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Your biography is your press release
Biographies are ideal to present yourself in a more personal, less pushy
way while extolling your virtues. This is your opportunity to describe your
passions, your dreams and your philosophies. As a result, the reader will
see you as the well-rounded, multi-dimensional person that you are. Therefore
it is important to remember that a bio is not just a fleshed out, chronologically
organized resume, but an essay about why you are a terrific person to work
with and what some of your greatest strengths are. Here are a few tips on
how to present yourself without appearing self absorbed or aggrandizing.
- Lead with your strength
If you are passionate about your profession, say so. If you are great
at a particular specialty, start with it. Then use that to craft a one-paragraph
introduction that provides a thumbnail sketch about your professional
abilities, but leaves the reader wanting to read more about you.
- Include a success story or more
Use the next paragraph to show how your skills have resulted in some
remarkable achievements. You don’t have to be too company specific,
nor do you have to provide lots of hard numbers. If someone is interested,
they can get that from your resume. Here you just want to highlight
what you are good at and how that has benefited those companies/people
you have worked with in the past.
- Talk about skills that are relevant to your audience
The third paragraph can be used to describe some of your strength and
special skills, with examples of how they would be relevant to future
employers or customers.
- Be yourself
People like to hear about your skills, but the real question in their
mind will be “would I like to work with this person?” or “will she fit
in?”. Therefore use the last paragraph to describe your personality,
talk about your origins or heritage, mention your education if it is
impressive, and divulge some of your personal interests and passions
that will paint a complete picture of who you are. You might want to
include a quote or a saying that personifies your personal philosophy
our outlook on life. This way you can add a touch of humor or wisdon
without worrying about offending the reader (as long as the quote is
tasteful).
Review a sample
biography |
