How to Introduce yourself Professionally brief Bio
Whether on your CV, job application, or on a social networking or community website, there will be quite a few occasions when you need to introduce yourself in a brief biographical paragraph or two. What is the best way of introducing yourself professionally in this kind of brief bio? How can you make sure that you stand out from the crowd for the right reasons?
When introducing yourself to a professional audience in a brief bio, there are a few easy steps to follow. Opinion is divided on whether you should use first person or third person to talk about yourself. In truth, there is no universal rule on this, unless the platform for which you are writing your introductory bio suggests one or the other. It has to be said that people who talk about themselves in the third person may come over as being a bit pretentious, but never mind. The important thing to bear in mind is that whether you use the first or third person, you must remain consistent and use that viewpoint throughout your brief professional biography.
In terms of what content you should use to introduce yourself professionally in a brief bio, stick to the facts. Outline where you were educated and a rundown of your professional positions, responsibilities and skills, along with any significant personal accomplishments. Writing in the third person, although some may view it as pretentious, may help you here, as it removes the temptation to say things like "I am a motivated self-starter and I work hard and play hard and have great teamwork." That sort of thing is what you put in a brief bio when you've just left college and are looking for your first job - if you're really a professional person with any level of experience at all, people sort of expect you to have some sort of motivation going on. Self-aggrandising makes you look far more of a berk than any amount of writing about yourself in the third person.
So the best way to introduce yourself professionally in a brief bio is to stick to the facts, and let the facts speak for themselves. Use a fairly formal tone and don't bang on about your religious faith, how much you love your family or what your favourite drink is - no one cares, and it just looks like padding.
Never be tempted to lie in your bio, whether it's for a CV or for LinkedIn. The time was when people could get away with the odd fib on their brief biographies, but now that everything is online and searchable, and especially in the era of social networking, your former colleagues WILL find out that you have lied about your professional past, and the chances are that they will call you on it.
A professional biography is not the place for humour, for self-deprecation or for groundless boasting. It's simply where you outline the facts of your professional life as concisely and accurately as possible. If there's a past job in your career which is less than impressive, leave it out, but never be tempted to lie about it.
When working out how to introduce yourself professionally in a brief bio, just keep in mind the fact that you are selling yourself in terms of your skills, career and professional reputation to date, and keep the piece focussed on those areas. And, it goes without saying, proofread your biographical paragraph rigorously for any spelling or grammatical errors, which will stick out like a sore thumb in any professional document.
