Are you looking to reinvent yourself?
Maybe you’re re-entering the workforce after having a baby, or returning from a sabbatical?
How do you make your entrance?
If you’ve got 10, 20, 30, or 40+ years’ experience, how do you consolidate it all without skimping on your wisdom, knowledge and insight? How do you pack YOU into 500 words or less?
Where do you begin?
What do you highlight?
What do you leave out?
3 Rookie Errors in Writing your Bio
1. You’re too professional. In other words, your bio is a bit too wordy or dry.
2. You left your personality at the door. In person, it’s highly likely that you’re not just a savvy professional – you also have a particular passion for something or a number of interesting hobbies.
Do yourself a service and include this information in your bio or cover letter.
3. You overcomplicate yourself by saying you’re an executive, unicorn goddess and team happiness guru. Yes, you’re a complex, multifaceted human being who doesn’t like being boxed into an average title. But if you can’t explain what you do clearly, your innovative title is likely to go to the shredder with all the other ninja warriors you’re up against.
Try to keep it simple.
Think about your bio like you would a play or story. A story has three critical components: a beginning, middle and end.
In the beginning, we’re introduced to the characters. We learn who they are, where they are, why they’re there and what they’re doing. So, at the beginning of your bio, introduce yourself. Tell your audience or potential recruiters who you really are, how you got to this point in your life (save the really personal details) and what you’re doing now.
In the middle, there’s the complication or the problem. For this part, I’m not suggesting you share your war stories. Instead, I would recommend including the companies you’ve worked for and any media exposure you’ve had. You can also dive a little deeper into sharing what it is your company does. Or, if you’re applying for a specific job role, share your vision and why you see yourself at this company. What goods are you bringing to the table?
In the end, we have the resolution or conclusion. The end of your bio should include something personal about you – that you love the ocean on a rainy day (that’s me) or you do CrossFit (me again) or that you love a good red wine and spending time with your family on weekends. Share something that shows your reader you’re human. Connection is key. Your bio is there to help people connect to you.
Still not exactly sure how to communicate who you are and what you do?
Save yourself some premature wrinkles and hire yourself a word wrangler.
Let a professional writer who loves words condense you and your experience into a bio that captures the essence of who you are!
And spend those hours doing something you love.
If you need help, Monica Kade is a writer who helps individuals ‘Put a Voice to their Dream’. She also specialises in bios for personal and company websites and LinkedIn. With 12+ years’ experience in publishing, media and interviews, she can take your work-life experience and summarise it onto a postage stamp if needed. She loves wrangling words into a masterpiece that reflects the essence of who you are. So get in touch. [email protected] or visit MonicaKade.com