How to Write a Professional Bio People Will Actually Read

Essential characteristics of an audience targeted biography for executives & professionals

The biggest mistake people make when writing their professional bio is trying to compress everything they’ve done in their career into a few paragraphs.

At worst, these bios are little more than a list of company names, job titles and responsibilities. With little or no context about who you are and what you believe in, they are meaningless rather than impressive. They make dull reading.

A well-written bio has a clear goal

Every piece of writing should have a purpose and your bio is no exception. You need to know why you are writing it, where it will be used as well as the needs and interests of the target reader.

You may need more than one version to cover a variety of different uses. Consider the following examples.

Introduction bio for a speaking engagement

Shape your bio to the event, the topic you will be talking about and what the audience will find engaging. Be sure to tell the audience why they need to listen to you.

Bio for a proposal document

Focus on the results you’ve achieved for similar projects in the past, what it is like to work with you and why you can do the job better than the next person.

Bio for a website

Explain why you are good at what you do and the experience you bring to your clients. Demonstrate the results generated in the past. Provide insight into how you go about repeating those successes for new clients.

Bio for a non-fiction author

Show your readers you have the academic qualification and experience to shine a new light on the book’s subject matter.

The best bios are both relevant and relatable.

They tell a story that blends the culture and voice of the company with your personality in a way that highlights relevant professional achievements with the information the reader wants to know about you.

That means you need to share a little about who you are, what makes you tick and why a client would want to spend time with you.

Making your bio relevant

Your bio is not an autobiography. Successful bios are ruthlessly selective and include only that information which supports their objective.

The questions below are designed to help you select the best material.

• What highlights of your career are relevant to your bio’s objective?
• What achievements are you very proud of?
• What problems do you see in your business area and what do you do to improve the situation?
• What do clients really get when they work with you?
• What three words would people use to describe you and the way you work?

Techniques for writing a bio that is relatable

A relatable bio provides the information the reader needs to begin to connect with you on an emotional level. Why? Because people do business with those that they know, like and trust. It is difficult to have those feelings for people unless you have some level of understanding about who they are and what you have in common.

Are you a dog lover? Did you go to the same or a similar type of school? Maybe you are from the same hometown? Perhaps you believe in planning before execution, or you use agile business practices. What common ground do you think you have with the reader?

Many people find it difficult to decided what to include in this part of their bio. Below are some questions to help you articulate information about yourself that other people can relate to on a personal level.

• Why do you do this work?
• What do you love about your job?
• What is it about you that helps coworkers or clients connect with you?
• What is it’s about your personality that makes you so good at your job?
• Do you have any interesting hobbies?
• What do you like to do in your free time?
• Do you have any wisdom or tips to share with the people who read your bio?
• What should people know about working with you?
• Do you have any skills or talents that most people don’t know about?

A bio writing template to get you started

Writing a bio, especially if it is for yourself, is difficult. Distilling your entire working life into a few paragraphs isn’t easy. While the questions listed above will help to get your mind turning, the bio template below will help you organize your thoughts and put an outline down on paper.

5 section template for a professional bio

Section 1: Your name, job title and who you work with.

Section 2: Where did you work before this job and what were your responsibilities? What results have you achieved in this line of work?

Section 3: What do you know and believe is the most important thing about what you do? Why is it important?

Section 4: Your credentials. This includes degrees and certifications, awards and other similar information.

Section 5: This section is your chance to make an emotional connection by sharing something personal with the reader.