In these days of Web 2.0 technology where self-publishing, and therefore self-publicizing, is king, job seekers have endless opportunities to put themselves out there via websites, blogs and business and social networking sites. This of course means endless opportunities to build your brand by creating communications which in turn lead to increased credibility and trust. Where do you start though? With a professional bio.
Remember what we said yesterday - if you don't communicate with potential employers or networking contacts, you cannot possibly convince them of your credibility. Your professional bio is your first step towards letting the world know that you are out there, and it is the ripple from which your wave will build.
Now, the first thing to note here is that a professional bio is not the same thing as a resume. Rather than being a piece of writing which is designed to get you a job interview, a professional bio is designed to promote your brand image and should help to give an insight into your personality. It should introduce you, give you an identity, inspire confidence in you and what you can do, and make others want to meet you.
Once created, your professional bio can be used not only as part of your Internet presence, but also to introduce you in all kinds of other networking situations, such as at a speaking engagement or a conference or at the end of an article that you have written.
Here are some tips for putting together an effective professional bio that will help to sell your brand.
Write in prose
Unlike your resume, your professional bio is not nearly as rigid a piece of writing and it should read such that your personality shines through. It should be written as a piece of prose, like an article about you, which contains no bulleted lists, headings, bold, italics or underlining and it should not be more than a few paragraphs long.
Leave out your contact details
They might be vital on your resume, but your professional bio is not the place for your contact details. If you are doing sufficient to create and build your brand, the reader of your bio should be able to Google you and find any number of ways to reach you.
Leave out your educational qualifications
Again, these may be vital on your resume, but they do not belong in your bio.
Leave out your job history
The aim here is to advertise yourself and your brand, not to provide your entire work history.
Use the third person
Begin by introducing yourself, but always write in the third person Ben Murphy is.
Say who you are
Go on to explain who you are and what you do, but avoid the temptation to label yourself. Rather than stating what you do by saying, for example, Ben Murphy is a sales representative for XYZ Company, describe yourself using action verbs (Ben Murphy organizes/helps/manages/teaches, etc) and then finish the sentence by explaining what or whom you organize/help/manage/teach and what benefit is derived from what you do.
Show the reader what you can do
Pick out only your most important accomplishments and focus on these.
Think of your bio as a story and show the reader what you can do, rather than telling.
Say something memorable
Try to include at least one memorable detail about yourself so that people will immediately recognize you.
Include quotes or testimonials
Try to include a quote or a testimonial from somebody who is respected in your field. Remember, this is your personal advertisement!
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