Why Professional Bios Matter + How to Write One

In today’s business landscape, it has become customary for employers to scour the internet to gain insights into job candidates. Therefore, rather than rely on what narratives our social media presence(s) might suggest about us, it’s crucial for professionals to actively communicate who they are and what they are about, career-wise. Writing a professional bio can help control your story by stating your accomplishments, skills, and goals. If you want to attract employers, clients, or professional peer connections and the reasons above have not convinced you to write a thoughtful professional bio, this post references what some experts and other bloggers write about its significance in the modern skilled labor force.

Forbes magazine has published several articles geared to aid readers in crafting online professional biographies. In one such article, Forbes emphasizes, “What you choose to highlight [in your bio] may play a role in others deciding to follow you, call you in for an interview, or invite you to participate in an event.” Highlighting the tendency of many job seekers to neglect writing a professional bio, Lindsay Kolowich of Hubspot.com writes, “Most people don’t think about their professional bio until they’re suddenly asked to ‘shoot one over via email,’ and have approximately one afternoon to come up with it.”

Adding to the above statements that support writing a professional biography, we might find that once we get started, the process provides an opportunity to rediscover past accomplishments, clarify current skill sets, and define a career path that will best support those goals.

Getting Started

Many people agree that one of the hardest subjects to write about is ourselves. We can often write about our opinions and other matters with ease, but writing about past accomplishments, skills, and future goals is a different process, and, for some of us, a grueling endeavor. Much of that struggle can come from the implied requirement to craft that writing into professional language that will hold the interest of employers, peers, and clients. Other concerns are whether to write in first or third person, how long the bio should be, and how personal it should get. The first step to writing a bio, however, is clear – start with your name, followed by your job title or a branding statement about your expertise or who you are.

Selecting the appropriate point of view is less obvious than beginning your bio with your name. Most sources recommend the third person, asserting that it conveys a professional and objective tone. According to wikiHow, “Experts recommend that you always write professional bios in the third person.” Despite this advice, there is a noticeable trend of first-person bios on LinkedIn. Some writers may perceive third person as artificial, as bios are generally considered autobiographical.

“For the love of God and the information highway, please write your bio in first person — we all know you wrote it anyway” – Danielle LaPorte, retrieved from JenuineMarketing.com

While several personal marketing sources endorse first-person bios, the choice of point of view is ultimately yours.

All websites are not equal. According to general advice from varied sources, bio lengths should vary depending on where it will be posted, due to restricted character lengths, audience type, and website type (e.g., professionally geared or socially geared websites).

HubSpot offers excellent bio examples of various lengths to satisfy the standards of different online platforms from Twitter to LinkedIn to a personal website.

Including a few lines about personal interests and activities outside of work is generally recommended by various sources. Referred to as “humanizing details” by wikiHow, this information adds a human touch to the otherwise resume-like style of a professional bio. It is crucial to keep this auxiliary information clean and avoid sharing any taboo or potentially offensive interests or activities.

Guides

In the age of LinkedIn, which is now over ten years old, there are numerous online guides available for writing professional bios. Some resources include:

• 8 of the Best Professional Bio Examples We’ve Ever Seen [+ Bio Templates] – HubSpot.com
• 4 Simple Steps to Write a Better Professional Bio – INC.com
• Guide to Writing a Bio (With Examples) – Indeed.com
• Bio Hazards: 9 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Professional Bio – PR News
• Writing a Professional Bio – wikiHow.com

Forbes offers a template to aid with the bio-writing process.

Other words of advice

Beyond the above aids for writing your professional bio, I personally offer the following advice:

1. Tidy your social media presence if necessary. Employers are likely to extend their search beyond your LinkedIn page. Therefore, it is crucial to present a polished online image for the sake of your professional reputation. Afterward, strive to avoid any future online faux pas.
2. Regularly update your bio. As you advance in skills and achieve more milestones, ensure that you incorporate those accomplishments into your bio.
3. Engage in video content creation and article writing. Video content is highly popular online, and a video showcasing a product or an event can capture the attention of an employer or client when compared to a written bio. Articles can also drive traffic to your bio, whether it resides on your website or a social media site.

Check out this new video resume trend.

4. Conclude your bio with a “Specialties” or “Skills” listing. This serves as a quick, eye-catching section to briefly highlight your skills. While platforms like LinkedIn provide specific areas for listing skills, reiterating them in your bio is worthwhile, as they are worthy of showcasing.

Further reading

The Professional Bio Template That Makes Everyone Sound Accomplished: https://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2017/01/26/the-professional-bio-template-that-makes-everyone-sound-accomplished/#3b525a819d1f

Video resume as a hot hiring trend: https://skillroads.com/blog/video-resume-as-a-hot-hiring-trend