Write a Bio That Oozes Brand

Brand

In today’s business world, no professional should be without an arsenal of career-marketing tools—especially a well-crafted bio.  However, your bio goes beyond just a résumé.

While your résumé, traditionally, provides a chronological account of your career, a bio allows you to not only showcase your professional accomplishments, but also reveal a bit of your personality. This is a critical part of communicating your brand. While career accomplishments, education and skills are all part of what entices people to consider you for work, all things equal, people enjoy working with others they can relate to. If you have an unorthodox career path, share that in an interesting way. If you love volunteering, display that as well. Give people a glimpse of who you are as an individual.

Here’s an example of a so-so bio:

Felicia Hudson graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. After graduation, she was hired as a writer and marketing specialist at A Great Company, Chicago, Ill. While working full time, Ms. Hudson continued to build her portfolio by doing freelance work for various publications. She worked at A Great Company for three years before pursuing a freelance career.

Pretty standard fare, right? Now read the following example:

Felicia Hudson is a writer and marketing specialist who is passionate about educating readers and helping clients achieve their communication goals. Her mother covets a picture of her at age two holding a pad of paper and a pencil. Fortunately for Felicia, upon graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, she succeeded in building a career using these same two tools—and a few more technologically relevant ones, of course. She loves to travel, particularly to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, Spain where she has friends.

Which one is more interesting to you and makes you feel like you want to know more about Felicia?

Watch for part two, where I’ll share the essential components to writing a killer bio.