Time for a Tidy Up!

Professional Tip: About once a year, it’s a good idea to take a hard look at your professional bio and give it touch up. I recommend keeping three versions, of three different lengths, up to date. This allows you to quickly cut, paste, and tweak for various accounts (e.g. Twitter About, LinkedIn Summary, full-length bio for websites), and gives continuity when people search for you online.

There are specific things that you should look for as you give your bio the once over, including:

• Accuracy – are you still working for the same company? Has your job title changed? Have your responsibilities increased?
• Highlights – are your best features prominently displayed? Can people quickly see what you have to offer?
• Sell It – what are you offering? Does it sound like something your audience needs or something you do because you have to? Are you excited about your work? Does your enthusiasm come through, or are you simply making a list of assets?
• Stand Out – showcase what you do best. People won’t read your entire bio to find out why they should hire you, so you need to suck them in with the first sentence. Be unique, but not quirky. Make people want to know more, and don’t be afraid to talk about your accomplishments – but do it in such a way that you don’t come across as the individual no one wants to sit next to at dinner. Be authentic. Be yourself, but refined.

If you’re still not sure you’ve hit the mark, or your bio seems grey when it should be full of color, then it might be time to bring in an outside resource to help. A second set of eyes can quickly spot the holes and find the hidden assets, taking everything you already have and spinning it to find the hidden gold.

Working with a professional who can make you sound like the only person for the job is an investment worth making, especially if you are in a career transition, or planning to make one soon. A full bio update will typically run you anywhere from $75 – 200, and should come with 1-2 rounds of edits so that you can make sure it hits the mark.

If you’re interested in getting help with a “tidy up” of your bio, contact me for an estimate.