"Me" in my clinical application form

How do you write about "you"?

Estimated reading time: 1.22 minutes

Hey guys,

This week I want to talk about applying for a clinical post. Whether it is for the DClinPsych, Assistant Psychologist, or other mental health posts, I always struggle with putting my best foot forward and presenting my best self on my application. I find it difficult to summarise my journey so far into a brief personal statement to secure the interest of the interviewer. Should I be modest or confident? reflective or decisive? comprehensive or concise? Below is a list of strategies that I hope can help us on our journey:

Prepare yourself before writing

Revisit value-based activities that you have completed during your journey. Which activities have you done that the post would appreciate the most? What are your values? Research interests? By preparing that mindset, you can be more focused on how you want to present yourself on the application.

Consider how you can be made visible in your application form

How do you present yourself in a meaningful and authentic way to yourself and your values? On your application, focus on your values first (e.g. I learned a lot when faced with this challenge) vs job-oriented (e.g. in my role as an X, I did…)

Be clear and concise

Those on the short-listing committee read hundreds of applications. Make your application as concise and clear as possible. Remember to share your application form with a non-psychology friend too and value their feedback because they will be experts in pointing out what is difficult to understanding.

I hope this article is helpful to you! If you have any more points or ideas you want to share, do reply to our emails!

See you next week!

Sam