A Guide for Writing Your Professional Bio

How do I write a biography about myself?Writing a professional bio can be very challenging; irrespective of your experiences or career type, this is always a daunting task. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve had to write one; every time you go through the same mental strain on how best to project yourself to the world. 

What do you do?

Generally, when people meet you in professional settings, after introductions, they jump right next to questions about what you do; this is an excellent place to start your professional bio. Think of it as answering the question in a formal setting; in this case, you put it in writing.

What is your driving force?

The professional world wants to know why you do the work you do. There are varying reasons why we do our jobs; let people see your “why.” 

Ideally, this section should come right after the part you talk about what you do. It’s the natural order of professional questions.

What have you achieved?

Having talked about what you do and why you do it, the next question will be what you have achieved, a lot of people would not ask you that in person, but you have to go ahead and blow a little trumpet. People want to be impressed, and they want to be associated with a successful brand; show them you are that brand.

Close with a smile

At a professional dinner, after having a conversation that revolves around work, you always close with handshakes, a smile, and small talks. Your professional bio shouldn’t be different. Don’t come off as too rigid; a little talk about your personality outside of work is an excellent place to end your bio.

Things to consider while writing your biography

There are a few things you should get right when writing your professional bio, they are:

Listing credentials: list only credentials that relate to your present position, or the position you are applying for at the moment. 

First, second, or third person writing? If you are writing a personal, professional bio for your blog or something more intimate, you can write in the first person; makes it a lot more private. If you are, however writing it for a recruiting organization, write in the third person; you do not want to risk coming off as narcissist.  

Editing: ensure your bio is rightly punctuated and free of grammatical blunders.

Format: follow an acceptable format like the one I gave above or develop one that still highlights all you do.

Length: the ideal bio is short and concise.

Who will be reading: knowing who will be reading your bio gives you the chance to tailor it appropriately. You do not want to sound informal to a very formal audience and vice versa.

Getting Started

Developing a strategy for writing your professional biography makes writing one a lot easier. With a plan, you know where to start writing, what comes next, and what ends your bio; this way, you cut out all that time you get to zone out, staring at a blank screen and being unable to form words.

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