How to Write A Bio: Steps, Tips, and Examples

Writing a bio might seem simple, but it’s crucial for presenting yourself professionally. In this article, you’ll explore what a bio is and how to craft one effectively. You will learn how to choose the right voice, state your name and job title, declare your philosophy, and highlight past accomplishments.

It’s also important to remember key points while writing your bio, such as being concise and authentic. You will find an example of a bio written in the third person and even an infographic to provide visual guidance. This article will guide you step-by-step through the process of creating a compelling bio that stands out.

What Is A Bio?

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Have you ever turned a book over, and there on the back cover was a half-page of information about the author? It’s as if they wrote their life’s story, then condensed it all to fit in that tiny little space. Well, a bio is your resume, condensed down to fit on part of one side of a page online, or a portion of a piece of paper if you decide to print it up.

What should it look like?

You have choices. You can keep a neat, clean look with an editorial style, or add some graphics to catch someone’s eye. Either way, keep it tasteful and don’t overdo the graphics. You want the person looking at it to be struck by how creative you are, not by how cartoony your bio is.

How To Write A Bio

Decide The Voice

If you are posting on the page of a large corporation where there are several bios, check out the others that are there. If you read the separate bios and people are referring to themselves in the third person, then write your bio in the third person.

If, however, you are posting somewhere a bit more casual, say on a social media of some kind—such as Facebook or Twitter—you might as well write in the first person.

Hold on a second…Are you rusty on what your “persons” are? First is “I, me, my”. The third is saying your name: “Jake Smith worked for five years for Trees ‘n More”, rather than saying, ‘I worked for five years for Trees ‘n More”.

Declare Your Name And Job Title

Start out with this information, the very first sentence:

Example: Louise Dorfen, Accounts Manager for Creativity Unleashed

Are you not employed? State your most recent employment or education:

Example: Michael McConnell, Recently of Harold and Jenn Law Associates

Declare Your Philosophy

Take plenty of time and give this some thought beforehand. Consider why you do what you do in order to make money. It is called your core value system. Don’t be afraid of coming up with the wrong answer. There are many valid reasons why a person works, as well as reasons to want to work at a specific company. Maybe you have a family to feed, or you are interested in making what that company produces.

You can also bring up that the reason you want a job with them is something else. Here is where research would be smart. Are you interested in stopping global warming? Has the company committed to stopping CO² emissions? Is the president of the company known to be strongly devoted to a faith? Is one of your core values, and a reason you work, because of your faith? Don’t be afraid to find common ground.

Mention Past Accomplishments

Pick and choose which accomplishments to mention. Remember, your bio is SHORT. Only put in accomplishments that you think this company will care about. Ones that show off your best traits.

Especially shout about how capable and useful you are.

Things To Remember As You Put Together Your Bio

• Get a notebook and write down all the places you submit your bio

It is fine to keep a list in an online file, but if your computer should be damaged, lost, or stolen, your info would be gone. A notebook is more reliable.

• Be professional, but be you

Don’t overdo pumping yourself up and don’t copy others’ styles because “they work”. Be who you are. Just be the professional version of you.

• Allow a few details in that remind people we are all human

Mention family, or the fact that you love to garden or surf. This opens paths for the hiring agent to identify with you.

• Be short and sweet

Get in what you want but don’t get too talkative. If you can’t decide what to weed out, just think of two words:

Audience

and

Purpose

Who will be reading this?

What kind of job am I shooting for?

_________________________________________________________

An Example of A Bio Written in Third Person

Cooking and Family Care Expert

Lana Seel, chef, and creator of the “Conga Drum” Home Site, has long been recognized by hundreds of people online. They love Lana’s recipes that feed families well without emptying every piggy bank in the house. Her blog has gained thousands of followers in a few months.

Now, Lana is planning to branch out. She would like to put her cookware into stores, beginning with Value-Side. Value-Side is known for bringing the customer what they want for prices their budget can handle. This is important to Lana, too.

She has worked hard to put together a cookware set that will last a long time and look great doing it. The kind of set she enjoys using for her own family. Made of all recyclable materials, because taking care of the earth is as important to Lana, as she knows it is to the Value-Side Company.

More information is available in Lana Seel’s resume.