Cracking the Personal Statement (Job App Letter)

My (diverse) research interests are governed by (two) over-arching questions:

Blah and Blah

Paragraph one:  How my work on big accomplishment #1 helps answer/develop questions

Paragraph two: Same as paragraph one but on a similar (or very different) accomplishment plus something about how it connects to first accomplishment

[When applying for funding for a project, abstract/description can go here and paragraphs one and two may be merged.  Say how project connects to over arching questions and how skills developed in accomplishments have prepared you do to this new project.]

Paragraph three: How these accomplishments and questions [and new research] intersect with you teaching/public service/mentorship/career ambitions.

Paragraph four:  How the thing you’re writing for interesects with the questions.  What can your interest in those questions do for them?  What can their resouces/demographics do to help you answer said questions?

Done.