Writing Tip: Your Professional Bio

One of the hardest things to do is write about yourself. You know yourself so well, it's hard to detach. You're an interesting person with lots of ideas and hobbies, but which to leave in and which to leave out? And how do you make it interesting to someone else?

Here are some tips, sent to me by my mom. Bless her, she keeps everything "just in case." Not sure why I would need this again, but seems she had kept all of my drafts and information on essay writing for college admission applications. Although these guidelines, published in 1991, are geared towards writing an essay about yourself, they are perfectly appropriate - and still relevant - to writing your professional bio.

Do's
~ Do think "small" and write about something that you know.
~ Do reveal yourself in your writing
~ Do write in your own voice and style
~ Do show rather than tell. By giving examples and illustrating your topic, you help bring it to life

Don'ts
~ Don't write what you think others want to read
~ Don't exaggerate or write to impress
~ Don't use flowery, inflated, or pretentious style
~ Don't neglect the technical part of your essay (grammar, spelling, sentence structure)
~ Don't ramble - say what you have to say and conclude.

(From "Writing Your College Essay" by John C. Conkright, Dean of Randolph-Macon College)

Let's dig a bit deeper...

Think "small" focused
The idea is to narrow your scope. Throwing too many things at the reader will sound watered-down and maybe overwhelming. How did you get into your field? What experience do you have that integrates well into your field? Rewriting your resume is the watering down; focusing on the job that sparked your passion for your field is the brightening up that you want.

Reveal yourself
People can read your resume for facts. Use this piece of real estate to go beyond the facts and sound human.

Show rather than tell
"I have 15 years experience in chemical engineering where I..." ZZZZZZZZZZZ. Alternative: "During my time developing extra-strong nylon fibers for parachutes, I worked with the head scientist at Tufts University to not only create a better product for military usage, but reduce the environmental impact of production waste." (My apologies to chemical engineers, if this is nothing like what you really do)

Write in your own voice
We are red plume are HUGE proponents of this guideline. There is no added benefit of sounding like cardboard; it does not sound professional - it just sounds like everyone else, which is boring. You are special so sound special. (Awwww...)

Do not cater to others
Once you start writing with the idea of what others want to hear, your writing comes off as insincere and sales-like. You cannot please everyone so you might as well please yourself by speaking from a place of passion and authenticity.

Do not exaggerate
People will find out the truth and you will be embarrassed. Just be honest and honest business will come back to you.

Don't use flowery, inflated or pretentious style
The best juxtaposition of this is using a five-syllable word when a one- or two-syllable phrase will do. That's pretentious, unless you do use that kind of vocabulary every day when chatting with your friends. Flowery phrasing includes many delightful and intriguing adjectives and maybe exclamation marks! Distracting. Start by writing how you would speak in conversation, then go through and replace "dude" and "stoked" with more professional words.

Don't neglect the technical part
Yes, this is the most un-fun part of writing, but the most important. We have encouraged you before to reread (here and here) and yes, it's still true. We mean it. Skipping this is the easiest way to look silly.

Do not ramble
People want information quickly. Especially online, you have about 30 seconds to engage a reader. Running off on tangents will have the audience walking away. Start with the good stuff, and stay there. Yes, this will take a few rewrites to get rid of wandering phrasing, but your final product will be clear and meaty.


This is a lot to think about at once, I know. A good tip is to review your work a few times, concentrating on different guidelines each time. For example, reread the first time looking for rambling phrases and extra adjectives. The next time, check for typos and grammatical errors. A good piece of writing does not come about the first time, but a good piece of writing is the most memorable.

"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter."
~ James Michener