Social media is an impatient platform. What’s trending today is forgotten tomorrow.
Who would believe we’d be losing the attention span race to goldfish? Unless you don’t believe that tale.
Regardless, you have probably experienced how difficult it is to stand out in our crowded media world.
Your online bio is your nanosecond space in time to grab the reader’s attention. Will they want to know more about what you have to say?
Perhaps it’s not surprising the professional bio has become so daunting.
- Many professionals put off writing their bio
- Others view the bio as a necessary evil
- A few find root canals more inviting
It’s not that bad. Really. Like all daunting tasks, knock it down to size.
Try these 3 bio building blocks for better results.
Bio Building Blocks
It is no secret that I like things in threes. It springs from the basic – beginning, middle, end. Plus, it’s simple to remember.
Start with three questions.
- Who are you?
- What makes you a Pro?
- What’s special about you?
Building Block #1 – Who are you?
Think back to when you were a child. For some of us, that may be a pretty big stretch.
- Did you play with building blocks?
- Legos?
Please tell me I’m not totally dating myself.
Even I know (after a visit from my grand-niece) that today’s Legos are not your grandmother’s (or Aunt’s) Legos. But, they still work for this visual.
Before you can create a wooden fortress or the next assault carrier, you need a solid base to build on. Who you are is your bio’s solid base.
Think about your background. Make a list of answers to the following questions.
- What positions have you held? (e.g., salesperson, public speaker, manager)
- What are past and present business titles? (e.g., CEO, Vice President, Account Executive)
- What companies have you worked for? (i.e., current and past)
Simple, wasn’t it?
Now let’s build on that.
Building Block #2 – What makes you a Pro?
You don’t want your bio sounding like the old school resume.
- Current employer, title
- Past employer, title
- Blah, blah, blah
Before that goldfish flips a fin, your online readers hook your bio with the dreaded B-word – boring.
Change that B-word from Boring to Bedazzling.
Grab your list again. What can I say? I like lists.
You know you’re great at what you do. Sadly, the skeptics want proof.
Think about what shows you know what you’re doing.
- Accomplishments – e.g., awards, recognition
- Experience – years in your industry, education, associations
- Testimonials – let your happy customers speak for you
It’s the credibility your readers are looking for. But a word of caution. Meaningless awards by organizations without much street cred may have the opposite effect of what you’re looking for. A random blogger announcing their Top 10 may not be the verification you need.
Building Block #3 – What makes you special?
Think about great products – past or present. How often do you link a person to the product company’s success?
- Steve Jobs and Apple
- Jeff Bezos and Amazon
- Walt Disney and all things Disney
None of the great leaders did it alone. However, we are drawn to the human side of the story. The special traits of the leaders set them apart.
What traits make you more interesting to the bio reader?
- Attributes – e.g., creative, decisive, innovative
- Success stories – e.g., case studies, inventions, testimonials
- Personal interests – e.g., family, sports enthusiast, marathon runner
Adding Up 1 + 2 +3
You have your 3 building blocks: 1) Who you are, 2) What makes you a Pro, 3) What makes you special.
Now, let’s add them up and tell your story (as illustrated below).
Not so daunting, is it? What tips do you have for creating a better professional bio? Share them in Comments.
Note: This post was originally published on November 17, 2010. I updated it with new content and fun toys like Canva.
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Canva credit for Building Blocks graphic
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Helping you Keep it simple, clear & uniquely yours – contact me for help with your business writing needs.
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Cathy, this is an easy way to help people write their bios. For more examples and tips on bio writing, they can check out my book, How to Write a POWERFUL Professional Bio.
Thanks, Marcie.
What I love about this advice is it’s all you need — perfect! You’ve outlined each area succinctly, and made me think of goldfish fins in a different way. 😉
I like that you include testimonials. I hadn’t thought to use others’ praise as keywords for my bio.
Thanks, Cathy. 🙂
Thanks, Lori. Didn’t know those goldfish were so judgmental, did you? 🙂 I find the use of a testimonial in your story can be a nice touch. The example I used was an actual bio I did (although the client’s name was not Mary Jones). 😉
I used the following testimonial of a child she counseled. Her most cherished gifts are the notes of thanks, like this one from an eighth grader, “You cheer me up and you know what to do to help.”
I liked hearing the praise through the words of a child she helped. Makes it real, I think.
Thanks for your kind words, Lori.
This is great Cathy! You make everything so approachable and simple. This is a huge struggle for me because I haven’t had to think about a bio (prior to going out online for writing) for nearly 3 decades and feel out of touch.
I never even had to have a Resume since just out of college (1983) because I ended up (by chance) working (since 89) for myself! My creds were good enough for me:)lol
Besides my old-fashion views of what a Resume even is, I’ve lately had the fear that dates shown for colleges, etc. make me too old and wonder if this can be a problem for me trying to land gigs. Are dates still supposed to be noted?
I wonder if I can restructure things like your method suggests and possibly drop dates? Any suggestions or insight for me, Cathy?
On a side note, looking forward to podcasts you participated in with Jenn Mattern and thanks for all the great tips. I’m trying to channel you and Henneke over the last few weeks and am working on some short, sweet and thoughtfully simple posts! Yikes.
Well, thanks again and have a great day:) Sue-Ann
Thanks, as always, Sue-Ann, for your thoughtful comments and generous sharing. I view a professional bio as being separate from a resume. That being said, I am also a firm believer in no right or wrong way – just different.
I don’t take on resume-writing projects, so take what I have to say with a grain of salt. By the way, Lori is a better source on resume-writing. Generally, a resume is more of a recruiting document. A bio probably leans more to a marketing side, although I have clients who use this for career opportunities.
A resume is more summary-oriented, whereas a bio is about telling your story. Again – no hard and fast rules.
I do have a resume, which I customized for my freelancing career. It looks different from what I had in my corporate days. You can see a copy at my business site ==>Cathy Miller 2016 Resume
A bio in our industry is often used for speaking engagements, book promotions, etc.
Regarding the age question, I laughed. Girl, you are talking to a senior citizen. Everyone looks young to me. 😀 I admit, I worried about sharing the 30-plus years of experience. Since I know my readers are bright, I figured they wouldn’t believe I started my career at age five. 😉
Hmmm…
Maybe I’m past a Resume and into a bio, especially if Internet viewed—like for new website About “bio,” maybe— instead of a Resume thing I have going on. Flying off the “rules!” Again.
Next I’ll be a death notice. Lol
For now, I just wanna write. Haha
Thanks for clarifying my slight confusion there. But maybe a mix will work better for me so I’m thinking more about it now. Hmm. Thanks Cathy!
I was the one who used nails to keep my creations from being destroyed by my parents- who wanted stuff cleared away! I am sure that REALLY explains my bio!
LOL, it does indeed, Roy. 😀