How to Write a Professional Bio
A professional bio is important for getting noticed by clients or hiring managers as they sift through hundreds of applicants. You may be posting your bio on your personal website, LinkedIn page, Facebook business page, or company website. Wherever your personal biography is going, it pays to make the right impression. Here are some of our top tips for writing a professional bio.
Professional bio length
While you’ll probably re-use your professional bio on multiple sites, the length of content you should include will vary. On your portfolio site, it may make sense to write a lengthier bio. When you repost it to LinkedIn or similar professional job-hunting sites, you’ll need to cut it down to around 2,000 characters. Professional bios on social media may be even shorter and just cut to the chase.
Elements of a professional bio
Introduce yourself with your full name and your current job title. If you’re out of work at the moment, you should typically put down your most recent job title or the position you’re most qualified for.
Flesh out your job title with information on what you do in your current position. Think about the things you do that a prospective employer would find useful. You want them to see you as an asset to their organization.
It can help to include a branding statement. A branding statement details your professional values and helps employers identify you in a sea of applications. It’s what makes you different from the pack. Are you diligent, hard-working, or have great attention to detail? Are you creative, a team player, or able to turn around work quickly? Think about what you strive to do in your work and what makes you unique.
Every bio should include professional accomplishments that back up everything you say. You can list educational achievements and certifications. But equally important is to show how you’ve contributed to your company, your clients, or your industry in the work you’ve done.
For example, you can show how you saved the company money or increased sales. Whenever possible, your professional accomplishments should be measurable and demonstrable. Saying “I got more sales” is vague and hard to verify. Instead, stating that you “increased sales by 23% in Q4 by streamlining the website sales funnel” gives your assertions weight.
Finally, a professional bio usually contains one or two basic personal details. These can give the reader a small insight into your personality and help them visualize you as a person instead of just another resume on their screen. A little information on your hobbies or interests can show you’re a fun, well-rounded person to work with. But keep this section short; this is a professional bio and the focus should be on your career and aspirations.
Writing your professional bio
For inspiration, we recommend checking out the professional bios of successful people in your field. Get a feel for what’s expected in your industry and borrow the structures you like.
You should generally include all the information listed above, but you don’t necessarily need to include them in the same order. Bear in mind that professional bios are usually quite formulaic—and that’s OK. Even just adding a few adjectives here and there and some interesting details to your bio that show off your personality are enough to make you stand out from the crowd.
Finally, get someone to read over your bio and proofread it. That’s all you need for a great professional bio that will get employers interested in contacting you.
