3 times you'll have to write your professional bio and how to do it right

Writing your own bio is both an art and a science—you have to create that perfect impact for just the right audience. It requires you to be humble and yet open about your accomplishments, education, and background while at the same time being aware about the psychology of the person reading the bio in the first place. Here are the four times when you’ll have to write your own bio while balancing customisation with consistency.

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#1 Twitter: If you are influencer, social media marketer, or content creator, you will know the importance of having a great bio that catches the eye the moment the reader comes across your profile. Right from having a great cover photo to a display image, a bio is an essential element of having a great overall profile. The bio can literally make you lakhs in brand deals or land you your next job when recruiters or are browsing through your profile. To extract the most utility from the limited space you must highlight your main purpose on Twitter along with why you are the best person for it. E.g. “I’m a tech engineer revolutionising data security while working for IBM” is better than saying “Systems manager, IBM”. You want the reader to get a sense of why he/she should follow your profile

#2 LinkedIn: This is critical for professional networking. LinkedIn is a tremendous tool for those who know how to use it well, but a big mystery for others who think it’s only for connecting with people. A great bio here is a work of art, as the space utilisation here is less important than the content portrayed in the description. You want to start from where you are right now and where you are going in your professional life. E.g. “I’m an accountant at Morgan Stanley overseeing local growth of current account transactions...….CA-MFA from XYZ University…….Philanthropist working with local hospitals and avid golfer.” Now with something like this a potential business development officer can gain more information about the kind of person you are, a potential recruiter sees value in your multi-focused experience, and a CFO or CEO will connect with you over your golfing habit and want to invite you for a round of golf.

#3 About Us/Bio: When you are working for a firm, have your own business, or are an author or publisher, you want to have a great section dedicated to your profile. It’s a balance between the brevity of Twitter and the length of LinkedIn. You’ll have to balance it out and still create significant impact to gain the trust of your customers, along with the alignment to the mission statement of the organisation. A great example is Seth Godin’s bio from his personal website:

“SETH GODIN is the author of 18 books that have been bestsellers around the world and have been translated into more than 35 languages. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything. You might be familiar with his books Linchpin, Tribes, The Dip, and Purple Cow.”

It’s straightforward and accomplishes the objective of being a thought leader in the ideas-marketing space, something he has championed for almost a decade now.

Having a good bio has become increasingly important in today’s day and age. It’s something that’s consistent and can be adapted across mediums like a good logo. It stands to explain more about what you do, in a way that its copy can convey more in less. The consequences of having a bad, uninspiring, or even a mishandled bio are tremendous, leading to loss of business, purpose, and even the support of your colleagues and peers in referrals.