How to write a bio? Not so long ago, if you were looking for a job, the first thing to do was buy a really good suit, a decent tie, and some new shoes. Then you would drive to the establishment you wanted to work for. Once there, you walked in, and announced, “Hi, I would like to apply for a job.” At that moment, your total look had better shout responsibility, competence, intelligence, and charm, or you were out the back door faster than a hot knife goes through butter.
But looking for a job isn’t the same as it used to be.
Often, you won’t even meet your boss-to-be until he or she is nearly ready to hire you. All right, so things are done differently now. How does that change things for you? It means you will need to drastically alter your approach. First, the suit can wait a day or two. Sit down at the computer and get to work. One of the things you will need to prepare is a bio.
What Is A Bio?
Have you ever turned a book over, and there on the back cover was a half-page of information about the author? It’s as if they wrote their life’s story, then condensed it all to fit in that tiny little space. Well, a bio is your resume, condensed down to fit on part of one side of a page online, or a portion of a piece of paper if you decide to print it up.
What should it look like?
You have choices. You can keep a neat, clean look with an editorial style, or add some graphics to catch someone’s eye. Either way, keep it tasteful and don’t overdo the graphics. You want the person looking at it to be struck by how creative you are, not by how cartoony your bio is.
How To Write A Bio
Decide The Voice
If you are posting on the page of a large corporation where there are several bios, check out the others that are there. If you read the separate bios and people are referring to themselves in the third person, then write your bio in the third person.
If, however, you are posting somewhere a bit more casual, say on a social media of some kind—such as Facebook or Twitter—you might as well write in the first person.
Hold on a second…Are you rusty on what your “persons” are? First is “I, me, my”. The third is saying your name: “Jake Smith worked for five years for Trees ‘n More”, rather than saying, ‘I worked for five years for Trees ‘n More”.
Declare Your Name And Job Title
Start out with this information, the very first sentence:
Example: Louise Dorfen, Accounts Manager for Creativity Unleashed
Are you not employed? State your most recent employment or education:
Example: Michael McConnell, Recently of Harold and Jenn Law Associates
Declare Your Philosophy
Take plenty of time and give this some thought beforehand. Consider why you do what you do in order to make money. It is called your core value system. Don’t be afraid of coming up with the wrong answer. There are many valid reasons why a person works, as well as reasons to want to work at a specific company. Maybe you have a family to feed, or you are interested in making what that company produces.
You can also bring up that the reason you want a job with them is something else. Here is where research would be smart. Are you interested in stopping global warming? Has the company committed to stopping CO2 emissions? Is the president of the company known to be strongly devoted to a faith? Is one of your core values, and a reason you work, because of your faith? Don’t be afraid to find common ground.
Mention Past Accomplishments
Pick and choose which accomplishments to mention. Remember, your bio is SHORT. Only put in accomplishments that you think this company will care about. Ones that show off your best traits.
Especially shout about how capable and useful you are.
Things To Remember As You Put Together Your Bio
- Get a notebook and write down all the places you submit your bio
It is fine to keep a list in an online file, but if your computer should be damaged, lost, or stolen, your info would be gone. A notebook is more reliable.
- Be professional, but be you
Don’t overdo pumping yourself up and don’t copy others’ styles because “they work”. Be who you are. Just be the professional version of you.
- Allow a few details in that remind people we are all human
Mention family, or the fact that you love to garden or surf. This opens paths for the hiring agent to identify with you.
- Be short and sweet
Get in what you want but don’t get too talkative. If you can’t decide what to weed out, just think of two words:
Audience
and
Purpose
Who will be reading this?
What kind of job am I shooting for?
_________________________________________________________
An Example of A Bio Written in Third Person
Cooking and Family Care Expert
Lana Seel, chef, and creator of the “Conga Drum” Home Site, has long been recognized by hundreds of people online. They love Lana’s recipes that feed families well without emptying every piggy bank in the house. Her blog has gained thousands of followers in a few months.
Now, Lana is planning to branch out. She would like to put her cookware into stores, beginning with Value-Side. Value-Side is known for bringing the customer what they want for prices their budget can handle. This is important to Lana, too.
She has worked hard to put together a cookware set that will last a long time and look great doing it. The kind of set she enjoys using for her own family. Made of all recyclable materials, because taking care of the earth is as important to Lana, as she knows it is to the Value-Side Company.
More information is available in Lana Seel’s resume.
How to Write A Bio | Infographic
How to Write A Bio for Work
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