UK dentist salary is £50,000 per year, ranging from entry level incomes starting at £23,400 per year to £90,000 for those with experience.

Longstanding concerns about widespread dentist shortages and declining patient access to NHS services were validated by BBC News research data in 2022. After contacting nearly 7,000 NHS dental practices — almost the entire number offering general care to the public — the BBC revealed that 90% were not accepting new adult patients, while 80% were closed to new child patients. 

“We’ve had a perfect storm,” Dr Nigel Carter, CEO of the Oral Health Foundation, told The Guardian . He attributed the crisis to multiple causes, including insufficient numbers of new dentist trainees, Brexit, pandemic-induced patient backlogs, and dentists’ dissatisfaction with NHS contracts.

How to write a dentist CV

The abundance of job opportunities for UK dentists gives them exceptional freedom to choose. Since no two positions you apply for will be exactly alike, each version of your dentist CV must be distinctively different from any other. We’ll emphasise that later on. But first, let’s look at what all CVs have in common, regardless of occupation. That is, the “bone structure” of these essential CV elements:

• Employment history section
• Education section
• Skills section

Otherwise, as noted above, each unique CV you create should precisely match what the hiring dental practice needs and wants. The job ad specs should give you a clear and complete understanding of why you are a perfect fit for this specific employer. 

The posted job requirements provide clues about the language for your custom-tailored CV, not just the content. Look for keywords or phrases that stand out. Repeat them verbatim in your CV wherever appropriate — without sounding contrived, of course. This is the best safeguard against rejection by digital applicant tracking systems ( ATS ), now commonplace for screening huge volumes of online job applications.

Need ideas and inspiration? Check out Resume.io’s CV examples and writing guides for these other healthcare providers: medical CV example, doctor CV sample, dental nurse CV example, nurse CV example, pharmacist CV sample, and veterinarian CV sample.

Choosing the best CV format for a dentist

With few exceptions, the chronological CV format is the best option for telling your dentistry success story. It gives hiring managers a smooth-surface overview of your work history and training, from the latest to earliest dates. That means your most recent and relevant professional experience is what they will see first and concentrate on.

Another advantage of the chronological CV format is that it’s more compatible with online application systems, including the NHS website .

The functional CV format, where skills matter more than previous employers, might be suitable for dentists seeking a position in research, teaching or consulting. And the more versatile hybrid (combination) CV format places skills above the employment history section.

The header of your dentist CV header draws attention to the identifying information that you want recruiters to notice first and remember later — your name, professional title, phone number, email, and LinkedIn profile URL. Prominence on the page makes it easy for hiring managers to get in touch if your CV is shortlisted for an interview. An attractive header design sets your job application apart from others, and offsets everything else on the page with white space so it looks inviting to read. Reinforce the impact by using the same header design for both your CV and cover letter.

Dentist CV profile example

This is the start of your “why hire me?” case, and it could also be the end if recruiters aren’t persuaded to read more. The vital purpose of a CV profile — sometimes called the summary or personal statement — is to catch and hold the hiring manager’s attention straightaway, so there’s no doubt you belong on the interview shortlist.

As a zoom-lens snapshot of your most relevant abilities and personal attributes, the profile puts you and your next employer in the same picture of success. By appealing to what the target dental practice needs and values most, your awareness of how well you would fit in is self-evident. Single out two or three of your proudest, relatable accomplishments, in measurable terms if you can.

Below is a dentist CV sample profile you can adapt for your own situation.

Well-respected dentist, adept at diagnosing and treating causes of tooth and gum pain, including performing root canals, repairing cavities, and implanting crowns. Remain current on evidence-based practices to ensure high-quality care. Excellent interpersonal skills with experience treating adults and paediatric patients.

Employment history sample

Revisiting the advertised job requirements can help you determine which professional highlights to include or omit from this CV section. From a comprehensive log that you update frequently, drill down to the work experience that your target employer is most interested in. 

Craft concisely descriptive bullet points that tell a story of career growth and development. Showcase what you’re capable of contributing and accomplishing in your next dentist role. Talk less about what you did and more about how well you did it.

Looking to grab a hiring manager’s attention? Using powerful action verbs for your CV is the answer. Let’s take a look at more than 250 words you can use on your application and how to use them. Here’s what you need to know to get started.

Focusing on the value and impact of your previous work as a dentist, cite numbers to quantify the scope and scale, if not improvement outcomes you helped achieve. Give recruiters an idea of clinic size and the range of services and procedures offered, plus patient volumes and demographics. Mention improved patient referral and retention rates. Illustrate your effectiveness in putting jittery patients at ease.

NHS dentist job applicants in relatively early career stages should keep in mind the overlap between their dental training and work history. Don’t overlook the work experience you gained during foundation training, core training, and specialty training.

Below is a dental employment history CV sample you can modify

Dentist, JS Dentistry London  July 2015 - Present 

• Diagnose and treat tooth decay and periodontal diseases, including filling cavities, performing root canals, and implanting crowns.
• Educate patients on oral health and proper dental hygiene, including routine brushing and flossing, to protect existing teeth and gums.
• Prescribe oral antibiotics and pain relievers to resolve abscesses, prevent infections following treatments, and mitigate discomfort.

Associate Dental Practitioner, Burke General Dentistry London, UK  July 2013 - June 2015 

• Provided general dental care to adults and children to diagnose and treat periodontal diseases.
• Implanted crowns, filled cavities, repaired cracked teeth, and applied protective sealant.
• Completed difficult extractions and minor oral surgery under general intravenous anaesthesia.

Dentist CV education example

In reverse chronological order by date, from highest to lowest level, list: 

• The postgraduate training you’ve completed
• Your BDS degree (or equivalent if received outside the UK)
• Any earlier degrees in a relevant subject such as biomedical sciences

Relatively recent graduates might want to mention academic awards and honours. Always include professional development and continued learning activities — courses, workshops, conferences, certifications, and association memberships.High school information can be omitted.

Below is the education section from a dentist CV to help you write your own.

Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS), The London Hospital Dental School, University of London London, UK  September 2011 - June 2013 

Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Maths, Bedford College, University of London London, UK  September 2007 - June 2011

CV skills example

Especially in later dentist career stages, you’ll never have enough CV space to list all the key skills you’ve devoted countless hours to learning and practising. To more easily trim that “master list” of CV skills when targeting your application to a different job:

• Be sure to include every skill stipulated in the advertised job description.
• Avoid repeating skills already specified or implied in your CV profile or work experience descriptions.

Regardless of the profession, all CVs should contain a mix of hard skills and soft skills, with the latter often transferable across different occupations. A dentist CV is no exception, as this prospects.ac.uk list of top skills illustrates:

• Manual dexterity and technical dental skills
• Ability to maintain intense concentration for prolonged periods
• Ability to build relationships with patients and colleagues
• High-level communication and interpersonal skills
• Interest in the welfare of others and a sympathetic manner
• Good administrative and managerial abilities to run a dental practice
• Information technology skills, due to the increasing use of electronic records and digital diagnostic imaging

Check out our dentist CV sample for the skills section below.

• General Dentistry
• Patient Care
• Diagnosis and Treatment
• Preventative Care
• Root Canals
• Crowns Extractions
• Teeth Straightening
• Strong Communication Skills

CV layout and design

An orderly, streamlined page layout is the foundation for a reader-friendly dentist CV. Harried recruiters will thank you for making it easy to spot the essential information they are looking for in clearly labelled sections that are bridged logically from one to the next.

Flawless is the overall look to strive for. Clean, crisp, and clutter-free need not be synonymous with starkly sterile. Sparing graphic touches, even using colour, are okay.

Allow enough white space to counteract the blackness of “text walls.” Retain the one-inch default margin setting and ease your line and paragraph spacing. 

Avoid fancy fonts, and don’t use more than two font styles: one for body text, and another harmonising style for header text and section titles.

Don’t be daunted by the need for your dentist CV document to look professionally polished at first glance. Leave the visual details up to Resume.io by using one of our field-tested, good-to-go CV templates. Download your selection and our online builder tool will make it easy to personalise with your own replacement text.

Key takeaways for a dentist CV

• The UK’s critical dentist shortage does not mean your dream job is automatically attainable without an outstanding CV to impress hiring managers.
• Whether you apply through the NHS or to a private dental practice, each version of your CV should make a customised case for being the best candidate.
• Take direction from the posted job ad to optimise each CV section, including the use of ATS-proof keywords.
• Your employment history details and skills list should reinforce the “hire me” value proposition put forward in your CV profile.
• Resume.io’s collection of expert-designed CV templates is your one-stop solution for a smile-worthy visual impact.

Attractive CV templates at your fingertips

• [email protected]
• +44 (0) 333 050 7764 (Mon-Fri (9AM-5PM)
• Award-Winning Medicine Application Support
• +44 (0) 333 050 7764 (Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM)

All UCAT Support

All Interview Support

• Medical School Reviews
• PS Free Resources
• UCAT Free Resources
• Interview Free Resources
• Book A Free Consultation

Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – KCL (Saif)

Home » Application Guide » Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – KCL (Saif)

Application Guide Menu

A great starter bundle which includes some tutoring and resources.

Our most common bundle with 20 hours of tutoring, a live course and resources., the most comprehensive ucat bundle which has tons of tutoring and all of our resources..

Welcome to our collection of Dentistry Personal Statement Examples! We’ve searched far and wide to find personal statements from successful applicants all around the UK and asked them to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of their work for your own inspiration. Today’s subject is from Saif, who studies Dentistry at King’s College London.

Saif applied to study Dentistry back in 2021 at four amazing UK Dental Schools, including KCL, University of Bristol and University of Glasgow. He received offers from 3 out of his four choices of which he chose to study at KCL.

Let’s read the personal statement that got him a place at KCL, or skip straight to his feedback to learn what made his personal statement a success!

Please be aware that these examples are meant purely for the sake of inspiration, and should absolutely NOT be used as a model around which to base your own personal statement. UCAS have a rather strict system that detects plagiarism .

KCL Dentistry Personal Statement Example

Whole personal statement.

A smile is more than just a smile, it is a reflection of happiness, confidence and self-esteem. Dentistry is the engineering of a smile, focusing on patients’ health, comfort and wellbeing. The interaction with patients and colleagues is not only integral to the care provided, but also a very attractive aspect of this career. With constant advances in research, dentistry has been and always will be an evolving profession. This opportunity for lifelong learning excites me and has fuelled my desire to pursue this pathway.

I had the opportunity to join the dentists at my local practice where I observed check-ups; the fitting and moulding of dentures; and tooth extractions. The interaction between dentists of different specialist interests; along with the dental nurses, hygienists and supporting staff maintained the best care possible in a multidisciplinary team. It was amazing to see the wonderful impact that they had on so many patients. For example – helping a lady with periodontitis. Her gums had begun to recede causing many teeth to fall out and others to wobble. Everyday tasks we take for granted (such as talking and eating) led to constant pain and difficulty. I will never forget the look on her face once she was fitted with her personalised dentures. This inspired me to learn more about the working life of a dentist.

I came across Dr Manouchehri’s ‘Teeth and Tales” podcast which was informative and enjoyable. It was interesting to learn about the importance of dental health as an indicator for many diseases. For instance, mouth ulcers can indicate signs of some bowel diseases, and examination of the mouth can diagnosen early stages of oral cancer. This captivated me : dentistry does not only improve the quality of people’s lives; it has the potential to save it. The podcast includes a brief yet stimulating discussion about a dentist’s ‘typical work week’ – which is in fact not typical at all.

Each patient has their own needs, resulting in an immense variation of work that has intrigued me – sparking my interest in orthodontics. This focuses on unique tooth alignment in order to provide patient focused treatment, providing new, exciting challenges to overcome. A smile can be built that improves the appearance and functionality of someone’s mouth – building their confidence and protecting their teeth by correcting their bite.

Communication is the basis of the dentist-patient relationship that is built on trust and respect. I am an effective communicator – evident in my roles as Senior Prefect and Classroom Assistant. As part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award, I volunteered at my local Barnardo’s where I worked as part of a team which helped me improve my communication skills. It was a great pleasure to do something good for my community, supporting the less fortunate by gathering and sorting through donations to those in need.

Dentistry is a demanding and stressful career, so finding ways to relax is important. Music is my tool for relaxation. I am a keen piano player and have passed my grade 6 exam with distinction. Hard work and disciplined practice have greatly improved my manual dexterity and attention to detail – skills that are integral to dentistry. My commitment has allowed me to begin tutoring, where I tailor my teaching style according to a student’s age and skill level. I am able to communicate complex information in an understandable way; build relationships with otherwise shy children; and put them at ease when dealing with frustrations. By effectively managing my time, I balance my schoolwork and benefit from being part of the school choir as well as an U18’s football team within the top division of my region. Football involves communication with teammates, mirroring the teamwork required in the life of a dentist.

I recognise that dentistry is a demanding career, but it is also extremely rewarding. It would give me the opportunity to connect with and positively impact so many people. Nothing would fulfil me more.

MEDICINE MASTERY BUNDLE

Achieve Medicine Mastery in all areas of your application, including the Personal Statement

Write an impressive Personal Statement with the help of our one-to-one tuition, in-depth resources, an intensive crash course and much more. 

Personal Statement Crash Course

KCL Dentistry Personal Statement Example Analysis

Now, let’s go section by section and see what Saif has to say about what he wrote:  

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

I feel that in the introduction of my personal statement I have been able to clearly demonstrate my passion for Dentistry. From my explanation, the intent behind my desire to study Dentistry really shines through. 

I do feel that my introduction does come across as quite impersonal and I haven’t related it to myself until the final sentence. I could have expanded further on the research aspect of Dentistry as this is an area I am interested in and it would have been better to covey this to the admissions tutor to demonstrate my understanding of it. 

Paragraph 1

I have not only discussed my work experience but also reflected on it, showing what I learnt and how it made me feel. This shows my passion and experience – and also that I understand the value of doing work experience. 

I probably could have been more concise, which could have meant I would have had more characters available to me later on in my personal statement which I feel I ended up rushing through. As well, I would have liked to have spent more time discussing the life-saving aspect of Dentistry in more depth by talking about what a Max Fax surgeon is.

Paragraph 2

I have shown that I have been doing wider reading – even though it has not been in the traditional sense of the term but rather with a podcast. I have made sure to talk about what I have learnt from it, using mouth ulcers are a symptom for some bowel diseases as an example as I just found it so fascinating. 

Again, I probably could have been more concise here. What the podcast talks about is not what is important but rather what I have grasped and learnt from it. I have probably embellished my language a bit too much, e.g., “…podcast which was informative and enjoyable,” when I could have cut out the latter part of the sentence and gone straight into why it was interesting. 

Paragraph 3

Here I made the point of discussing a specialist branch of Dentistry, that being orthodontics. I have talked about what interests me in orthodontics. This also displays the knowledge I have gained through wider reading and understanding of the profession as a whole.

I should have gone into my depth about what sparked my interest in orthodontics. It would have been helpful to relate it back to what I saw during my work experience. 

Looking for Personal Statement support?

We’ll do you one better!  The Medicine Mastery Bundle supports you through your Personal Statement, UCAT and Interview with 30+ hours of 1-1 tuition and a full suite of resources and features . 

Personal Statement Work Book

Personal Statement Workbook

Paragraph 4

I have used my personal experiences to relate to how I have developed and enhanced my communication skills – a skill which is vital to a career in Dentistry. Though I have only mentioned it from the sense of a dentist-patient relationship, it is also a necessary skill when working with other members of a dental team. 

As briefly mentioned above it would have been better to relate my communication ability to a clinical setting and draw on what I saw and learnt during my work experience. As well, I mentioned being a Senior Prefect and Classroom Assistant but have not gone into detail of anything I actually done within these roles. 

Paragraph 5

Here I have discussed the extracurricular activities that I undertook to show off more of my personality and interests outside of school and Dentistry. The idea behind this was to show the universities I was applying to what sort of person the would-be considering aside from my academics and to showcase myself as a well rounded individual. 

I have mentioned elsewhere I could have been more concise at the start of my personal statement as I feel this section is really rushed as I ran out of characters which would have allowed me to go into more depth. Maybe if I had structured my personal statement differently, it would have allowed me to discuss my extracurriculars in more detail 

My conclusion is clear, concise and straight to the point. I have acknowledged that a Dentistry degree and career will be challenging but I feel I am well suited to face this adversity and rise above it. 

There is being concise, and then there is potentially being too short which I feel this is. Again, I used up valuable characters earlier on in my personal statement which would have been better used for my conclusion. As well, I could have related it back to what I said in my introduction to make it feel more cohesive. 

Final Thoughts

I am pleased with my reflection of my work experience, I have not just listed what I done but mentioned the value I have gained from it by relating it to patients that I came across. Additionally, the section about my wider reading and my interest in the subject through Dr Manouchehri’s podcast, I feel, conveys my passion for Dentistry and my fascination with it. 

The end is what really lets it down, I feel, I ran out of characters, and it shows. I easily could have shortened my introduction and gained characters back there. Reading it back through, it does come across as slightly rushed and that I had just crammed it all in. There are definitely some sections that could have been broken down into smaller paragraphs just for ease of reading. 

So there you have it! This personal statement helped Saif get 3/4 offers in his application.

Everyone has different experiences and abilities, so you may not be able to relate to everything that was said in this personal statement. However, the information and advice provided by Saif is universal and will help any applicant write a better personal statement!  

Be sure to check out more Medicine Personal Statement Analyses to see advice from all different kinds of applicants, including Ali Abdaal himself! Or if you want to get started on your own statement, check out 6med’s Medicine Mastery Bundle for all the support and resources you’ll ever need for your PS and the rest of your application!

More Medicine Personal Statement Examples & Inspiration

Reapplying to Medicine – Anton’s Personal Statements

Medicine Personal Statement Inspiration – Jonathan (Cambridge)

Medicine Personal Statement Inspiration – Millie (Cambridge)

Medicine Personal Statement Inspiration – Duranka (Oxford)

Medicine Personal Statement Inspiration – James (UCL)

Graduate Entry Medicine Personal Statement – Samah (Cambridge)

Medicine Personal Statement Inspiration – Ali Abdaal (Cambridge)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Cambridge (Elizabeth)

Medical Biosciences Personal Statement Example – Imperial College London

Graduate Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Warwick (Laura)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Plymouth (Abdullah)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – King’s College London (Azzra)

Graduate Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Brighton and Sussex

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Cardiff University (Faris)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Cambridge (Lucy)

Graduate Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Sunderland (Ikrah)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Cambridge (Annie)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Oxford (Alexander)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Bristol (Faraz)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Cardiff University (Jemma)

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – King’s College London (Thomas)

Graduate Medicine Personal Statement Example – Barts Medical School

Medicine Personal Statement Examples – Nottingham (Aymen)

Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – Barts (Malikha)

Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – Cardiff (Eera)

Dentistry Personal Statement Examples – KCL (Emmy)

Chloe Hewitt

unlock infinite medical wisdom

Just leave your email in the box and you’ll receive weekly updates and the best tips for your medical application!

Application Support

• Personal Statement
• Crash Courses
• 1-1 Tutoring

Free Resources

• Personal Statement Free Resources
• Medicine Application Guides

Other Stuff

• UCAT.Ninja™
• Exams.Ninja
• School Support
• Tutor With Us
• Medical School Success Calculator
• Help Centre

Pay with confidence

CV personal statement examples

If you want to secure job interview, you need a strong personal statement at the top of your CV.

Your CV personal statement is a short paragraph which sits at the very top of your CV – and it’s aim is to summarise the benefits of hiring you and encourage employers to read your CV in full.

In this guide I have included 17 CV personal statement examples from a range of professions and experience levels, plus a detailed guide of how to write your own personal statement that will get you noticed by employers

CV templates 

17 CV personal statement examples

To start this guide, I have included 10 examples of good personal statements, to give you an idea of how a personal statement should look , and what should be included.

Note: personal statements are generally used by junior candidates – if you are experienced, check out our CV profile examples instead.

Graduate CV personal statement (no experience)

Although this  graduate has no paid work experience, they compensate for it by showcasing all of the skills and knowledge the have gained during their studies, and demonstrating how they apply their knowledge in academic and personal projects.

When you have little or no experience, it’s important to draw out transferable workplace skills from your studies and extracurricular work, to showcase them to employers.

Graduate CV personal statement (part time freelance experience)

This candidate has graduated with a degree in biochemistry but actually wants to start a career in digital marketing after providing some digital freelance services to fund their studies.

In this case, they haven’t made much mention of their studies because they aren’t relevant to the digital marketing agencies they are applying to. Instead they have focused their personal statement around their freelance work and passion for the digital field – although they still mention the fact they are degree educated to prove their academic success.

Build your CV now 

School leaver CV personal statement (no experience)

This candidate is 16 years old and has no work experience whatsoever, but they compensate for this by detailing their academic achievements that relate to the roles they are applying for (maths and literacy are important requirements in finance and accountancy roles).

They also add some info on their extracurricular activities and school work-placements, to strengthen this student CV further.

    Top tips for writing a CV personal statement

• Thoroughly research the jobs and companies you are planning to apply for to identify the type of candidate they are looking for – try to reflect that in your personal statement
• Don’t be afraid to brag a little – include some of your most impressive achievements from education, work or personal life
• Focus on describing the benefits an employer will get from hiring you. Will you help them to get more customers? Improve their workplace? Save them time and money?
• If you have no work experience, demonstrate transferable workplace skills from your education, projects, or even hobbies

School leaver CV personal statement (part time experience)

Although this person has only just left school, they have also undertaken some part-time work in a call centre alongside their studies.

To make the most of this experience, they have combined their academic achievements with their workplace exposure in this personal statement.

By highlighting their GCSE results, summer programme involvement, work experience and expressing their ambitions to progress within sales, this candidate really makes an appealing case for hiring them.

College leaver CV personal statement (no experience)

This candidate has left college with good grades, but does not yet have any work experience.

To compensate for the lack of workplace exposure, they have made their A level results prominent and highlighted skills and experience which would benefit the employers they are targeting.

Any recruiter reading this profile can quickly understand that this candidate has great academic achievements, a passion for IT and finance and the ability to transfer their skills into an office environment.

College student CV personal statement (freelance experience)

As this student has picked up a small amount of freelance writing work during their studies, they have made sure to brag about it in their personal statement.

They give details on their relevant A level studies to show the skills they are learning, and boost this further by highlighting the fact that they have been applying these skills in a real-life work setting by providing freelance services.

They also include key action verbs that recruiters will be looking for , such as creative writing, working to deadlines, and producing copy.

Academic CV personal statement

Aside from junior candidates, the only other people who might use a personal statement, are academic professionals; as their CV’s tend to be more longer and detailed than other professions.

This candidate provides a high level overview of their field of study, length of experience, and the roles they have held within universities.

School leaver CV personal statement with and sports experience

Although this person has no work experience, they are still able to show employers the value of hiring them by selling their other achievements and explaining how they could benefit an organisation.

They expand on their sports club involvement to demonstrate their teamwork, leadership skills, communication and motivation, which are all important traits in the workplace, and will be looked upon favourably by recruiters and hiring managers.

They also draw upon their future plans to study business studies and take a part time job, to further prove their ambition and dedication.

History graduate CV personal statement

This history graduate proves their aptitude for both academic achievement and workplace aptitude by showcasing valuable skills from their degree and voluntary work.

They do this by breaking down the key requirements for each and showing how their skills could be beneficial for future employers, such as listening, communication, and crisis management.

They also describe how their ability to balance studies alongside voluntary work has not only boosted their knowledge and skills, but also given excellent time management and organisational skills – which are vital assets to any employer.

Law graduate CV personal statement

This legal graduate makes the most from their work university work placements by using it to bulk out the contents of their CV personal statement.

They include their degree to show they have the necessary qualifications for legal roles, which is crucial, but more importantly, they showcase how they applied their legal skills within a real-life work setting.

They give a brief overview of the types of legal professionals they have been working alongside and the type of work they have been carrying out – this is all it takes to get the attention of recruiters and show employers they have what it takes to fulfil roles in the legal sector.

Medical student CV personal statement

This medical student proves their fit for the role by showcasing the key skills they have gained from their studies and their work experience placements.

In just these few sentences, they are able to highlight the vast amount of experience they have across different disciplines in the industry, something which is particularly important in the medical sector.

As they have not graduated yet and are still studying, they have provided proof of their most recent grades. This can give the recruiter some indication as to the type of grade they could be graduating with in the near future.

Masters student CV personal statement

This masters student has started by specifying their area of study, in this case, accounting, and given details about the specific areas of finance they are most interested in. This can hint towards their career goals and passions.

They have then carefully listed some of the key areas of accounting and finance that they are proficient in. For example, business finance, advanced corporate finance and statistics.

They have also outlined some of the transferable skills needed for accounting roles that employers will be looking out for, such as communication, attention to detail and analytical skills.

Finance student CV personal statement

As this finance student has recently undertaken some relevant work experience, they’ve made sure to shout about this in their personal profile.

But more than this, they have included a list of some of the important finance skills they gained as a result of this work experience – for example, financial reporting, processing invoices and month-end reconciliations.

Plus, through power words and phrases such as ‘prevent loss’ and ‘ improve upon accuracy and efficiency’, they have also showcased how they can apply these skills in a workplace setting to benefit the potential employer.

Internship  CV personal statement

This digital marketing professional has started their personal profile by outlining their most relevant qualifications and work experience, most notably their freelance role as a content manager.

They have also provided examples of some of the key marketing skills that potential employers might be looking for, including very detailed examples of the platforms and tools they are proficient in – for example, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest.

They have then closed their statement by giving a detailed description of the type of role or opportunity they are looking for. In this case, an in-house position in a marketing company.

Graduate career changer personal statement

Switching careers as a graduate can be tough. Especially when it comes to writing a personal statement that will attract employers in your new chosen field.

This candidate is looking to move from history teaching into journalism, so they have created a statement which briefly mentions their current workplace, but mainly focuses on highlighting transferable skills which are relevant to journalism. They achieve this by discussing the writing skills they use in their current role, and mentioning their hobby of writing – including some publications they have been featured in for extra brownie points.

Business management graduate personal statement

This business management proves their ability to work within a junior business management position by swiftly highlighting their impressive degree (to ensure it is not missed) and summarising some of the real-life experience they have gained in management during their university placements and volunteering. They do not let their lack of paid work experience, stop them demonstrating their valuable skills.

PhD graduate

PhD graduate roles attract a lot of competition, so it’s important that your CV contains a personal statement that will quickly impress and attract recruiters.

This candidate provides a short-but-comprehensive overview of their academic achievements, whilst demonstrating their exceptional level of knowledge in research, languages and publication writing.

By highlighting a number of skills and abilities that are in high-demand in the academic workplace, this CV is very likely to get noticed and land interviews.

How to write a personal statement for your CV

Now that you’ve seen what a personal statement should look like and the type of content it should contain, follow this detailed guide to one for your own CV – and start racking those interviews up.

Guide contents

What is a CV personal statement?

Cv personal statement or cv profile, personal statement format, what to include in a cv personal statement.

• Personal statement mistakes

How to write persuasively

A personal statement is a short paragraph at the top of your CV which gives employers an overview of your education, skills and experience

It’s purpose is to capture the attention of busy recruiters and hiring managers when your CV is first opened – encouraging them to read the rest of it.

You achieve this by writing a tailored summary of yourself that explains your suitability for the roles you are applying for at a very high level, and matches your target job descriptions .

One question candidates often ask me is , “what is the difference between a personal statement and a CV profile?”

To be honest, they are almost the same – they are both introductory paragraphs that sit at the top of your CV… but there are 2 main differences

A personal statement tends to be used more by junior candidates (graduates, school leavers etc.) and is relatively long and detailed.

A CV profile tends to be favoured by more experienced candidates , and is shorter in length than a personal statement.

Note: If you are an experienced candidate, you may want to switch over to my CV profile writing guide , or example CV profiles page.

To ensure you grab recruiters’ attention with your personal statement, lay it out in the following way.

Positioning

You need to ensure that your personal statement sits at the very top of your CV, and all of it should be totally visible to readers, without the need to scroll down the page.

Do this by reducing the top page margin and minimising the space taken up by your contact details.

This will ensure that your whole personal statement can be seen, as soon as your CV is opened.

We have a Word CV template which can help you to get this right.

Size/length

Your personal statement needs to contain enough detail to provide an introduction to your skills and knowledge, but not so much detail that it bores readers.

To strike the right balance, anything between 8-15 lines of text is perfect – and sentences should be sharp and to-the-point.

As with the whole of your CV or resume , your personal statement should be written in a simple clean font at around size 10-12 to ensure that it can be read easily by all recruiters and employers.

Keep the text colour simple , ensuring that it contrasts the background (black on white is best) and break it into 2 or even 3 paragraphs for a pleasant reading experience.

It should also be written in a punchy persuasive tone, to help you sell yourself and increase your chances of landing interviews , I cover how to do this in detail further down the guide.

Quick tip: A poorly written CV will fail to impress recruiters and employers. Use our quick-and-easy CV Builder to create a winning CV in minutes with professional CV templates and pre-written content for every industry.

Once you have the style and format of your personal statement perfected, you need to fill it with compelling content that tells recruiters that your CV is worth reading.

Here’s what needs to go into your personal statement…

Before you start writing your personal statement, it’s crucial that you research your target roles to find out exactly what your new potential employers are looking for in a candidate.

Run a search for your target jobs on one of the major job websites , look through plenty of adverts and make a list of the candidate requirements that frequently appear.

This research will show you exactly what to include in your personal statement in order to impress the recruiters who will be reading it.

Education and qualifications are an important aspect of your personal statement, especially if you are a junior candidate.

You should highlight your highest and most relevant qualifications, whether that is a degree, A levels or GCSEs. You could potentially go into some more detail around modules, papers etc. if they are relevant to the roles you are applying for.

It’s important that you discuss the experience you have gained in your personal statement, to give readers an idea of the work you are comfortable undertaking.

This can of course be direct employed work experience, but it doesn’t have to be.

You can also include:

• School/college Uni work placements
• Voluntary work
• Personal projects
• Hobbies/interests

As with all aspects of your CV , the content should be tailored to match the requirements of your target roles.

Whilst discussing your experience, you should touch upon skills used, industries worked in, types of companies worked for, and people you have worked with.

Where possible, try to show the impact your actions have made. E.g . A customer service agent helps to make sales for their employer.

Any industry-specific knowledge you have that will be useful to your new potential employers should be made prominent within your personal statement.

For example

• Knowledge of financial regulations will be important for accountancy roles
• Knowledge of IT operating systems will be important for IT roles
• Knowledge of the national curriculum will be important for teachers

You should also include some information about the types of roles you are applying for, and why you are doing so. Try to show your interest and passion for the field you are hoping to enter, because employers want to hire people who have genuine motivation and drive in their work.

This is especially true if you don’t have much work experience, as you need something else to compensate for it.

CV personal statement mistakes

The things that you omit from your personal statement can be just as important as the things you include.

Try to keep the following out of your personal statement..

Irrelevant info

Any information that doesn’t fall into the requirements of your target roles can be cut out of your personal statement. For example, if you were a professional athlete 6 years ago, that’s great – but it won’t be relevant if you’re applying to advertising internships, so leave it out.

Generic clichés

If you are describing yourself as a “ dynamic team player with high levels of motivation and enthusiasm” you aren’t doing yourself any favours.

These cliché terms are vastly overused and don’t provide readers with any factual details about you – so keep them to a minimum.

Stick to solid facts like education, skills , experience, achievements and knowledge.

If you really want to ensure that your personal statement makes a big impact, you need to write in a persuasive manner.

So, how do you so this?

Well, you need to brag a little – but not too much

It’s about selling yourself and appearing confident, without overstepping the mark and appearing arrogant.

For example, instead of writing.

“Marketing graduate with an interest in entering the digital field”

Be creative and excite the reader by livening the sentence up like this,

“Marketing graduate with highest exam results in class and a passion for embarking on a long and successful career within digital”

The second sentence is a much more interesting, makes the candidate appear more confident, throws in some achievements, and shows off a wider range of writing skills.

Quick tip: A poorly written CV will fail to impress recruiters and employers. Use our quick-and-easy CV Builder to create a winning CV in minutes with professional templates and pre-written content for every industry.

Your own personal statement will be totally unique to yourself, but by using the above guidelines you will be able to create one which shows recruiters everything they need.

Remember to keep the length between 10-20 lines and only include the most relevant information for your target roles.

You can also check our school leaver CV example , our best CV templates , or our library of example CVs from all industries.

Good luck with the job hunt!

Dental Residents CV & Personal Statement Writing

• Personal Statements

A note regarding services

Wilson Dental Library staff and librarians do  not review or edit CVs or personal statements.

• USC Writing Center The Writing Center website includes online resources, videos, and tutorials. Services include one-on-one consultations and group workshops. Does not offer proofreading, but will consult with you about how to improve your writing.
• Writing Your CV (American Student Dental Association ) Example and tips.
• The Dentistry Residency Statement, Dissected.
• Dentistry CVs and Cover Letters Examples (UCSF Office of Career & Professional Development)
• CV WRITING TIPS (University of Wisconsin Writing Center)

• << Previous: CVs
• Last Updated: Aug 8, 2024 10:42 AM
• URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/healthsciences/statements

Dental Assistant Apprenticeship Program

Now Accepting Applications

Questions? Fill out the Contact Form

About Our Program

CHAS Health is a non-profit, federally qualified health center (FQHC) that provides high-quality medical, dental, pharmacy, and behavioral health services to families and individuals of all ages, regardless of ability to pay.

On The Job Training

The dental assistant apprenticeship program is a 1 year (2,000 hour) on-the-job training program facilitated by CHAS Health to train individuals to work as Registered Dental Assistants in the state of Washington and Idaho. Apprentices will be employed with CHAS Health full-time while simultaneously completing related coursework, which includes homework assignments and mandatory lab days. Following successful completion of the program, the dental assistant will be transitioned into a regular, full-time position.*

Throughout this program, the apprentice will be working hands-on in the dental clinic alongside a coach and team to practice clinical skills. The coach will support and guide the apprentice and ensure the mastery of each skill.

In addition to working clinically, there will be 8 lab days, where the instructor will follow an agenda for lectures, reviewing practical skills, help with technique, and answer questions. Homework and lab obligations are unpaid.

Registered Apprenticeship Program

The Dental Assistant Training Program is now recognized by the state of Washington as a registered apprenticeship. This provides students with the assurance that they will receive a quality education that has met the qualifications set by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries for training and instruction. Our program is governed by an Apprenticeship Committee of 50% employer and 50% journey-level dental assistant representatives. The curriculum is approved by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.

Why CHAS Health?

• This is a unique and exciting opportunity to receive paid training geared toward success as a registered dental assistant
• Benefits of full-time employment include medical, dental, vision, paid time off, 401(k), paid training and ongoing learning opportunities, uniform allowance, and more.
• Be a part of a well-respected organization providing patient-centered care in our community
• immersive learning environment
• Option to work toward DANB certification
• Have fun at work!
• Opportunities for advancement

Hear From Our Recent Grads!

Application Information

The next application process will begin in June 2024. Interested applicants will need to meet specific requirements and provide the requested information as shown below:

All applicants to the DA Apprenticeship must meet the following basic requirements:

• 18 years of age or older
• High School Diploma or equivalent required
• Ability to pass a Washington State Background check
• Online Application through Careers at CHAS.org

Personal Statement (350 words or less)

Life impact statement (350 words or less).

• Short Answer Response (100 words or less for each question)
• Letter of Recommendations (1 Required)

Review and/or consideration of incomplete applications or late materials is at the discretion of Chas Health. If application materials are missing due to circumstances beyond the applicant's control, CHAS Health will take that into consideration and make judgments based on the information available.

There is no preferred formatting or specific requirements that need to be met. However, your submission should include the following information, as applicable:

• Work History (including employer, position title, and dates of employment)
• Involvement with volunteer, community, and/or diversity-related activities including the organization, position title, and dates of service
• Education (including school, degree, dates of attendance)
• Honors, awards
• Skills or relevant qualities (languages spoken, computer programs, etc.)

The CHAS Health Apprentice program desires individuals who have a passion to help others and a vision to succeed in healthcare. This field requires flexibility, adaptability, and perseverance. In your personal statement, please explain why you think you would be successful in this program. Please include your personal goals and what obstacles may stand between you and successful completion of the program and how will you overcome these obstacles.

The Apprenticeship programs are a commitment that includes a 2000 hours on-the-job training program and potential employment upon successful completion. In this statement, please explain how this educational training will affect your work and personal life.

Short Answer Response (100 words or less)

The field of healthcare requires flexibility, dependability, and empathy. Give an example of a situation when you had to use these skills.

Fill out the contact form below for program questions or to be informed when the application process will open.

Get the Reddit app

Join us for discussions and sharing of all things related to Azerbaijan and its people. We welcome posts on a wide range of topics, from news and politics to culture and history.

Aeroflot will resume flights on the Moscow-Baku-Moscow route

By continuing, you agree to our User Agreement and acknowledge that you understand the Privacy Policy .

Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app

You’ve set up two-factor authentication for this account.

Enter a 6-digit backup code

Create your username and password.

Reddit is anonymous, so your username is what you’ll go by here. Choose wisely—because once you get a name, you can’t change it.

Reset your password

Enter your email address or username and we’ll send you a link to reset your password

Check your inbox

An email with a link to reset your password was sent to the email address associated with your account

Choose a Reddit account to continue