personal statement

The article focuses on the characteristics of professional self-presentation in the applicant’s personal statement as a component of a resume within the English-language employment discourse. The position in a resume, secondariness, an extremely concise format that suggests highlighting only key information, and the priority of the persuasive intention over the addresser’s other intentions create the genre identity of the applicant’s personal statement.

The paper focuses on the research into motivation letters as an integral part of an academic application process. The author claims that writing effective motivation letters needs a deeper understanding of inherent strategies and tactics. Through quantitative and qualitative analysis of successful letters showcased by American, Canadian and European universities, the author reveals some tactics and topics that the applicants use to impress admission officers.