A professional biography (or professional bio) is an important piece of copy that you write about yourself. It provides a description and summary of you, including your professional background, achievements, education history, and skill set. Learning how to write a professional bio is not that complicated. This article will teach you how to write a professional bio to showcase yourself, your competencies, and your expertise.
What is a professional bio?
Unlike a resume, a professional bio allows you to briefly express your values, beliefs, and who you are as a professional, making you stand out from others in your industry or other people in general. It is a written way of representing yourself in the best and most interesting manner.
Professional bios can be written in a short, mid, or long length format. Short bios are concise and usually 50 words long. It is similar to writing a resume as you want to highlight your professional accomplishments. You often find short bios in social media profiles and company directories.
Mid-length bios could be a few lines long to few paragraphs long. This length is perfect to use in professional networking websites such as LinkedIn, book blurbs, and employee profiles or meet the team pages.
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Lastly, a long-length biography can be a page long to a few pages long. It is lengthy as it includes more details, and at the same time, should be well-written.
No matter how long your professional bio should be and what information you should include, there are important things that you should know so that your professional bio makes a statement.
How to write a compelling professional bio
1. Write in the first person
Whether you are writing for your own bio, you should always refer to yourself in the third person. Instead of using “I” and “me,” you should use your name and third-person pronouns (he, she, his, hers, him, and her). Like someone is describing and writing about you and even if you are writing your professional bio for yourself.
Writing your professional bio in a third-person context makes it sounds that your bio is objectively written and will help enable you to bring out more interesting aspects of yourself.
2. Begin your professional bio with your name
Begin your bio by stating your first and last name. Even if your name is already in your bio’s title, people can remember you more easily when you put your name first in the intro of your bio.
3. Mention your company or brand name
Make sure that you mention your brand name or company you want to associate with in your bio. You can also mention the name of the company you have worked for, even if it is not your current company, which you would like to associate with your positive accomplishments.
4. Explain what you do
Get the attention of your reader by stating what you do, like your business or occupation. This will also help your readers, especially if they are an employer, find out if you are the one they are looking for. Your readers don’t know you personally, so explaining your responsibilities can help them see what you are and what you can offer. You should explain what you are in no more than two sentences.
5. Highlight your achievements and milestones
To make your bio stand out more, include your achievements and milestones. This shows how well you performed and what more you can achieve. Even if you haven’t won an award or gained external recognition, you can discuss what you have contributed to your professional role — as well as for others — that makes you a valuable person in your industry.
6. Describe your passions and personal values
Ask yourself, “Why do you do what you do and how you contribute to your role differently than your colleagues?” You need to focus on this and try to explain it briefly. Think about what gets you up in the morning and the driving force of your actions.
Think of this part as your mission or professional statement on a resume. It should identify your purpose, how you pursue your purpose, and how that matters to you. It should be a statement that defines you as a person in your organization or in life.
7. Consider mentioning your personal interest
Although you are writing a professional bio stating professional experiences, adding a touch of who you are outside a professional setting can help the readers understand you better as a well-rounded individual. This may include:
- Hobbies
- Unique personal history
- Sports you play
- Your family
- Your hometown
This shows that you are transparent and that you are comfortable connecting with people.
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