This sample SOP was used by a non-native English speaker to apply to a master’s program in Human Resources Management in the UK.
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Statement of Purpose – Human Resource Management
As college and graduate degrees have become more important in the modern job market, it has become increasingly important to find ways to stand out and offer a competitive advantage. This is why I have decided to leave my native country and pursue a master’s degree in the UK, as the exposure to its world-class education system and the experience interacting with diverse students in a western environment will give me a crucial edge in my career. I am applying to your master’s program in Human Resource Management in order to prepare to help manage my parents’ company in the future. This company is currently struggling to grow and compete, and in my view this is due largely to human resources factors, such as recruitment/training programs and more comprehensive solutions for situations such as the retirement of key section managers. That is why I have decided to study Human Resource Management, as I want to help this company solve its current problems and deal with future problems of human resources management, which will be crucial to its long-term growth.
Currently, I am completing my final year in Goodwell University’s Department of Tourism, which is part of the management school. In this program, I had the chance to take the course Human Resources Management, in which I learned about the challenges of managing the human resources in organizations of different sizes. The various case studies we were assigned gave me a practical understanding of how to solve these problems. In addition, I had a number of related courses, including Management, Organizational Behavior, and Economics, from which I learned about the broader structure of organizations, grew more familiar with different approaches to management, and developed a foundation of knowledge in both theoretical and practical aspects of economics. Such wide-ranging professional knowledge is vital for a successful human resource manager, and I expect that this background will prove immensely useful when undertaking graduate studies of Human Resources Management.
Outside of class, I had an internship at a hotel, which proved among my most formative learning experiences. I received a great deal of help and guidance from the human resource section there, and as a result I came to better understand the role played by HR personnel in recruitment and training, which includes helping newcomers adapt to the organizational culture and providing training on labour rights, teamwork spirit, language barriers, etc. By the end of my internship, I had a newfound appreciation for the importance of human resource managers, and it was at this time that I began preparing to pursue graduate studies in this field.
In 2014, I had the chance to travel to the UK on a study tour, an experience which significantly broadened my horizons and changed my outlook. I made friends with people from different cultures, which inspired me to explore the world more. In the previous summer vacation, I went backpacking with a friend in the USA, and I thus have considerable experience adapting to new situations and facing the challenges of culture shock. In addition to these trips, I have used my free time to improve my language skills, which are crucial to both the hospitality industry and the HR industry. Aside from studying English, I have been learning Korean, and I obtained a certificate for the Test of Proficiency in Korean. Now, I am eager to pursue more formal and long-term studies in the UK, as I view this as the first step toward becoming a true citizen of the world.
Regarding my future goals, in the short-term I plan to devote all of my energy to studying in your master’s program and cultivating expertise of Human Resources Management. In the medium-term, I plan to earn my CIPD certificate and then return to my native country to begin my career. Eventually, I would like to work in an international hotel, honing my practical skills and applying the professional knowledge that I have accumulated. Besides the HR department, I also hope to learn from the T&D department how to come up with comprehensive courses for different departments. After accumulating sufficient experience, I plan to work in my parents’ company and learn to run the company. I will apply what I learnt to planning a more comprehensive HR program to solve problems and enable this company’s continued growth and expansion. A master’s degree in Human Resources Management from your university will open new doors for me and enable me to achieve any goal that I set for myself, and I am therefore very much looking forward to the opportunity to begin learning from and contributing to your program.
