How to Write a Professional Biography
Whether you want to tout your business to consumers, or simply introduce yourself to employers that may be hiring, writing a professional biography highlighting your key accomplishments is among the most important skills that you will learn. Less rigid than a resume, the professional biography represents an ideal chance to define your career self-image. For best results, be mindful of the intended audience.
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Instructions
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SUMMARIZE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
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Jot down your latest professional accomplishments, honors and recognitions, using the latest version of your resume as a guide. Highlight any group memberships that may catch an employer's eye. If you have published a book, or been interviewed for radio and TV, add this information, too.
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Now prepare to make hard decisions about what details seem most relevant. Keep your biography from a few paragraphs to a page, at most. The idea is to convey all the basics without bogging yourself down in detail. Make sure that such basic contact information as your name, address and telephone number, near the top.
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Write in the third person, which will lend your biography a more professional air. Consider the audience before employing first- or second-person usage. Creative fields--such as those in the entertainment industry--may allow more leeway than financial or administrative jobs.
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Condense your list into rough paragraphs. Approach your introductory paragraph like a commercial, or movie script--because it must grab attention from the start. Keep paragraphs short for easy reading and scanning on a computer screen, since you will most likely be sending an electronic document.
SHARPEN YOUR PIITCH
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Ask hard questions to determine what details really matter. How do your skills and abilities solve an employer's problems, or add value to their business? How might your latest accomplishments convince someone to hire you? If you have trouble answering these questions, revisit your list, or have someone else read it.
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Edit ruthlessly. Many potentially eye-bogging details can be conveyed by links at the bottom, or simple summaries: "Mr. Jones's track record as a consultant is credited with turning Companies X, Y and Z around." You want to present a capsule summary of yourself, without getting caught up in fluff.
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Present information logically, from the most to least important facts. Build your introductory paragraph's premise with appropriate supporting detail in the next two or thee paragraphs, working through your accomplishments as the document continues.
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Keep the tone light and breezy, but avoid letting your professional guard down too much--after all, the job is not yours yet. Again, the type of profession will determine the ground rules. Jobseekers in creative or media fields can get away with slightly more irreverence than their administrative or financial peers.
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Tips & Warnings
If you feel parched for inspiration, read your work aloud. This is an excellent way of stopping awkward phrases and constructions before they find their way into your vocabulary or writing style. If possible, read what you have just written into a digital voice recorder and play it back to listen for any awkward spots.
Avoid relying on abbreviations and jargon to make your point. If you are a certified public accountant, or CPA, spell out the term. Never assume that your potential audience will know the meaning, even for commonly-used terms.
