A few years ago, all you needed to get a job was a strong resume and a solid reputation. Today, there are all sorts of factors that can impact your career and your ability to land new opportunities. Your professional bio is one of them.
A professional bio is simply a summary of your career background. It includes information on who you are, what you do, where you’ve worked, the value you can offer and what makes you special, unique or worth considering. It should be engaging and on the lighter side when compared to a resume, but still professional in terms of tone. Once written, you can use your professional bio in a variety of different applications including on your LinkedIn profile, on your website, or in your work portfolio.
While a polished bio can help you in your career, one that’s weak, poorly written, too wordy or just plain boring can actually hinder you. Here are three ways how:
1. Inconsistent information.
When the professional bio on your LinkedIn profile is different from the one on your website, recruiters and hiring managers won’t know which is most accurate and up to date, discounting each of them in the process. Once your bio is complete, it’s therefore important that you share it across all your professional social media profiles, as well as include it anywhere else that’s pertinent.
2. Too much fluff.
Sure, you might be a “strategic thinker,” “industry mover and shaker,” and “self-starter.” But language like this doesn’t mean anything to anyone. Instead, you need to get specific and stick to hard facts. For instance, what’s the biggest accomplishment of your career? And what impact did it have on your employer? Quantify it wherever you can with specific dollar amounts, percentages or other numbers.
3. A lack of personality.
Your professional bio is unlike your resume in that it should showcase your personality and have a little color in it. When it’s written like a legal document, though, nobody is going to read it. Part of infusing some life into your bio includes adding in personal information, like the volunteer board you sit on, the 10 half marathons you’ve run, and the charity event you organize every year. This will help to set you apart from other professionals in the field and make you more relatable.
A well-written professional bio can make a big difference in your career by opening you up to new job leads, exciting opportunities, speaking engagement offers, and so much more. But producing one can be a challenge if writing isn’t your strong suit. Let the professionals at ResumeSpice help. Give us a call at 832.930.7378 today to learn more or get started.
