Even the best communicators have a hard time talking about themselves. However, writing a short yet comprehensive bio is crucial for every professional, regardless of its purpose. Whether you write a new bio or improve the existing one, introducing yourself to the reader builds a long-lasting positive impression while contributing to your professional success.
Creating an engaging and compelling biography involves storytelling and writing skills, research, and a pinch of personal touch. If you want to captivate the audience and tell them what makes you unique, you came to the right place. Next, we will discuss the essentials of writing an informative and engaging bio.
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A short bio is a concise, accurate description to introduce yourself to potential employers, collaborators, or clients.
To create a clear image of the career history and professional accomplishments, a bio must detail more than the basic facts such as birth, education, experience, and work. In addition to these data, a meaningful biography should depict insights about your personality, motivation, goals, and aspirations.
When creating a short professional bio, there is no one-size-fits-all. Every aspect depicted in the biography, from its length to the type of tone, is subjective.
A short professional bio is a balanced combination of career achievements and personal interests. While the content of your biography depends on the target audience and goals, there are common elements to include.
An impactful professional bio showcases a glimpse of your career and personality.
Some additional aspects you need to reflect on when writing your professional bio:
Defining yourself in a few sentences takes work. Words seem untamable and refuse to appear on your blank screen.
Read our tips, overcome blockages, and start writing your successful professional bio.
The tone and content of your professional bio depend on its purpose. Identifying why and for whom you are writing your bio influences how you describe yourself to the reader.
Be thorough and start your research.
This step involves deciding whether you use a first or third-language person during the writing process.
Using your name instead of “I” and “me” sentences sounds more objective, as if another person wrote about you.
However, if you are writing an informal bio for your website or company’s page and your colleagues use first-person language, you should maintain the same style for consistency.
Be professional and authentic.
While bios are usually similar, your accomplishments make yours unique. Talk about your professional worth and achievements with confidence and self-assurance.
Be proud, but not arrogant!
You can start writing your bio from scratch or tailor another bio to your story. Write about who you are, what you do, and what differentiates you from the crowd. Don’t overthink or fill your bio with extra details!
Keep it simple and straightforward!
The last stage of every writing process, regardless of its purpose, is to check the text for errors and awkward phrasing.
Walk away for a few hours, sleep on it if posting the bio is not urgent, and reread it with fresh eyes. Read it aloud or ask a friend to look over it.
Once this stage is complete and you are satisfied with your professional bio, publish it.
The length, similar to the content of the professional bio, depends on its goal and audience.
To write an impactful yet concise bio, you must find the balance between providing enough details to engage the reader without exaggerating.
Here are our guidelines for writing the proper bio:
Suitable for social media profiles, part of CVs, when a brief introduction is required.
Word count: around 50 - 150 words.
Focus: current role, one or two achievements, key skills. Don’t elaborate on your background too much.
Suitable for LinkedIn profiles, company websites, or personal websites.
Word count: around 150 - 300 words.
Focus: current position and role, education, skills, main achievements, and relevant qualifications. Provide a comprehensive yet manageable representation of yourself.
Suitable for publications, conferences, and professional accounts.
Word count: around 300 - 500 words.
Focus: add to the elements described in the previous bio your articles, projects, certifications, and detailed career history. Provide the reader with insights into your professional background and goals.
This chapter provides you with examples of bios for various audiences.
Be inspired by their structures and create your compelling professional biography.
Dr. Williams is an accomplished and dedicated pediatrician with more than 15 years of demonstrated practice in working with children from birth to age 18.
In his daily practice, he provides compassionate and quality healthcare services to infants, children, and adolescents. Dr. Williams is highly skilled in diagnosing and treating illnesses and educating families. He is married with three children, a dog, and two cats. He loves reading, swimming, and cooking.
Maria Jones is a passionate, creative, and resourceful educator within Riverside Stem Academy. Her impeccable work ethic and commitment to creating an engaging learning environment helped several generations of kids flourish and exceed in the first years of school.
Maria is a champion for providing lifelong education due to her involvement in organizing LLL programs within more than 50 US STEM organizations. With a bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of experience fostering creativity and uniqueness, Maria's skills can transform educational visions into realities.
In her spare time, Prof. Jones loves to read, paint, and travel.
I am [Name], a passionate, reliable, and knowledgeable Legal Assistant with more than 10 years experience in a dynamic law firm. I am highly proficient in legal research and thorough document preparation for various litigations.
When I am not working, I enjoy spending quality time with my family and friends, watching movies—especially those about lawyers—and playing basketball.
Jordan Moore is a skilled web designer specializing in UI/ UX design and cloud architecture. I am committed to providing innovative and tailored solutions that help companies meet and exceed their needs. Educated in computer science and working in a mid-size tech, I honed my skills in HTML and JavaScript languages. My goal is to lead a team of passionate web designers and to start a family.
I am [Name], and for the last 5 years, I have been a sales tech specialist at [Company Name]. My unique ability is listening to each client understand their requirements. Finding answers to daily problems with the ambition to exceed expectations is part of my DNA. My experience in the technology industry provides the foundation for developing strong and long-lasting customer relationships. Outside of work, I enjoy learning Japanese and hiking.
Joanna Wilson is an HR manager who has successfully led the recruitment and onboarding process for a decade within leading Silicon Valley Startups.
Having a bachelor's in psychology and organizational behavior at MIT and a keen eye for innovative technology, Joanna demonstrates excellent people-oriented skills. She fosters an inclusive and positive work environment.
[Name] is a CFA - Certified Financial Planner dedicated to reshaping people’s relationships with money. She is renowned for using the latest financial techniques and solutions to improve the investment management of her clients and empower them to gain control over their financial portfolios. When she is not planning finances, [Name] loves to read, experiment in the kitchen, and travel with her family.
[Name] is a team-building facilitator, workshop coordinator, and accomplished coach with 20+ years of experience working with people from diverse backgrounds in large companies.
With an educational background in anthropology, [Name] is a talented and resourceful professional who successfully combines his passion for people with excellent leadership skills.
Working on all inhabited continents, [Name] gained valuable insights into how to build strong, intercultural teams worldwide. His innovative and unique solutions help people discover their potential and improve their individual and collective well-being.
When he is not building teams or coaching managers, [Name] enjoys playing with his daughters and dog, jogging, and trying not to hurt himself while restoring furniture.
Let's see a concrete example of an internationally acclaimed artist. We have Isabelle Menin's words directly from her creative website this time.
You might be among the 10 million people who have seen the TED talk "The surprising habits of original thinkers" by organizational psychologist Adam Grant. Now, you might be interested in knowing what his bio might look like. It's really good, and you should be inspired by it. His website has the first item in the bio section of the bio part.
Curious to know the stories of Spankx, AirBnB, Wikipedia, or Patagonia? Well, you're not alone. Guy Raz, the host of the popular podcast How I Built This, is the master of it. The New York Times has described him as “one of the most popular podcasters in history.” Collectively, his shows reach 19 million listeners a month.
Here is what his bio looks like, which is directly from his site.
Airbnb, the popular alternative to hotels, has more than 200 million active users worldwide, yet little is known about its founders. In March 2008, Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk launched their booking service at the SXSW conference. Let's see the LinkedIn bio of Joe Gebbia:
If you’re curious about how to make an easy bio for your Instagram account, well, take, for example, Chris Precht, who describes in one line what it does.
“Austrian architect | passionate about the future | living in the mountains | working globally | @studioprecht ”.
Note that although this is a personal account, it has been tagged as a business account. This bio is terrific because it encompasses the niche for what the professional is known for and some words about its vision, work, and lifestyle.
Also, as a link, it goes to the website of the Architect Studio, once again demonstrating outstanding professionalism.
Codie Sanchez is a well-known internet personality these days. After posting 485 videos, her following now comprises over 1.5M subscribers. The popular finance influencer has a straightforward bio. In four paragraphs, Codie, in her YT about section, addresses the following:
This is the smart way to write a bio!
What is a short professional bio?
While a short bio briefly describes someone’s life, a professional bio focuses on one’s career history.
What should a professional bio include?
A solid professional bio details your relevant education, qualifications, key skills, and career experience. You can also include two or three personal facts about you, your family, or hobbies if space allows it.
Typical mistakes to avoid when writing a professional bio:
Why is it important to write a professional bio?
A well-written professional bio helps you advance your career or attract more clients. By briefly describing the highlights of your role, you become more valuable to new employers or readers on different platforms, such as LinkedIn.
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