Your Biography is an Asset

By Soozy G. Miller, CPRW, CDCC, CDP

Writing a professional or executive biography may look easy and seem unhelpful. Writing an engaging biography that helps you move forward with your career is definitely helpful and not so easy.

Why use a biography at all? When the bio is engaging and interesting, it is a great piece to leave behind after your in-person interview. Or to send to your interviewer after your interview, with your thank you note. The hiring person or people have already seen your resume. This is another take, to get a different contextual view of you.

Professional and executive biographies are usually unhelpful in hiring because they are filled with mundane task-based statements and information about everyday work. (Yawn.) Most biographies are written badly (passively) and highlight school information like degrees, certifications, and training. BORING.

The best kind of bio, the most helpful kind of bio, is based on a formula that emphasizes impact and value-add. If you follow the successful and engaging formula for your bio, it will interest the reader immediately and they will want to read on.

Here is the successful formula:

Write the whole thing the third person, like you’re talking about a friend.

Miller is an executive career advisor who helps leaders who feel stuck in their career.

Paragraph 1: State your name and what you specialize in. Notice I didn’t say “what you do.” That would be too general and obvious and unengaging. State your expertise (your focus), and you immediately come across as owning your career and proud of your trade. Then make a few statements about the solutions and impact that your special skills and leadership have had on the past 1-2 companies.

Miller is an executive career advisor who helps leaders who feel stuck in their career. Many executives have found better jobs with more money in a better work environment based on Miller’s differentiating strategies, methods, and advice.

Paragraph 2: Start with your current or most recent position and immediately write about your value-add and impact and solutions at that company.

Currently, Miller works at Company A, where she increased B by doing C.

Paragraph 3: Write about your value-add and impact and solutions at the company prior to the first company.

Prior to working at Company A, Miller worked at Company D, where she enhanced A by doing B.

Paragraph 4: Write about your value-add and impact and solutions at companies earlier in your career.

Miller also worked at Company E where she enhanced B by doing F and she worked at Company Y where she improved Q by doing Z.

Paragraph 5: State where you earned your college degree first, then add your completed certifications.

Miller received her BA from X College. She also has an X certification from Y Training School.

This formula will mean the difference telling the hiring team what they already know (that you can do the job) and emphasizing why they are talking to you and why they should hire you.

Your biography can be a waste of space and unnecessary, or it can be another powerful asset in your job search toolkit.

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Better job. More pay. More control.

For a free resume review, please contact us at Control Your Career!