The difference between personal and professional bios is all in the tone you use. Both cover your job and skills, but the bio you write for a personal website might sound less formal than the one you write for a job application. As you write your bio, adjust your tone to make your bio appropriately formal, funny, professional, or personal. If you can’t figure out what to write, check out bios from other people in your field and get a sense of their writing strategy. You can use their bios as models and write yours based on their overall structure.
For example, begin a third-person bio with a sentence like, “Joann Smith is a graphic designer in Boston,” and a first-person bio with “I am a graphic designer in Boston. "
For example, a simple yet solid introduction sentence could be, “Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times. ” Avoid writing a nickname in your bio. Even if your bio isn’t strictly for professional use, it’s best to treat it like a formal introduction to other people. Be sure to mention your company or brand within your introduction. You might work for a company or own your own business with a personal brand.
For example, “Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times. He specializes in writing public interest stories on the latest technology. Both personal and professional bios typically include job information; personal bios simply present that information a little more informally. If you’re writing about your job informally, you might write something like, “Joann Smith is a passionate knitter who also happens to own and run her paper supply company. ”
“Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times. His 2011 series “All that and More” earned him Boulder’s prestigious “Up-and-Comer” award for innovation. ” Don’t make up accomplishments if you don’t have anything notable to add and only include achievements that relate to the career information or skills discussed in the bio. Avoid buzzwords like “innovative,” “experienced,” “creative,” and so on, which are often so overused that they don’t mean anything to people. Show readers what you can do through specific details, not catchy phrases.
For example, “Dan is committed to helping people understand and embrace the true power of technology. ”
For example: “When he isn’t glued to a computer screen, Dan spends time working in the garden, learning French, and trying very hard not to be the worst pool player in the Rockies. ” The details you share can vary by bio. For a strictly personal bio, include details like hobbies, personal beliefs, and mottos. For a bio that falls between “professional” and “personal,” try sharing details that give a sense of who you are but won’t alienate others. Avoid self-deprecating comments and details that are too intimate or potentially embarrassing for you or your audience.
For example: “Dan is currently working on a memoir. ” Keep this part of your bio short and sweet! A sentence is two is all you need.
If you publish this bio online, format your email address carefully to avoid spam. Many people write email addresses online like: “Greg (at) fizzlemail (dot) com. ” This clearly tells readers how to spell out your email without making it easy for spammers and bots to copy and use your information.
Ask your friends and family (especially anyone who is a strong writer) to proofread your bio and give you feedback. A fresh pair of eyes can catch mistakes that you may miss! Online editing software like Grammarly can grade your piece in terms of readability and suggest minor improvements. Every once in a while, go back and update your bio. By putting in a little work frequently to keep it up to date, you’ll save yourself a lot of work when you need to use it again.
Chronological. Start at the story’s beginning and end at the end. It’s simple and works well if you’ve had an interesting life that has taken you from points A to B to C in unusual or impressive ways. Circular. Start at an important moment (D), then backtrack to the beginning (A), and explain all the events leading up to that moment (B, C), eventually bringing the reader full circle. This is good for building suspense! Zoomed In. Focus on one critical event (C) to symbolically tell a larger story. Use a few small surrounding details (A, B, D) to orient the reader, but give that one moment enough emphasis to stand on its own.
Avoid statements like, “UCSF has one of the top-ranked research-based med schools in the world, which would provide me with the foundation necessary to achieve my lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. " Instead, write something like, “Watching a trauma surgeon save my brother’s life is a moment I’ll never forget. Since then, I’ve known undoubtedly that I would dedicate my life to medicine. My brother was lucky that his surgeon studied at one of the best programs in the country. By doing the same, I hope to one day mean to another family what Dr. Heller does to mine. "
Avoid statements like, “Having had a rather minimalistic upbringing, I find that I continue to assiduously value hard work and frugality above all else. " Instead, try something like, “Growing up very poor taught me that hard work and thrift are sometimes the only things a person can afford. " Well-written ideas make you seem far more intelligent than big words do. Focus on expressing yourself clearly, and don’t worry about the syllable count!
Avoid statements like, “I learned a lot from my experience as a camp counselor. " Instead, try something like, “I came out of my time as a camp counselor with a better understanding of empathy than before. Now, when my younger sister acts up, I know how to help her without sounding bossy or controlling. "
Different types of bio have different word count expectations. For instance, the average brief personal bio is around 250 words. For a resume or job search, it’s okay to have a personal bio of around 300 to 500 words. For longer personal bios (ones you might post on an “about me” page for a professional website, for example), aim for around 1,000 to 2,000 words. Include all the details you can, but keep them concise. Some social media sites, such as Twitter, restrict your bio to a certain number of words or characters. Ensure that you make the most of that space.
For example, Tom Hank’s personal bio on Twitter reads, “I’m that actor in some of the movies you liked and some you didn’t. Sometimes I’m in pretty good shape, other times I’m not. Hey, you gotta live, you know?”
Passive: “The window was broken by the zombie. " Active: “The zombie broke the window. " The difference between these sentences is stark: in the first, you have no idea whether the window just happened to be broken. The second is obvious: the zombie broke the window, and you need to hit the road.
Avoid statements like, “Reading The Great Gatsby was a pivotal moment in my life that made me totally rethink my preconceptions about what it means to live in modern America. Thanks to that assignment, I want to pursue American Studies. " Instead, try something like, “My family’s ties to this country aren’t glamorous. We didn’t arrive on the Mayflower or have our surname butchered at Ellis Island. We settled in four states across the Midwest, where we’ve lived happily for over 100 years. The magic of that simple act isn’t lost on me, which is why I’ve chosen to major in American Studies. "
For example, if you’re writing an Instagram bio, include a link to your personal website too—especially if there’s a longer and more detailed bio for readers to check out there. Include a brief call-to-action, too! For example, if you have contact info, you might write “Contact me using the following” before you add the links.
On your website, longer bios (between 1,500 and 2,000 words) will have the best online optimization. If your bio needs to be shorter, be sure to at least use third-person POV, since your name is another keyword.
For example, your website’s “About” page could easily support a 1,500+ word bio. However, from there, you’d need to edit that bio down to a few sentences (a short paragraph) for your LinkedIn profile.
