biography examples

Hubspot Blog
HubSpot.com

Oh no! We couldn't find anything like that.

Try another search, and we'll give it our best shot.

20 of the Best Professional Bio Examples We've Ever Seen [+ Templates]

Published: October 13, 2022

Your professional bio is not only relevant when applying for jobs, seeking new clients, or networking — it also gives the world a brief snapshot of who you are and your professional ideals.

To help you author one that packs a punch, we’ll teach you how to write a professional bio and leverage professional bio templates with the best professional bio examples we’ve ever seen to draw inspiration from. Skip to one of these sections if you know what you're looking for:

What is a professional bio?

Professional bio templates, how to write a professional bio, best professional bio examples, short bio examples, how to write a short bio, tell us a little about yourself below to gain access today:.

A professional bio or biography is a short overview of your experience. Professional bios usually include details about education, employment, achievements, and relevant skills.

Purpose of Professional Bios

A bio tells an audience who you are, and what you've done, and also hints at what you are capable of doing. It can help potential employers, fans, or customers get a sense of your personality and what you stand for.

That may be hard to achieve without a starting point. Below, we've included professional templates to expedite the process of writing a great resume bio.

When it comes to professional bios, keeping your message honest and to the point is best practice. So how do you go about writing one that will effectively market you and your brand?

This is where a professional bio template comes in. By sticking to a predetermined format, all you have to do to begin is fill in the blanks with your most relevant career information. These bio templates will guide you on where you should place your:

Of course, while there is no one-size-fits-all template for a professional bio, these templates are a quick way to start building out your long or short bio before customizing it to your liking. But before choosing your bio template, there are some key elements to include to make sure yours is effective.

It's important to tailor your professional bio to your goals and the people you want to reach for it to be effective. For example, say you're looking for a job. Your professional bio should give recruiters a peek at your career accomplishments and experience.

But what if you've recently published a book or are applying for a grant? In those situations, you might want to highlight organizations you support or funny anecdotes.

Recent graduates can benefit from a well-written professional bio. It can help you communicate how your life experience makes you a great candidate for the roles you're looking for.

To structure your professional bio so it stays true to these objectives, try out our 80+ downloadable professional bio templates — for both short and long-form bios — to start composing a bio that makes a mark:

editable short professional bio pdf template

Download a free, editable short professional bio template.

free editable long professional bio pdf template

Download a free, editable long professional bio template.

What should a professional bio say?

Your professional bio should be as unique as you are. That said, there are a few items you'll want to include to make sure that your readers get the information they're looking for.

Your bio should include important professional roles and achievements. It's also valuable to add passions, personal interests, and how you bring your values to your work. Finally, your bio should give your readers a chance to get to know you. So, it should reflect your personality.

First-Person Bio vs. Third-Person Bio

While first-person bios are quite common, third-person bios can be more effective in formal situations.

Your decision to write your professional bio in the first or third person depends on whether you’d like to leave a more personable or assertive impression. Both approaches can be effective when you tailor them to your goals and the audience you are writing for.

The most important thing is to be clear and concise and tell your story in a way that connects with your reader.

Writing a First-Person Bio

If you want to build a personal brand, writing in the first person can be a great way to connect with your audience. When you write a first-person bio, use "I" or "me" statements to make yourself relatable and approachable.

Here's one way to write a first-person bio: "I’m a freelance writer specializing in small business content. I’ve worked with companies in a variety of industries, from home care services to fine leather goods." By speaking in the first person here, you take a more personable approach to connecting with a client or brand.

When you write a first-person bio you're telling your story directly to your audience. This shows them that you crafted your bio with your personal experience and opinions.

There are a few things to remember that can make your first-person bio great.

Try not to start every sentence with "I."

Showing instead of telling is a great approach.

For example, check out this short professional bio example below. Instead of saying "I love to write." She says "Writer. Bad but enthusiastic dancer." Instead of talking about writing, she creates a vivid picture and shows her sense of humor.

Remember that you know yourself better than anyone else does.

Adding some back story to your bio can help create a context for the roles and successes you're writing about. This bio from Mark Levy is a great example.

Focus on useful details.

These are quick facts about you that can quickly show someone new who you are and what you stand for.

For example, say you're writing a bio for LinkedIn . You might be into playing Animal Crossing for your home right now, but does that hobby say anything about where you want your career to go?

If you want to focus on video games in the future, this could be the perfect addition. But if your interests lie elsewhere, you might want to include a hobby that's more relevant.

Writing a Third-Person Bio

Using third-person will make your bio sound more authoritative and objective. So, if you’re job searching in a formal industry, applying for grants, or trying to get published, you may want to stick to the third person.

For instance, when you write a third-person bio you may start with "Jasmine Montgomery is a Senior Hiring Manager at L’Oreal based in New York. She recruits across several business units to connect with the brightest talent from around the globe." By only using your name and pronouns to speak about yourself here, you are letting your title and skill set speak for themselves.

These bios create distance between the subject of the bio (you) and the reader, through a third person. This person could be anyone, but they usually speak in a tone that emphasizes their expertise. This means that third-person reviews can sometimes feel aloof or overly formal.

Ideally, your third-person bio should sound friendly but polished, like a message from a close colleague at work. Here are a few more tips on how to write a great third-person bio.

Write from the perspective of someone you know and trust.

It can be tough to write about yourself, so try to see yourself from the perspective of your favorite person at work or a mentor you trust. This can help you write from a position of authority without feeling self-conscious.

Show the reader why they should trust your opinion.

A professional bio often reflects a specific industry or niche. With this in mind, your text should include relevant details that people in the industry would know. At the same time, avoid jargon whenever you can.

Remember you're telling a story.

If you want a third-person bio, but you're used to writing in first-person, it may help to write it the way that's most comfortable for you.

Your professional bio is an important piece of writing, so it's natural for you to edit it carefully. In this case, you may want to edit your writing from both points of view and see which works best for your target audience.

Ready? Here's how to write a professional bio, step by step.

If you’re anything like me, you probably don't think about your professional bio until you’re suddenly asked to "send one over via email." You have approximately one afternoon to come up with it so you scramble together a bio that ends up reading like this:

"Rodney Erickson is a content marketing professional at HubSpot, a CRM platform that helps companies attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers. Previously, Rodney worked as a marketing manager for a tech software startup. He graduated with honors from Columbia University with a dual degree in Business Administration and Creative Writing."

To be fair, in certain contexts, your professional bio does need to be more formal like Mr. Erickson's up there, but there are also cases where writing a personable and conversational bio can be a good thing. Whether you choose to go the formal or casual route, you should take the following steps to create a strong resume bio.

1. Create an 'About' page for your website or profile.

Before you can publish your professional bio, you need a living space for it. Here are a few to consider (some of these you might already have in place):

As you'll see in the professional bio examples below, the length and tone of your bio will differ depending on which of the above platforms you choose to be on.

Instagram, for example, allows only 150 characters of bio space, whereas you can write virtually as much as you want on your personal website — or even your Facebook Business page. But once created, this bio should represent who you are in the eyes of your audience.

2. Begin writing your bio with your first and last name.

If your readers don't remember anything else about your bio, make sure they remember your name. For that reason, it's a good idea for your first and last name to be the first two words of your professional bio. Even if your name is printed above this bio (hint: it should), this is a rare moment where it's okay to be redundant.

For example, if I were writing my own bio, I might start it like this:

Lindsay Kolowich

Lindsay Kolowich is a Senior Marketing Manager at HubSpot.

3. Mention any associated brand name you might use.

Will your professional bio represent yourself, or a business you work for? Make sure the brand you want to be associated with is mentioned in your bio. If you're a freelancer, perhaps you have a personal business name or pseudonym you advertise to your clients. Here are a few examples:

Maybe you founded your own company, and you want its name to be separate from your real name. Don't be afraid to keep it simple: "Lindsay Kolowich is the founder and CEO of Kolowich Consulting."

4. State your current position and what you do.

Whether you're the author of a novel or a mid-level specialist, use the next few lines of your bio to describe what you do in that position. Don't assume your audience will naturally know what your job title entails.

Make your primary responsibilities known to the reader, helping them paint a picture of who you are during the day and what you have to offer the industry.

5. Include at least one professional accomplishment.

Just as a business touts its client successes in the form of case studies, your professional bio should let your own audience know what you've already achieved. What have you done for yourself — as well as for others — that makes you a valuable player in your industry?

6. Describe your values and how they inform your career.

Why do you do what you do? What might make your contribution to the market different from your colleagues?

Better yet, what values do you and your colleagues share that would make your business a worthwhile investment to others? Start to wrap up your professional bio by simply explaining what gets you up in the morning.

7. Briefly tell your readers who you are outside of work.

Transition from describing your values in work to describing who you are outside of work. This may include:

People like connecting with other people. The more transparent you are about who you are personally, the more likable you'll be to the people reading about who you are as a professional.

8. Consider adding humor or a personal story to add flavor to your professional bio.

End your professional bio on a good note — or, more specifically, a funny note. Leaving your audience with something quirky or uniquely you can ensure they'll leave your website with a pleasant impression of you.

It's important to follow the steps above when writing your bio, but don't obsess over any one section. Remember, the people reading your bio are suffering from information fatigue. If you don't hook 'em in the first line, you'll lose them quickly.

(P.S. Want to give your professional brand a boost? Take one of HubSpot Academy's free certification courses . In just one weekend, you can add a line to your resume and bio that's coveted by over 60,000 marketers.)

Why Good Bios Are Important for a Professional

Alright, I know what you may be thinking ... So what? It's just a bio. I mean, how many people read professional bios, anyway?

The answer: A lot of people. More importantly, though, there's no way to tell exactly who is reading it — and you always want it to be ready for when the right people come across it. And when they do, you want it to catch their eye. In a good way.

You see, while your resume is only useful for when you're actively applying for specific positions, your professional bio is much more visible. It can live on your LinkedIn profile , your company's website, your guest blog posts, your speaker profiles, your Twitter bio , and many other places.

And, most importantly, it's the tool that you can leverage most when you're networking.

Bottom line? People will read your professional bio. Whether they remember it, and whether it makes them care about you, is a matter of how well you present yourself to your intended audience.

So, what does a top-notch professional bio look like?

Below, we've curated some of the best real professional bio examples we've ever seen on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the various websites where you might describe yourself.

Check 'em out, and use them as inspiration when crafting your own.

1. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie : Author

Bio platform: personal website.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie begins her professional bio with an invitation into her world. In just one sentence, she describes the depth and breadth of her body of work as it has been translated into thirty languages and several publications.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Professional Bio Example

Along with her notable writing career, Chimamanda showcases her speaking career which introduces readers to a well-rounded view of who she is as a professional. From there, her bio seamlessly flows into her recent work and a glimpse into how and where she spends her personal time – the United States and Nigeria.

Finally, Chimamanda’s bio ends with a call to action to read a more detailed biography, giving the reader a choice to read the information available about her life and career.

2. Chime Mmeje : SEO Content Writer

Bio platform: linkedin.

A bio with a hook is sure to keep you reading. Chima Mmeje is a freelance SEO copywriter who’s "extremely good at one thing": helping companies rank for their target keywords.

By leading with a strong hook that aligns with her target audience’s marketing needs, she’s able to keep readers engaged.

In the body of her professional bio, Chima briefly lists her process at a high level, giving her potential clients a bird's-eye view of what they can expect when they book her services.

The simple call to action "Drop a message" in her email inbox is a casual invitation to learn more about her services.

3. DJ Nexus : DJ

Bio platform: facebook.

This New England-based DJ has single-handedly captured the Likes of more than 2,000 people in and beyond Boston, MA. And even if you don't listen to the type of music he produces, it's hard not to listen to his compelling Facebook bio.

For instance, consider his tagline, under "About" — " Quiet during the day. QUITE LOUD at night! " DJ Nexus tells you when he works in an awesome way. I got goosebumps just imagining a dance club he might play his music in.

DJ Nexus links his Facebook account to his personal website , where he has the space to tell the full story of his background. Here's a preview, below:

This is a terrific lesson for professional bios: Customers want to learn about you. Consider how you might also lead your Facebook visitors off your Facebook page and onto your personal website to learn more about who you are.

4. Lena Axelsson : Marriage & Family Therapist

Bio platform: industry website.

When it all comes down to it, your professional bio is no different from any other piece of persuasive copy — no matter where it lives. One of the most common mistakes people make is thinking of it as its own beast, separate from other pieces of writing. If you think about it that way, you're far more likely to write something painfully uninteresting.

When you sit down to write your professional bio and you're watching that cursor blinking on the screen, think about how you would introduce a blog post. You don't just dive right into the meat of the thing, now, do you? No. You start with an introduction.

The best bios are often concise (around 200–300 words), so you don't have a lot of room to play around. But a single sentence that tees your reader up and provides context for the accomplishments that follow could make the rest of your bio that much more persuasive.

Take Lena Axelsson's bio, for instance. She's a marriage and family therapist — a job where empathy and compassion are a big part of the job description. That's why she chooses to open her bio with a great introductory sentence: "When human beings experience trauma or severe life stressors, it is not uncommon for their lives to unravel."

Then, she goes into why she's passionate about her job, how she helps her clients, and how she caters her approach to each patient. The necessary educational information is left for the end after the reader has been hooked.

Your bio doesn't have to be super serious, nor does it have to start with a joke. This bio shows how you can capture your reader's attention by being empathetic and showing how that empathy shapes a valuable professional.

5. Mark Levy : Branding Firm Founder

Mark Levy is a small business owner who's taken a more traditional approach to the professional bio on his website — but in a way that takes care to speak to his intended audience.

What we love about his bio is the way he's set it up: On his business' "About" page, he's listed two biographies, which he's labeled "Mark Levy's Biography #1" and "Mark Levy's Biography #2."

Mark Levy's professional bio in his personal website

Click here to see the full version .

Like Ann, Mark's given his readers two different options. The first biography is a "short version," which includes a combination of bullet points listing his credentials and a few short paragraphs.

The second is the "long version," which is actually even more interesting than the first one. Why? Because it reads like a story — a compelling one, at that. In fact, it gets really funny at parts.

The second sentence of the bio reads: "He was frightened of public school, loved playing baseball and football, ran home to watch ape films on the 4:30 Movie, listened to The Jam and The Buzzcocks, and read magic trick books."

Here's another excerpt from the middle:

A snippet from Mark Levy's full professional bio on his personal website

Of course, the fantastic copywriting isn't a surprise, given that this guy wrote several books. But the conversational tone and entertaining copy let his quirky personality (and great writing skills) shine.

6. Audra Simpson : Political Anthropologist

With a classic take on the professional bio, Audra Simpson crafts a brief overview of her career in just a couple of paragraphs. The "why" behind her work is emphasized in the first half of her bio before transitioning to the way she carries out that work in practice.

The second half of her bio combines her bodies of work and the awards she’s won for each from the year 2014 to 2020. This subtle timeline gives readers a picture of her experience in the field of political anthropology without listing her resume in detail.

Audra’s professional bio is an example for those of us with several years of experience to communicate, but a strict word limit to write within.

7. Marie Mikhail : Professional Recruiter

Marie Mikhail checks off nearly every box for what makes an excellent bio. A professional recruiter, she expresses her "passion for recruiting" upfront, in the first sentence, while using that sentence to hook her profile visitors into a brief story of her background.

Marie Mikhail's professional bio on LinkedIn

But there are a lot of recruiters out there, and Marie knows that. So, to differentiate herself, she closes the first paragraph of her bio by explaining that she likes "getting people excited about the things [she's] excited about." It's a well-put value proposition that sets her apart from the rest of the HR industry.

Marie Mikhail finishes off her bio by including a smooth mixture of professional skills, such as her Spanish fluency; and personal interests, such as podcasting and Star Wars (she mentions the latter with just the right amount of humor).

8. Wonbo Woo : Executive Producer

Wonbo Woo is the executive producer of WIRED's video content, and he has several impressive credits to his name. What does this mean for his professional bio? He has to prioritize. With this in mind, Wonbo opens his bio with the most eye-catching details first (if the image below is hard to read, click it to see the full copy).

Not only does Wonbo's bio start strong, but he also takes readers on a suspenseful journey through some of his most harrowing assignments — where he was when news broke and how he responded. You can see this quality below.

9. Chris Burkard : Freelance Photographer

If you're writing your bio but having trouble figuring out how to showcase your accomplishments without boasting, photographer Burkard's LinkedIn bio is a great example for inspiration.

Written in third-person, his bio tells a fluid story, starting with his ultimate mission — "capture stories that inspire humans to consider their relationship with nature" — before diving into more tangible accolades (giving a TED talk, publishing books, etc.).

Chris Burkard's professional bio on LinkedIn

Best of all, rather than using his bio as an opportunity to brag, he instead ties his talents into how he hopes to help others , writing, "Through social media, Chris strives to share his vision … and inspire [his followers] to explore for themselves."

I wouldn't necessarily be inclined to follow Chris if his bio had simply read "I post beautiful images" … but inspire me to travel? Now that's something I can get behind.

Lastly, he ends on a humble, sweet note, writing "He is happiest with his wife Breanne raising their two sons". Don't be afraid to inject some personal information into your bio — it could help you seem more approachable as a result.

10. Lisa Quine : Creative Consultant

Bio platform: portfolio website.

Although a picture is worth 1,000 words, a portfolio is quite different from a professional bio. While this might present a challenge for creative professionals who specialize in visual art to tell their stories, Lisa Quine quantifies her creativity to give her professional bio balance.

Throughout her bio, you’ll notice the number of murals she’s completed and a brief timeline of her career thus far which helps paint the picture of who she is as a professional.

Lisa’s bio checks the box on nearly all of our recommendations for a great bio. She begins with her full name, her location, and what she does best. From there, she gets creative by appropriately mentioning the brands she’s worked with and highlighting some of her favorite projects. With a third-person approach to the writing, this bio invites the reader behind a metaphorical door to meet Lisa as a professional, traveler, learner, wife, and mother.

11. Nancy Twine : Hair Care Founder

Bio platform: company website.

As Founder and CEO of Briogeo — a popular natural hair care line that's received rave reviews in publications such as Allure and InStyle — there are undoubtedly plenty of accolades Twine could boast about.

But she chooses to start her bio from a humbler place, stating: "Nancy Twine is no newcomer to the beauty-sphere — in fact, she made her first foray into the world of natural product formulation at the ripe age of five."

The rest of her bio similarly focuses on Twine's strengths as someone who's able to take hair care "back to basics". The bio focuses on why Twine made the decision she did to start her company, and what ultimately drives her.

12. Trinity Mouzon : Wellness Brand Founder

I gravitated towards Mouzon's bio from the first sentence: "I'm obsessed with leveling the playing field." Mouzon effectively grips the reader's attention with this introduction and then dives into some of her impressive accomplishments — including a brand that's now sold at Urban Outfitters and Target.

The language used throughout Mouzon's bio is authentic, real, and honest. Consider, for instance, the beginning of the second paragraph, where she admits, "While building a brand may have looked effortless from the outside, starting a business at age 23 with no resources or funding quickly forced me to realize that early-stage entrepreneurship was anything but transparent."

Ultimately, this bio doesn't just focus on Mouzon's (impressive) background — it also highlights how she can help her readers start and scale their businesses.

By focusing on the reader, Mouzon effectively demonstrates the real power of a good bio: the power to convert newcomers into leads and customers.

13. Alberto "Beto" Perez : Co-Founder of Zumba Fitness

As an avid Zumba fan, I was excited to include this one in the list. Perez styles his LinkedIn bio as a short story, starting with his background as a hard-working teen who held three jobs by age 14.

His bio tells the fun and fascinating origin story of Zumba, in which Perez, an aerobics teacher in Florida at the time, forgot his music for class and used a Latin music cassette tape instead ... "And it was an instant hit!"

His bio continues, "Shortly after he was connected to Alberto Periman and Alberto Aghion and Zumba was officially created ... what started as a dream now has 15 million people in more than 200,000 locations in 186 countries who take Zumba classes every week."

What I like best about this bio is Perez's decision to use the space to tell the story of his business, rather than list out his accomplishments. It provides a more real and colorful introduction to Perez and immediately makes him feel both relatable and inspirational.

Learn how to write your professional bio with more free tips, templates, and inspiring examples.

Let's dive into a few examples of short professional bios next.

14. Ann Handley : Writer and Marketer

If you're a marketer, you've likely heard of Ann Handley. Her list of credentials is lengthy, and if she wanted to, she could go on and on and on about her accomplishments.

But when people list out all their accomplishments in their bios, they risk sounding a little egotistical. Sure, you might impress a handful of people with all those laurels, but many people who read your bio will end up feeling either intimidated or annoyed. Think about it: Is that how you want the majority of your readers to feel when they read your bio?

To minimize the egoism that comes with talking about yourself, think about how you can list out your accomplishments without sounding like you're bragging. Ann does this really well, choosing a tone in her bio that's more approachable.

Best of all, Ann chooses to focus on her readers' challenges and motivations, rather than her own. For instance, she writes, "Ann Handley writes and speaks about how businesses can escape marketing mediocrity to achieve tangible results. >And she will inspire you to do work you're proud of. "

Short professional bio examples: Ann Handley

Follow the link and you'll be led to a page dedicated to a fuller bio, which she's divided into two parts: a "short version" (literally a bulleted list of key facts) and a "long version," which includes traditional paragraphs. There's something in there for everyone.

15. Rebecca Bollwitt : Writer

Bio platform: instagram.

Instagram is a notoriously difficult platform on which to write a good bio. Similar to Twitter, you simply don't have room for a professional bio that includes everything about you. And because Instagram is primarily a mobile app, many viewers are reading about you passively on their mobile devices.

Instagram's limited bio space requires you to highlight just your most important qualities, and blogging icon Rebecca Bollwitt does so in her own Instagram bio in an excellent way.

Rebecca's brand name is Miss604 and cleverly uses emojis in her Instagram bio to tell visitors exactly what makes her a valuable content creator. Take a look at the screenshot below:

Short professional bio examples: Rebecca Bollwitt

Starting with a trophy emoji, Miss604 says she's an award-winning blogger. I haven't even looked at her pictures yet and the introduction of her bio has already sucked me in.

The rest of her bio follows suit, breaking up the text with an appropriate emoji and a perfect collection of nouns to tell me who she is as a person. She even links out to her husband's Instagram account after the heart emoji (an adorable addition) and assures her followers that all of her pictures are authentically hers.

Take a lesson from Miss604, and show your personal side. Just because you're branding yourself as a professional doesn't mean you have to take your human being hat off. Often your most personal attributes make for the best professional bio content.

16. Corey Wainwright : Principal Marketing Manager

Bio platform: blog byline.

Corey Wainwright is a Principal Marketing Manager here at HubSpot. She's written content for HubSpot's Marketing Blog for years, and her blog author bio has caught my eye since before I ever started working for HubSpot. (Back then, it started with, "Corey just took a cool vacation.")

What I love most about Corey's bio is that it's a great example of how to deliver information about yourself without taking things too seriously. And in this context, that's totally appropriate.

Despite having several impressive accomplishments under her belt, she simply doesn't like displaying them publicly. So, she prefers making her author bio a little more "light."

Her bio (pictured below) reads, "Corey is a Bruce Springsteen fan who does content marketing, in that order."

Short professional bio examples: Corey Wainwright

It helps that authors' social media accounts are located right below our names and above our pictures. For folks who really do want a list of Corey's credentials, they can click the LinkedIn button to go to her LinkedIn page. (You can read this blog post to learn how to create social media buttons and add them to your website.)

17. Megan Gilmore : Cookbook Author

Bio platform: instagram.

Megan Gilmore is a best-selling cookbook author, and she often posts healthy recipes on her Instagram page to inspire followers' to realize that you don't have to sacrifice taste for the sake of health.

Short professional bio examples: Megan Gilmore

Plus, Gilmore includes a CTA link within her Instagram bio that leads followers to free, ready-to-use recipes. You might be thinking — Why would she do that, since it discourages people from buying her book? But that couldn't be further from the truth.

By giving her followers the chance to try out her recipes, she's slowly turning leads into customers. After I tried a few of her Instagram recipes and loved them, I decided to go ahead and buy her book, knowing I'd like more of what she had to offer.

18. Van Jones : Political Commentator, Author, and Lawyer

Bio platform: twitter.

Someone who’s known for a variety of talents and skills may find it difficult to capture who they are in a professional bio. When limited to just over 100 characters on Twitter, the feat is nearly impossible. But Van Jones effortlessly explains who he is and why it matters to everyone who visits his Twitter profile.

Short professional bio example: Van Jones

He starts his professional bio with a token of personalization and prioritization of his values. By mentioning that he is a dad first, we recognize what’s important to him in his long list of successes.

As we’ve seen in other bios, sharing who we are outside of work makes us more personable and should find its way into your bio, if possible. Van leaves plenty of room to share a variety of professional experiences in his bio including CEO of REFORM and his 2020 Emmy award.

What’s great about Van’s Twitter bio is his ability to link valuable offerings to his readers. He invites us to check out his latest book and has his website reformalliance.com linked at the top.

19. Sarah Haskins : Writer

When in doubt, a few words go a long way.

Consider, for instance, the funny and impactful bio of Sarah Haskins on her Twitter page, which reads: "writer. bad but enthusiastic dancer."

What more do you need to know?

She doesn't take her bio too seriously and uses the space to highlight one serious accomplishment/skill (writer) and one not-so-impressive skill (bad dancer), to demonstrate her sense of humor and realness.

Short professional bio examples: Sarah Haskins

Particularly for a social media account that already restricts word count, consider how you might showcase your uniqueness in just a few words.

20. Bea Dixon : Feminine Care Founder

Bea Dixon, Founder, and CEO of The Honey Pot Company, efficiently uses her space on her Instagram profile to highlight who she is as a well-rounded human — not just a businesswoman.

For instance, while she highlights her Girl boss attitude with a tiara emoji, she equally calls attention to her fashion interests (Free People), her pets Boss and Sadie, and her love for ramen noodles.

Short professional bio examples: Beatrice Dixon

Consider how you might also highlight your interests, hobbies, or passions outside of the 9-to-5. If people are reading your bio, they're interested in getting to know the full you.

If you're posting a bio on a social media account or sending a quick blurb to a client, you want to keep it short and sweet while showcasing your accomplishments.

To get you started, here are the best practices for writing your short professional bio:

Your introduction is your first impression, so always begin by telling people who you are. You may start with a greeting like, "Hello, my name is" or "Hi! Let me first introduce myself …" when sending your bio as a message.

If you’re writing a bio for an online platform, simply stating your name at the beginning works as well, like the way freelancing entrepreneur Alex Fasulo presents themselves in the first person on their website:

Portrait of Alex Fasulo from their short professional biography on their personal website

2. State what you do.

Give people an idea of what you do day-to-day, as well as where you work. Your job title is how the people put you into context and consider whether your profession relates to your audience’s industry. So detail the most relevant work you're involved in your short bio like CEO, professor, and author, Angela Duckworth , specifies on her LinkedIn:

Short professional bio examples: Angela Duckworth

Even if you are a freelancer with a broad focus, you can keep it general yet clearly specify the type of contract work you do. If your specialty is writing, your title could be "Freelance Writer," or if it's Help Desk or Information Technology you may state yourself as a "Freelance IT Specialist."

3. Add key skills or areas of expertise.

Especially, if you're sending a bio to a client or potential employer, make sure to highlight the skills that they will find valuable. For instance, if you’re expertise is in social media marketing and content creation like Ivanka Dekoning , make sure you list these skills concisely:

Short professional bio examples: Ivanka Dekoning

Here Dekoning showcases their experience so potential connections immediately see if they have what they're looking for— and you can show this too.

4. Include a personal mission statement .

What do you hope to achieve through your work? Why do you do what you do? Answering these questions can help give your bio’s mission statement some direction, similar to how Farmer Bea makes their goal to help bees clear to all of their Twitter connections:

Short professional bio examples: Farmer Bea

5. Celebrate your wins.

Your short bio can be a proud showcase of your accomplishments, so add 1 to 2 personal successes you’ve achieved through your skills or mission. For instance, if you’ve received acclaim from industry leaders in your scope like Art Critic Jerry Saltz , your wins may list as something like:

Short professional bio examples: Jerry Saltz

6. Provide your contact information.

People who visit your profile or receive your message will already know your social media account. But to take business off the app, include your email address, website, or any other professional profiles you’d like them to know about. Political Commentator and Sports Correspondent, Angela Rye , shows a great example of this in her short professional bio on Instagram:

Short professional bio examples: Angela Rye

7. Show them your personality.

Don’t be afraid to add a little bit of personal charisma to your short professional bio — because professional doesn’t have to mean plain. Your personality may be best portrayed through:

A joke: "Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once. At least that’s what I learned when I created…"

A mention of a hobby: "I’ll be honest: for me, tennis is life— Go Nadal!"

A fun fact: "Every year I watch 100 new films! I’m a cinephile and love every movie genre."

Whichever way you choose to get personal, give people a glimpse into who you are as an individual.

When writing a short bio it can be tempting to try and pack in as much relevant information about yourself as possible — but this isn’t the most effective approach. Instead, focus on including the details that you and your audience care about most and leave out the fluff.

Create Your Own Professional Bio

Prim and proper, relaxed, or studded with accomplishments, your bio is a reflection of your best professional self. Your professional bio will often precede your physical presence. Before people meet you for the first time, they’ll probably read your bio.

Whether you’re creating an about page for your website or social media profile, one thing’s for sure, you’ll want to put your best foot forward with a top-notch professional bio.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in November 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Don't forget to share this post!

40+ Resume Objective Examples to Help You Craft Your Own

Google Docs Resume Templates: 10 Best Templates to Land Your Next Job

The 10 Resume Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

27 Free Resume Templates for Microsoft Word (& How to Make Your Own)

20 of the Best Professional Bio Examples We've Ever Seen [+ Templates]

The 8 Best Free Resume Builders We've Ever Discovered

The 17 Best Resume Templates for Every Type of Professional

How to Write A Career Objective That Gets Your Resume Noticed

How to Write About Your Professional Background

Infographic Resumes: 6 Hiring Managers Weigh In

Create a compelling professional narrative for your summary, bio, or introduction.

How To Write A Short Bio (With Templates + Examples)

What Is a Short Bio?

How to write a short bio, what to include in a short professional bio, short bio examples, short bio templates, tips for writing a short bio, writing a short bio faq.

Summary. To write a short bio you should first make an initial introduction introducing yourself in the first or first person. Your short bio should include your brand, your accomplishments, and your values and goals. Your short bio should be one to three short paragraphs or four to eight sentences long.

Knowing how to write a concise, informative, and interesting biography about yourself can help throughout various parts of the professional process. You can use your bio to capture the attention of potential employers or clients and convince them to choose to employ or work with you.

In this article, you’ll learn more about what goes into a short bio and how to write one, and you’ll also get to see some short bio templates and examples to help you get an idea of what yours should look like.

Key Takeaways

A short bio serves to introduce you, your achievements, and what you offer professionally to potential employers or clients.

It’s important to keep your bio brief so that readers stay engaged and will remember your main points.

You may need to adjust your bio for different audiences, as your clients may want to know different information than a recruiter would.

Talk about your skills and accomplishments in your bio, but don’t exaggerate them.

A short bio serves as your introduction to the professional world. In terms of finding or expanding on your job, a bio will cover your:

Work history

Achievements

Any other relevant professional information

Think of it as a professional memoir that a hiring manager or consumer can read and understand quickly. It’s usually about one to three paragraphs depending on experience.

There’s an emphasis on being succinct when it comes to writing a professional bio. This is because a bio is supposed to be a preface to attract recruiter attention and incline them to reach out for more information. Many readers will get lost or bored with a lengthy bio.

Using a short bio can be helpful across very different industries, from marketing to accounting, from psychiatry to sales.

You’re probably familiar with providing short bios on social media websites and applications. While the information and skills you include in a professional bio may differ, the general formatting is similar.

There’s a lot of considerations to take into account when writing a short bio, and it can quickly become intimidating. Deciding what information is relevant and how to keep it near 140 characters is no small task.

If you’re having difficulty writing a short bio, follow the outline below to craft an introduction that engages your reader.

Make an initial introduction. You can’t jump right into everything you’ve done and what you want to do in the future before introducing yourself.

Your bio’s first sentence should begin with your full name in the third person or introduce yourself in the first person and continue to briefly outline your most notable skills and accomplishments. It’s a good place to state your current job and employer.

Go deeper with what motivates you. Once you’ve catchily illustrated who you are in your short bio, you can use the second sentence to describe your motivations for your work.

Stating what drives you to do the work you do is essential to employers and customers alike. Whether you work as a physician or fitness consultant , there’s a reason why this is your profession, and you should explain that in your short professional bio.

Describe your accomplishments. Your short bio is for detailing why you’re the ideal candidate to be trusted with handling an employer or consumer’s business. By describing your prior accomplishments, you let them know what you could offer as an employee and how you’ve succeeded in the past.

While you should avoid sounding braggy, the reader is looking for information about what your qualifications are , and your accomplishments generally measure these qualities.

Even though you could probably go on for ages about the details of your accomplishments, save that for an interview . In a short bio, only include the most impressive of your achievements to outline.

Accomplishments relevant to a short bio could include:

Impressive results on a project

Former promotions

Awards received in your field

Certifications received

Include contact information. The purpose of a short bio as either a business or a job seeker is to inspire the reader to reach out. Without contact information, this pursuit becomes futile. Make sure your short bio has some way to contact you at the end.

Relevant contact information may include:

Phone number

Professional networking profile

A short professional bio includes:

Your full name. You can choose to write your bio in the first person (I, me, my) or third person (he, she, they), but either way, you need to include your full name at some point. Branding doesn’t work so well without a brand name (i.e., you!)

Your brand. Of course, if you have an actual brand that you’re trying to market, you should include the brand name as well.

What you do. Summarize what you want the reader to know about what you do in one sentence — tricky, we know.

Your accomplishments. For a short bio, you can stick with just one major accomplishment from your professional life. Or, if you have a string of impressive achievements, try condensing all of them down to one sentence.

Your goals and values. Let the reader know what makes you tick — why do you do what you do and what do you hope to achieve with your work? People are compelled by a story more than anything else, so it’s important to get this part right.

Something personal (optional). If you have a quirky tidbit about yourself you’d like to include, go for it. Just make sure it doesn’t throw off te the tone of the rest of your bio.

Contact info (optional). If your bio is serving as a call-to-action to drum up business or get leads on job opportunities, it makes sense to include your contact information at the end of your bio. It’s not necessary if that information is available elsewhere on the page , though.

Entry-Level Job-Seeker Bio Example

Mitchell Morrison is an upcoming video producer and editor who believes in the art of visual organization. He is a recent graduate from the University of Washington and focused on post-production during his time studying there. He was introduced to the magical world of visual art production by watching his father work on editing commercials growing up and has been working towards his dream of becoming a video editor ever since. During his last year of college, Mitchell participated in a competitive internship with Digital Space Films. He was chosen out of 2,000 applicants based on his academic portfolio and personal statement essay. This internship was an incredible learning experience and resulted in three professional accreditations for music video editing. Mitchell currently lives in Seattle, Washington pursuing freelance opportunities and spending time with his Dog, Pikachu. To get into contact with Mitchell: MitchellMorrisonVideo.com/contact

Working Professional Website Bio Example

Lisa Kennedy is an experienced real estate professional. She knows how important a home is for long-term happiness and has invested her career in putting people in the house they’ve always dreamed of. Lisa was driven to pursue real estate from her passion for helping people during life-altering times, and a keen interest in high-end, luxury homes. She’s been working in the real estate industry for ten years and in that time has assisted over 3,500 people in finding homes. She was educated at the University of Los Angeles with a bachelor’s in business management. She’s worked for some of the most respectable Real Estate companies in Los Angeles and individually under her agency “Kennedy Homes.” Lisa has also been published in Real Estate Quarterly Magazine as the 2017 winner of the “Top Luxury Home Seller” award. Lisa loves the culture of Los Angeles and has been living there with her family of five since she graduated from college. She enjoys spending her free time exploring towns along the West Coast and swimming. If you’d like to get in touch with Lisa: Email: [email protected]

Professional Networking Profile Bio Example

Bianca Jones Marketing Manager Miami, FL The first step towards customer satisfaction is being reached by stellar product marketing, and that’s what I aim to provide. My professional experience as a product marketing manager has allowed me to assist many organizations in improving their sales margins and audience response to emerging products. I’ve brought dedication and positive results to the companies I’ve worked for because I am passionate about product perception, marketing, and business statistics. What drives a product to success interests and inspires me. I specialize in long-term growth strategies and audience outreach. In addition to eight years of experience in professional product marketing, I have also published two books on creating a career as a marketer called “What to Do After Your Bachelor’s” and “A Marketer’s How-To.” If you’re interested in learning more about how to market your business better, or just discuss more, feel free to contact me by email at [email protected]

Your first choice is whether you want your bio to be written in the third person or first person. These short bio templates show both options, and also include different ideas for what to include, and how. Feel free to pick and choose your favorite parts of each of the two.

[Full Name] is a [job title] who [believes/knows] in the power of [what you do]. [He/She/They] began their journey in [field] by [how you got started in the field], and now dreams of [what you hope to accomplish]. [His/Her/Their] biggest accomplishment to date has been [your biggest accomplishment]. [Full Name] lives in [where you live] and participates in [a hobby/interest]. To get in touch with [Full Name], call/email/message me on [how you’d like to be contacted].

I am a [job title] who helps [who you help] [what you help them do]. It’s my belief that [your unique perspective on the field]. In the past [# of years] years, I’ve [major accomplishment #1] through [how you accomplished it]. I have a passion for [your professional passion], but on the side, I also enjoy [personal passion]. Get in touch with me today at [contact info] — I look forward to talking with you about [what you want to talk to your readers about].

You have a firm grasp of the structure of a short bio and what to include. Now, you may need some tips for how to polish your short professional bio and make it stand out from the competition.

Be mindful of length. While you’re probably getting sick of hearing that your bio should be short, it’s good to keep in mind throughout the writing process. It’s easy to go off on a tangent while trying to include everything relevant or rationalize, making your bio too long.

Avoid this impulse. The point of a bio is that it’s limited. You want to intrigue the reader enough to inspire them to seek more information about you or your services.

Tailor your bio to your intended audience. Whether you’re using a short bio to attract a particular customer base or potential employer, tailoring it to fit their wants and needs is crucial. Consider your intended audience base and what they’re looking for in a candidate or service.

Be genuine. Your short bio should be an authentic representation of your traits, experience, and personality. People are repelled by what they interpret as stretching the truth. If you’re being received as disingenuous by the reader, they’ll probably move on.

Proofread. The only way to steer clear of errors in your short bio is by proofreading it. Imagine a hiring manager being completely interested in your bio.

They love what you have to say about yourself and find your prior experience enticing. That is, until they come across a mistake that clearly shows you didn’t do proofread or edit.

Include links to your portfolio, website, or networking profile. One way to circumvent the confining factor of keeping your bio short is by including links to more detailed sources.

This can be in the form of linking your portfolio or website to allow the reader to go deeper into your discussed skills if they please, without taking up more space in your bio.

Implement these links seamlessly into your bio by attaching them to anchor words that describe what clicking will lead them to.

Add some personality. You aren’t the only person who has an impressive list of accomplishments to put on a bio, so you’re going to need to find some additional ways to make an impression.

What should a short bio include?

A short bio should include your name, what you do, and your achievements. You should also include your company or product’s brand, if you have one, and your goals and motivations for doing what you do. This humanizes you and helps you stand out from the rest of the pack.

How long is a short bio?

A short bio is typically one to three paragraphs long. These should be short paragraphs though, as other experts say that between four and eight sentences is the ideal length for a short bio.

What makes a good bio?

A good bio is succinct and memorable. Readers don’t want to spend long reading about your professional and personal life, so go back and cut it down to the important parts multiple times after you draft it. You might be surprised at how little you actually need to include.

What should you avoid putting in a short bio?

You should avoid including anything negative or arrogate. It’s never a good idea to write anything negative about previous jobs or employers. Only include positive things in your professional short bio.

It’s important to include your achievements in a short bio, but there is a fine line between mentioning your achievements and bragging about them. Stick to the facts when talking about your accomplishments.

Fremont University – Building Your Professional Bio

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating / 5. Vote count:

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

Don Pippin is an executive and HR leader for Fortune 50 and 500 companies and startups. In 2008, Don launched area|Talent with a focus on helping clients identify their brand. As a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Digital Career Strategist, and Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Don guides clients through career transitions.

Recent Job Searches

How To Make A Resume In Word (With Examples)

How To Put Projects On A Resume (With Examples)

Should You Send Your Resume As A PDF?

A Peak into American Hero Dr. Fauci’s Resume

Topics: Resume , Study

Make Our Dictionary Yours

By signing in, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy .

We'll see you in your inbox soon.

Short Professional Bio Examples

First impressions are still important in the 21st century, but they look a little different. Professional biographies (or "professional bios" for short) are short blurbs to get your name, accomplishments, and employment history in front of the right people. Unlike a resume, a professional bio allows you to express the values and beliefs that set you apart from others in your industry. Once you have a great professional biography, you can put it on your website, social media accounts, or even a future book jacket.

Professional Biography Format

Think of a professional biography as an advertisement for yourself. The same rules that apply to advertisements apply to professional biographies, too - keep it brief, relevant, and engaging. Get started with a basic outline for an effective professional bio.

The typical length for a professional biography is five to ten sentences. It's tempting to add impressive facts to make your blurb longer, but err on the side of brevity. Audiences are more likely to read shorter and more relevant biographies than longer, drawn-out paragraphs.

Examples of Professional Biographies

The information you include depends on your professional industry. A college student may not have as much experience as a doctor, but they are probably writing to different audiences. Here are some examples of professional biographies in different industries.

A teacher may include their professional biography at the top of a class syllabus or on their school website. Their audience consists of students, parents, colleagues, and school administration.

Debra Carroll knows that successful students become successful adults. This is her 15th year at Edison Elementary School and her 10th year teaching fourth grade. So far, fourth grade is her favorite grade to teach! Mrs. Carroll was the 2011 Newell Unified School District Teacher of the Year, and received her National Board Certification in 2013. She loves science and majored in biology at Arizona State University, where she also earned her teaching credential and Master of Education degree. Mrs. Carroll is excited to begin the best year ever!

Even before they are published authors, writers need a strong professional biography on their social media pages and websites. They also need to submit short blurbs about themselves when they submit work for publication. Like other project-based professions, it's beneficial for writers to include their current or next projects in their biographies.

Manuel Iglesias draws from his life story when writing about the experiences of migrant workers. His first series of poems, My Father's Hands, appeared in The New Yorker and describes how his family crossed the Texas border to give Manuel and his brothers a better life. After receiving his Master's in Fine Arts from Columbia University, Manuel wrote three nonfiction novels about his experiences, including Under the Streaming Sun, which earned the National Prize for Arts and Sciences in 2008. Manuel is currently working on a collection of fictional short stories to be published in early 2021.

Project Manager

Employers in all industries want to hire project managers to keep their companies running smoothly. A project manager should focus on skills and abilities in their professional development, as well as professional accomplishments.

Melanie Sato opens the line of communication between clients, customers, and businesses to get projects done. With over 20 years in both public and private sectors, Melanie has experience in management consultation, team building, professional development, strategic implementation, and company collaboration. Melanie has managed projects at TechPoint International, Cyberry, and Induster, where she was a finalist for the PMI® Project of the Year. Melanie holds an MBA from Dartmouth University and a current PMP® certification.

College Student

It may seem like college students lack experience in their field, but a good professional biography can bring the right perspective to prospective employers. Young people with technological savvy and the right attitude are valuable assets in the workforce.

Karmen Barić connects online brands to their target audiences for the perfect marketing experience. At the University of California, Davis, Karmen learned the importance of applying classic marketing techniques to modern brand strategies from experts in the field, including her Communications professor, Dr. Martin Mitchell. Recently she finished a research paper on customer conversion and participated in a group project on improving SEO. Karmen is currently finishing her Bachelor of Arts in Communications and hopes to intern in an online marketing department in the near future.

A doctor's professional biography would be present on their practice website and any office literature. The audience for these biographies would be prospective patients and caregivers. The bios could appear in medical journals and grant proposals, and would be informative to future employers.

Dr. Jonas Frederikson is an orthopedic surgeon who believes that patient care should be a physician's first priority. He specializes in laparoscopic procedures that minimize pain and recovery time, and has expertise in minimally invasive total knee replacement surgeries. Awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the American Medical Association in 2017, Dr. Frederikson has been published in both the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine. He holds a medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina, where he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the field of orthopedic medicine.

Real Life Example: Tim Cook (Apple)

No matter how famous a person becomes, there are people who haven't heard of them. Indeed, even the CEO of Apple needs a professional biography. Here is an excerpt of Tim Cook's professional biography, found on the Leadership page of the Apple website .

Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple and serves on its board of directors. Before being named CEO in August 2011, Tim was Apple's chief operating officer and was responsible for all of the company's worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple's supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries. He also headed Apple's Macintosh division and played a key role in the continued development of strategic reseller and supplier relationships, ensuring flexibility in response to an increasingly demanding marketplace. Prior to joining Apple, Tim was vice president of Corporate Materials for Compaq and was responsible for procuring and managing all of Compaq's product inventory . . . Tim earned an MBA from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University.

Tell Your Story

Almost ready to get started? Here are a few tips to keep in mind when crafting the perfect professional bio.

Now, get your name out there! Your future employer, customers, or readers are waiting!

Due to a network error, some resources are not loading

Sorry, some crucial files cannot be loaded at this time..

If you can see two identical Namecheap logos below, please refresh the page and try again.

If that doesn’t solve the problem, please follow these steps:

If you need any additional assistance, open Help Center and contact support via live chat or open Support page and submit a ticket.

We stand with our friends and colleagues in Ukraine. To support Ukraine in their time of need visit this page .

6 short professional bios and how to write one yourself

Short professional bios can be just as effective as long ones that detail your accomplishments. Whether you need to work within Twitter’s character count or you’re making career moves on LinkedIn, a well-written short professional bio gives you the chance to make an excellent first impression. Here’s how to turn this brief text into a powerful introduction to your greatest strengths and accomplishments.

Short professional bio template

To help you get started, here’s a third-person short professional bio template you can use:

“[Your name] is a [professional title] at [current employer] with [length of experience] helping [target audience] with [audience’s problems] . Specializing in [area of expertise] , [first name] uses that experience to [describe most important aspects of the job] .

By focusing on [branding statement about what matters professionally] , [first name] has been able to put the [degree(s)] they earned at [college or university attended] to good use. Over the years, [first name’s or pronoun] strengths at [employer or project] has garnered some recognition for/by [major accomplishments] . [First name] may spend their days at [employer or employer location] , but it’s the [one or two aspects of the job that they’re passionate about] that gets them up in the morning.

When they’re not at [employer] , [first name] is an avid [hobby] and loves spending time [another hobby or interest] .”

Example of a professional bio

Jerry Smith is a race car driver at Hendrick Motorsports with five years’ experience making speedy turns for several hours, helping his thousands of fans to fulfill their entertainment needs. Specializing in left turns and safely overtaking his opponents in the pursuit of a checkered flag, Jerry uses that expertise to never come in last.

By focusing on making sure Hendrick Motorsports ends up in the winner’s circle at every race, Jerry has been able to put the racing certifications he earned at driver’s school to good use. Over the years, his strengths at Hendrick Motorsports have garnered some recognition for winning several races each year. Jerry may spend his days at the racetrack, but it’s the thrill of the race and the glory of coming in first that gets him up in the morning.

When he’s not behind the wheel, Jerry is an avid fisherman and loves spending time in the great outdoors.

What should be included in your bio?

Now that you know how effective a short bio can be, you’re getting closer to putting the proverbial pen to paper and letting the world know more about you. Before you get started on your bio, it’s important that you consider each element you want to mention in it. A correct representation of your professional work experience, especially if it's narrow and global at the same time such as bringing technical innovations to the market, proving new hypotheses in science or just digitization of processes in the healthcare industry may become ace up your sleeve. A good professional bio should include the following bits of information, regardless of your writing style or your goals:

- Start with who you are and what you do. The basics of a bio include your name and a brief summary of your professional endeavors and goals.

- Describe what you’re currently doing. Include quantifiable information that can show how effective you are in your most recent position.

- Share a couple of professional triumphs. If you’ve enjoyed a level of professional excellence that resulted in special recognition, share those results. This is your moment to showcase two or three key moments in your career, such as awards, special recognition, or significant accomplishments. Approach this like you would a cover letter for a job application.

- Create a branding statement . Consider your values as a professional and take some space to outline them. Think of this as an easy way to help people quickly determine what matters to you.

- Include some personal details that showcase your personality. At the end of the day, your career doesn’t completely define you. Feel free to include interests and hobbies in your bio to make you more relatable.

- Mention how to reach you. Add social media links or an email address to your bio. This one is more optional and context-dependent, but a smart idea nonetheless.

5 steps to write a professional bio

With all that in mind, here are the five steps you should take when writing your professional bio:

1. Identify the bio’s purpose and gather information. Good news — if you followed along in the previous section, then you’ve already arrived at this step. Knowing why you’re writing the bio, who you expect to read it, and how you want to present yourself to that reader is important to the bio writing process.

2. Choose either a first- or third-person perspective. Do you want to use first-person “I” and “me” language, or do you want to talk about yourself in the third person? Third person sounds as though someone else wrote your bio for you, giving it an air of objectivity. However, if you’re posting this on your own portfolio page and the rest of your content is written in first person, then you may want to stick with that style for consistency.

3. Write for the platform. Depending on where you’re posting this bio, you may have a short character limit or as much digital real estate as you want. A Twitter bio will naturally be much shorter than your website. Consider writing bios of different lengths to fit each situation.

4. Begin writing. Your bio should contain everything you collected earlier. It should start with a broad overview of who you are and what you do before ultimately diving into your background and what makes you unique. Have fun with it, but remain professional. Be thorough, but don’t overstay your welcome.

5. Proofread, proofread, proofread. Before posting your professional bio online, walk away from the finished product and then return to it with fresh eyes. Reread it and make edits. When you’re good with your edits, share your bio with a friend you trust to look it over. Once this process is complete, your short professional bio is ready for prime time.

Real life bio examples

While the professional bio template and example provided above can serve as a good starting point for your own bio, it may help to check out some bios from successful individuals in their fields. Here are six excellent examples of what makes a good professional bio.

The bio : Tim Cook is the CEO of Apple and serves on its board of directors.

Before being named CEO in August 2011, Tim was Apple’s chief operating officer and was responsible for all of the company’s worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple’s supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries. He also headed Apple’s Macintosh division and played a key role in the continued development of strategic reseller and supplier relationships, ensuring flexibility in response to an increasingly demanding marketplace.

Prior to joining Apple, Tim was vice president of Corporate Materials for Compaq and was responsible for procuring and managing all of Compaq’s product inventory.

Previous to his work at Compaq, Tim was the chief operating officer of the Reseller Division at Intelligent Electronics.

Tim also spent 12 years with IBM, most recently as director of North American Fulfillment where he led manufacturing and distribution functions for IBM’s Personal Computer Company in North and Latin America.

Tim earned an MBA from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University.

Why it’s good: Featured on a corporate about page and focused on one of the most important people in tech, Tim Cook’s professional bio speaks directly to his impressive professional history. This bio is a great example for someone with significant experience in their field.

Richard Branson

The bio : Founder of the Virgin Group, which has gone on to grow successful businesses in sectors including mobile telephony, travel and transportation, financial services, leisure and entertainment and health and wellness. Virgin is a leading international investment group and one of the world's most recognised and respected brands. Since starting youth culture magazine “Student” at aged 16, I have tried to find entrepreneurial ways to drive positive change in the world. In 2004 we established Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group, which unites people and entrepreneurial ideas to create opportunities for a better world. Most of my time is now spent building businesses that will make a positive difference in the world and working with Virgin Unite and organisations it has incubated, such as The Elders, The Carbon War Room, The B Team and Ocean Unite. I also serve on the Global Commission on Drug Policy and supports ocean conservation with the Ocean Elders. I'm a tie-loathing adventurer, philanthropist and troublemaker, who believes in turning ideas into reality. Otherwise known as Dr Yes!

Why it’s good: Richard Branson’s LinkedIn professional bio just exudes his personality. Seen as an eccentric billionaire with a penchant for space travel, the Virgin Group founder meshes his professional accomplishments with the many value-driven, philanthropic passion projects he’s undertaken over the years.

Ann Handley

The bio : Ann Handley is a writer, digital marketing pioneer, and Wall Street Journal best-selling author who inspires and empowers you to create marketing that your customers will love, igniting real results for your business.

Ann Handley writes and speaks about how businesses can escape marketing mediocrity to achieve tangible results.

And she will inspire you to do work you’re proud of.

Why it’s good: Marketing guru Ann Handley's profile is short, sweet, and to the point. Perfect for most venues, such as the personal website this is posted on, Handley's bio explains what her strengths are and how she can best help you and your business.

Joaquin Duato

The bio : Joaquin Duato is the Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson and serves on its Board of Directors. As CEO of the world’s largest healthcare company, Joaquin leads a global workforce of 135,000 employees in developing and delivering transformational and innovative healthcare solutions in Pharmaceuticals, MedTech, and Consumer Health.

From his early days in Spain, Joaquin found inspiration by focusing on how healthcare improved patients’ lives. Over the course of three decades with the company, he developed a deep understanding of what’s possible at Johnson & Johnson by working in all business sectors and across multiple geographies and functions. Before being named CEO, Joaquin served as the Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee, where he provided strategic direction for the Pharmaceutical and Consumer Health sectors and oversaw both Information Technology and the Global Supply Chain.

Joaquin’s many accomplishments include driving the transformation of the company’s pharmaceutical business into a global powerhouse by refocusing strategy and investment around core therapeutic areas and areas of greatest unmet need during his tenure as the sector’s Worldwide Chairman. More recently, he oversaw the company’s rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic and drove coordination of global initiatives to safeguard the health of employees and ensure business and supply chain continuity, so the company’s life-saving medicines and products reached patients and communities in need.

A believer in the power of technology to accelerate progress in healthcare, Joaquin is leading Johnson & Johnson to harness data science and intelligent automation for insight generation so that teams work as a united front, with expertise and purpose, to solve the world’s toughest health challenges.

A dual citizen of Spain and the United States, Joaquin’s international perspective gives him a deep appreciation of diversity in all its forms. He is committed to building an inclusive workforce that reflects the patients J&J serves, evidenced by nearly a decade acting as Executive Sponsor for the African Ancestry Leadership Council ERG.

Joaquin earned an MBA from ESADE in Barcelona, Spain, and a Master of International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, Arizona. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and two college-aged children.

Why it’s good: Joaquin Duato, an executive at pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, shares an extensive profile. Not only does this corporate professional bio outline his impressive career, but the long-form entry backs up his status as someone at the top of his game by listing past accomplishments.

Anne T. Madden

The bio : Anne T. Madden is Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Honeywell.

She is responsible for managing legal affairs, Government Relations, health, safety, environment, product stewardship and environmental sustainability. Anne is also responsible for Honeywell’s global M&A efforts.

Prior to taking this role in 2017, Anne was Vice President, Corporate Development and Global Head of M&A, leading acquisition and divestiture activities for 16 years. During her tenure, Honeywell made around 100 acquisitions, representing approximately $15 billion in revenues and divested about 70 businesses, representing close to $9 billion of non-core revenues.

Anne joined Honeywell’s predecessor AlliedSignal in 1996 as General Counsel of Fluorine Products. Later that year she became Vice President and General Counsel of Specialty Chemicals and then Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Performance Materials and Technologies (PMT).

Prior to that, Anne worked at Shearman & Sterling and KPMG Peat Marwick.

Anne earned an A.B. in English and American literature from Brown University, an M.S. in accounting and MBA in finance from the NYU Stern School of Business, and a J.D. from the Fordham University School of Law, where she was Managing Editor of the Law Review.

Why it’s good: Anne Madden's corporate bio is shorter than Joaquin Duato's, but it still manages to detail her career's trajectory in a comprehensive way. Additionally, it offers quantifiable data to show how proficient she is in her field.

Ethan Klei n

The bio : Host of @TheH3Podcast

(Podcast Booking Inquiries: [email protected]) (Business Inquiries: [email protected])

Why it’s good: Not all professional bios need to be lengthy descriptions of a person's career, passions, and hobbies. Ethan Klein's Twitter bio not only highlights his current role as the host of the H3H3 Podcast, but also provides potential connections and partners with ways to get in touch. It gets straight to the point in a way that’s atypical for most professional bios, but it certainly meets the definition for short without missing any key information.

Why do you need a professional bio?

Think of a professional bio as the narrative of your career up to this point. Rather than focusing exclusively on chronological minutiae like a resume, a good bio will give you the ability to focus on your “greatest hits” in a way that also showcases your personality. Here are some of the benefits of having a professional bio of your own:

- Serves as a preemptive icebreaker. If you’re regularly meeting new people at work or attending networking events (check out Namecheap’s how-to video on networking ), a professional bio lets everyone know who you are beforehand. This is particularly helpful for conferences and industry events.

- Easily conveys your personality. While most professional writing requires some rigidity for professionalism’s sake, your bio can and should speak to who you are as a person.

- Gives you a chance to brag. You worked hard to get awards, receive honors, and achieve professional milestones, so flaunt them if you have them!

- Explains who you serve as a professional. If you have a niche you cater to, your bio can quickly and easily explain the areas of focus that mold your professional life.

- Showcases what you do aside from work. There’s more to life than work, so use your bio to show how well-rounded you are by sharing the hobbies or volunteer work that shape your life outside the office.

- Works as your own sales pitch. If written properly, your professional bio will make you more attractive to potential employers and clients by highlighting exactly what makes you a unique and worthwhile addition to any team or project.

Get started on your bio

Anyone can write their own professional bio. Whether you’re looking to book additional side gigs, trying to promote past work, or currently seeking full-time employment, crafting the right professional bio for your needs can give you a leg up in achieving your goals. Through the use of tools like Namecheap Site Maker , you can put together a personal or professional site that highlights your work and showcases who you are as a person by broadcasting your bio to the internet. Likewise, if you’re looking for tips on a crafting professional bio for networking purposes, you may want to check out Namecheap’s business card maker , which can help you make a great first impression with a well-designed calling card.

Ready to get your name out there and build your professional brand? It’s time to write your professional bio and use Namecheap as your source for a website and professional identity.

Thank you for your feedback

Stay inspired

Get all the latest offers, articles, and industry news straight to your mailbox every month.

Need help? We're always here for you.

Engineering

5 Fantastic Professional Bio Examples You Can’t Resist Copying

Need a professional bio to get inspired to? I give you 5 such professional bio examples that you can't resist stealing. Read on and check it yourself.

Everyone desires and deserves to look good in his or her professional space. Whether it’s on LinkedIn or attending a business event, you ensure to look good in front of others. And why not? You are constantly being judged on the basis of how you present yourselves to the world. Hence, you take grooming seriously. But, many of you constantly overlook an area that deserves much more attention. It’s how you look on paper. Precisely speaking, it is your professional bio. And if you think that how many people go through such things ( if you have one )? I’ll say that there are lots of people scanning it. And even if you are not taking it seriously, they are (I assure you that).

Professional bios are much more visible than your resumes. You can use it on LinkedIn, Twitter, on your blog or website, as an author bio and any place where you need to present yourself. In a nutshell, professional bio is your juju to empower your professional network.

Well, you can find out how to create a five-star professional bio by clicking here . But before that, you should see some examples of first-rate professional bios. They are less in number but certainly inspiring. Continue to read.

1. Mark Levy

Mark Levy (he founded Levy Innovations ) has different bios (they differ in length) for different purposes. Here is a shorter version of his professional bio. Have a look at it:-

“Mark Levy is the founder of Levy Innovation, a marketing strategy firm. David Meerman Scott has called him “a positioning guru extraordinaire,” and Debbie Weil referred to him as “a horse whisperer for writers and business thinkers.” He has written for The New York Times, and has written or co-created five books. His latest is a revised, expanded, and re-subtitled edition of his bestseller, Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content. Mark also creates magic tricks and shows. His work has been performed Off-Broadway, in Las Vegas, and on all the major television networks. Visit him and read his blog at levyinnovation.com .”

2. Ann Hardley

Another wizard from the marketing world, Ann Hardley, has her awesome manner of telling things about herself without bragging too much. She has got the credentials to build a lengthy list but as she keeps it short and smart to keep the audience interested in her. Have a look at her bio on her website:-

“ Ann Handley is a veteran of creating and managing digital content to build relationships for organizations and individuals. Ann is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content (September 2014, Wiley) and co-author of the best-selling book on content marketing, Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business (2011, Wiley). She is the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs; a LinkedIn Influencer; a keynote speaker, mom, and writer. ”

You can also see the shorter and longer version of her bios at the same place.

3. Lena Alexson

A professional bio is not at all different from a persuasive article and Lena Alexson proves it through a very engaging professional bio. A Family and Marriage Therapist by profession, Lena uses first person narrative in the entire bio and describes beautifully about herself.

The text is written below:-

“__When human beings experience trauma or severe life stressors, it is not uncommon for their lives to unravel. My great passion is bringing healing to people who have been through a traumatic/stressful experience. I help my clients, who include children, adults and families, to find healthy perceptions of themselves and strengthen their relationships so they can know themselves as peaceful, complete, whole and safe.

I know that no single approach is the right one for every individual, and so I have been trained in a range of modalities including Relational Gestalt Therapy, Gestalt Play Therapy, Somatic Experiencing and NARM somatic approaches to the treatment of trauma

My educational background includes a MA in Counseling Psychology and a Doctor in Clinical Psychology from Ryokan College in Los Angeles. I have a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Stockholm, Sweden a graduate certificate in Gestalt Psychotherapy from the University of Derby in the U.K.

Call or Email Lena Axelsson for a free phone consultation now - (831) 216-6727. ”

You can find another version of her professional bio (third person narrative) on her official website .

4. Laura Zigman

Laura has a good sense of humour and that reflects in her professional bio. She takes the help of third person narrative to describe her journey as a blogger and a novelist. Here is how she does it:-

“ Laura Zigman grew up in Newton, Massachusetts (where she felt she never quite fit in), and graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (where she didn’t fit in either) and the Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course (where she finally started to feel like she fit in).

She spent ten years working (slaving away) in New York in book publishing where she was a (much-abused under-appreciated) publicist for Times Books, Vintage Books, Turtle Bay Books, Atlantic Monthly Press, and Alfred A. Knopf.

After moving to Washington, D.C. (because she was burnt out and didn’t know where else to go) and working briefly as a project manager for The Smithsonian Associates (she had a cubicle) and a consultant for Share Our Strength, an anti-poverty non-profit group (she didn’t even have a cubicle), she (finally) finished her first novel (that she’d been writing in her “spare time” for the last five years).

(The thinly-disguised autobiographical novel) Animal Husbandry was published in 1998 by The Dial Press and became a national bestseller. It was published in fourteen countries (or more, she’s not sure — see here) and in 2001 the film based on the book, Someone Like You, (they changed the title at the last minute because they were afraid people wouldn’t “get” the meaning of the original title — not that she’s complaining or anything) starring Ashley Judd and (excuse her while she drools) Hugh Jackman, was released by Fox 2000. Her second (thinly-disguised autobiographical) novel, Dating Big Bird, also published by The Dial Press, came out in 2000, and her third (thinly disguised autobiographical) novel, Her, published by Knopf (where she once worked — an exquisite irony), followed in 2002. Her latest (thinly-disguised autobiographical) novel, Piece of Work, to be published by Warner Books on September 25, 2006 (finally, after four long years in between books — maybe her parents will now leave her alone), is based on her (horrific but entertaining) experiences as a publicist and has been optioned by Tom Hanks’ production company, Playtone Pictures, with My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s Nia Vardalos (luff her) set to write the screenplay and star in the movie (please God let that happen).

She currently lives outside Boston (in the same town she grew up in — how weird is that? — and where she now feels like fits in) with her husband and young son.”

You can find other versions of Laura’s bio in Huffington Post and Twitter .

5. Jacob Cass

Jacob Cass has a got an impressive professional bio. The graphic designer has also got great credentials like Anna and has listed them with creativity. Not too much of talking. Help yourself with his bio.

“ Hello, my name is Jacob Cass and I am the founder of JUST Creative which is my design studio and graphic design blog.

I specialize in logo design, branding, web design and offer design services to businesses of all sizes around the world, ultimately improving their bottom line by crafting creative solutions to their business problems. Shoot me a quick email to see how I can help you!

Past clients have included the likes of Disney, Nintendo, Jerry Seinfeld and hundreds more. Feel free to read some lovely testimonials from them.

I hold a Bachelor of Visual Communication (Graphic Design Major) from The University of Newcastle, Sydney, Australia with a Dean’s Recommendation of Honours, and have over 15 years of experience in the field with multiple awards under my belt, including the ‘Best of Brand Design‘ awarded by LinkedIn.

I’m a digital nomad and I travel the world while freelancing & blogging (currently up to 80+ countries). You can see my current location on my travel blog, JUST Globetrotting . Rest assured, my clients are always my first priority.

Please do check out my graphic design portfolio and get in touch especially if you’re in need of a distinctive brand identity.”

Lastly, I like to be surprised and surprise others.

So, here’s a section to show you how cool an About Us page of a company can be (I couldn’t resist to show it to you as I am in love with it).

To get more of it, click on the source.

Hence, these are some great bios I would like to share with you. Hope it will helps to carve your first-rate professional bio in mind and paper. If you want to learn how to create them, refer to the link provided in the introduction.

A last piece of advice : First person narrative or third person narrative, it doesn’t matter as long as your content is interesting. Consider your professional bio as as any other write up and make sure that it’s interesting. Also, do not brag too much about yourselves and annoy your audience. Rest of the things will follow.

Thank you for reading!

Written by Sudhanshu Agarwal

Did you enjoy this article? Subscribe to new articles!

Subscribe to our blog.

Select as many topics as you like:

Featured Posts

Consumer Identity Trend 2022 Report

Loginradius ciam platform.

Our Product Experts will show you the power of the LoginRadius CIAM platform, discuss use-cases, and prove out ROI for your business.

Book A Demo Today

LoginRadius empowers businesses to deliver a delightful customer experience and win customer trust. Using the LoginRadius Identity Platform, companies can offer a streamlined login process while protecting customer accounts and complying with data privacy regulations.

How to Write a Short Professional Bio (With Examples and Templates)

Your professional bio is one of the most important things you'll write about yourself. In a world where just about everyone is represented online in some capacity, your professional bio will often serve as your first introduction to your intended audience. It can help to influence whether someone decides to invite you to connect, interview you, or simply move on.

A short professional bio works in tandem with your resume to tell your unique story. While your resume provides insight into what you've accomplished in each of your roles, your professional bio gives more color as to who you are, where you've been, where you're headed, and sometimes, depending on the context, what you like to do for fun.

If your mind is drawing blanks when trying to write your own bio, we want you to know that that's completely normal. Summing up your experiences into something short and professional, yet quippy and engaging isn't always easy.

That's exactly why we created this guide — to help you nail down a short, sweet, and true-to-you professional bio that you can post on your personal website, LinkedIn, Twitter, or wherever you need it to be.

Even if you don't consider yourself to be a writer, you don't need to hire a freelance writer for this task. We'll walk you through how to write a short bio that will outline your professional life and better communicate who you are to potential employers.

What is a short professional bio?

A short professional bio is exactly what it sounds like — a short professional biography that introduces yourself and gives a brief overview of your career and accomplishments . A short professional bio gives future employees, colleagues, and anyone else you're networking with a more well-rounded picture of who you are.

We recognize that “short” is a vague term and can mean many different things. But the good news is, unless you're dealing with a certain character or space limit, there is no magic length that your bio has to be. Most short bios tend to run anywhere from one to four paragraphs, but feel free to make yours whatever length you think would work best for you.

Your short professional bio can be displayed many different places, including but not limited to: your website, LinkedIn profile, Twitter profile, in press features, and your resume.

What should I include in a short professional bio?

Before you sit down to write your bio, it might be helpful for you to think of it as not only a bio, but also an elevator pitch for your target audience. You want to produce a compelling professional bio. Your bio should answer the question: what would you want someone who doesn't know you at all to know about your career so far?

Below are some thought-starters to set you up for success.

As a working professional

Whether you've been working for six months or 15 years, consider including these in your bio:

To make sure you're providing the most relevant skills to a potential employer, use Teal's Skills Database in the free Skills Workbook to identify your current skills and potential skills that you want to acquire. Once you've identified those, enter them into Teal's Skills Identifier.

As a student

Even if you're still in school, there's plenty of information you can include in your bio, like:

‍As someone starting their career journey, make sure you know what interests you and what will make you excited to go to work each day. We have a tool, the Interests Workbook , to help you map out the things you're excited about and apply those insights to your job search.

How to write a short professional bio

If you're ready to begin writing your professional bio, we commend you. We've listed a few things here that you might find helpful to consider, but again, there is no steadfast formula. You can feel free to follow or ignore these suggestions however you see fit.

Choose your voice

You have the option to write your bio using either first or third person. When using first person, you will be utilizing the pronouns "I, me, and my". When using third person, you would refer to yourself using your name and preferred pronouns.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. However, as a general rule, using third person is typically considered more formal, while using first person is more casual.

First person example: "I am a bestselling author. My work has been published in XYZ publication."

Third person example: "Zane Smith is a bestselling author. His work has been published in XYZ publication."

If you want to have multiple versions of the same bio on hand, like a first person version and a third person version, our blurb builder can make it happen. Write as many versions of your bio as you need and be ready for any twists your career takes with our career-building tools .

You can also use AI technology, like ChatGPT, paired with Teal's Resume Builder to generate versions of your short professional bio.

Choose your tone

Written words, like spoken speech, can embody many different moods and tones. Depending on the context and your personal brand , you might decide your bio should sound more buttoned-up, or more relaxed, or even a little bit silly.

These two sentences describe the same person but showcase very different tones and writing style:

“A recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Sally is currently a consultant at XYZ Consulting based out of their New York office.”

“A recent UPenn grad, Sally swore off econ after years of hard classes only to end up as a consultant at a major firm — but don't worry, she loves it.”

Start with your name and your current or most recent role

This is not a hard and fast rule, but to get your bio started, it's usually easiest to start with your name and current professional title or role.

Example: “Zane Smith is currently the Demand Generation Manager at ABC Tech Company.”

If you're transitioning between roles or switching industries , you can list your most recent role and use your first sentence to say what you're looking to become.

Example 1: “Previously the Demand Generation Manager at ABC Tech Company, Zane Smith is actively pursuing new opportunities in marketing management.”

Example 2 : “Previously the Demand Generation Manager at ABC Tech Company, Zane Smith is now an aspiring 2nd grade teacher.”

Add any former titles and list relevant achievements

Once you've introduced yourself and your current title or aspirations, you can flow into your professional background, former job titles, and what you did previously. Together, the first two sentences of your bio could read something like this:

“Zane Smith is currently the Demand Generation Manager at ABC Tech Company. Previously, he was a Marketing Specialist at FGH Tech Company where he grew paid traffic to their website by 500% year over year.”

How can you ensure your bullet point achievements reflect your qualifications? In addition to using Teal's free Achievement Assistant tool within the Resume Builder , try leveraging ChatGPT for this part of the process.

Remember to personalize your bullet point achievements by proofreading and editing them, tweaking as needed using the Achievement Assistant tool.

Consider adding the “why” behind your story

Self-promotion can feel incredibly uncomfortable, but it's important to really make sure you don't undermine your own value. Your “why,” the reason that you do what you do everyday , can be powerful and meaningful. Adding what gives you the spark to start each workday can set your own professional bio apart from others.

Example: “Claire was inspired to pursue a career in elder law after volunteering in a nursing home throughout high school and college.”

Close with some personal details, if appropriate

Even though your bio will be used in a professional capacity, it's okay to list a few personal details. We're more than just our jobs, and adding a few personal facts can help illustrate who you are outside of the office.

Example: “When he's not working, Martin can be found tending to his spice garden and going on nature walks with his golden retriever.”

Short professional bio do's and don'ts

Even though there are no official rules for writing a bio, there are still some things you should try to strive for as well as steer clear of if you want to make the best possible impression.

Be real: Your bio is not the place to fudge the truth about who you are. Be honest about what you've done and where you're heading. Not telling the truth could bar you from achieving your goals and land you in hot water.

Be concise: We really hate to be the one to tell you this, but unfortunately, most people do not have the time or patience to read a five-paragraph essay about your life story. Sorry to break it to you!

Try to keep things brief and avoid run-on sentences. We recommend running your bio through a free clarity reader grammar-checking tool to make sure your bio isn't too wordy or hard to understand.

Be relatable: No matter how lofty your accomplishments are, staying grounded may help you establish stronger connections with others. This is where adding personal details and highlighting your personal brand can serve you well. Whether that's with a hobby, interest , or other role outside of work, being relatable can let others understand and get to know you better and determine if you would be a good fit for a company.

Don't:

Be arrogant: It's both appropriate and expected for you to talk about your professional skills and accomplishments in your short bio. That being said, there's a fine line between talking about your achievements and sounding too braggy. These two examples talk about the same accomplishment but come across very differently:

“An accomplished pianist, Ryan was selected out of nearly 7,000 applicants to perform at the annual New York State School Music Association festival last spring.”

“An accomplished pianist, Ryan was the obvious choice to perform at the annual New York State School Music Association festival last spring (because he's the best).”

Be spiteful: This is especially relevant if you're revising your bio after a lay-off or termination. As tempting as it might be, avoid making any negative statements or accusations in your bio. Positivity and a good attitude will get you much further.

Short professional bio examples

Seeing real professional bios in the wild might help you craft your bio more so than a set of guidelines will. For that reason, we rounded up four real-life short bio examples on different platforms that you can draw further inspiration from.

Personal website bio: Audree Kate Lopez

"AUDREE KATE LOPEZ IS A FASHION STYLIST, EDITOR, INDUSTRY EXPERT AND INFLUENCER BASED IN NEW YORK. Audree began her professional career in the fashion departments at Glamour, O, the Oprah Magazine, Editorialist and Redbook magazines. She launched Audree Kate Studios in 2017 and worked on freelance projects at Marc Jacobs, Alice + Olivia, J.Crew and Club Monaco, joined the styling team at Alice + Olivia and became a contributing fashion editor for StyleCaster.com. Over the past few years Audree has styled for various publications, celebrities and retail brands. In 2016, Audree founded a digital course and community for fashion students called Fashion Fundamentals and has hosted workshops and classes around the country, and wrote an ebook titled Fashion Fundamentals."

Why we picked it: Audree's professional bio does a great job at telling and humbling her story. Taking her career from her dorm room all the way to major magazines is impressive and gives readers the right impression that she's ambitious and driven. It also gives a strong overview of all of the different yet relevant accomplishments she's checked off, ranging from styling, to editing, to creating her own course.

LinkedIn bio: Christen Nino De Guzman

"Latina creator. Speaker. Tech Mentor. Christen is the Founder of the newly launched app Clara, a community that empowers creators through transparency, brand reviews, and discoverability. An industry vet, Christen has almost a decade of experience working with top content creators at social networking companies such as Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. She is a motivational speaker and mentor in the tech space who is passionate about helping people break into the industry through career advice and actionable content."

Why we picked it: Christen's professional bio is punchy, concise, and gives her credibility. The short few sentences at the very beginning are a creative and clever way to describe who she is right off the bat. She also mentions how many years of experience she has, which at this stage in her career, is a wise move and shows that she brings a high level of expertise to her pursuits. The decision to put her social media profiles makes sense and feels true to her, given her engaged following.

Twitter bio: Dulma

"Founder of Makelane, a private community for female DTC founders. 70K followers on TikTok where I analyze consumer brands"

Why we picked it: Twitter only gives you 160 characters for your bio, truly keeping it a short bio, but Dulma does an excellent job maximizing what little space is given. Dulma's professional bio clearly and succinctly states her two main pursuits: being a founder of an online community and creating content for a large audience on TikTok.

Company website bios: Teachable

"Meet our wonderful team We're a tight-knit group of curious creatures, always learning, and constantly seeking out new perspectives and ideas. Get to know our team—they're what makes Teachable, well, Teachable."

Why we picked it : Having a short professional bio on a company website can be beneficial for many reasons. Each of the four bios featured on Teachable's company site show individuality and make the company more relatable to customers or clients. It provides an opportunity for the individual to showcase their experience, skills, and achievements, which can help build trust and confidence in potential clients or customers. These bios, with full names and pictures, allow the reader to learn more about the individual's expertise and background and can encourage networking opportunities.

Short professional bio templates

If you prefer to plug and play or need a professional bio in a pinch, don't worry, we've still got you. Here are three short bio templates to get you started:

Short professional bio template for working professionals

[First name last name] is [currently/formerly] a [insert most recent job title] at [most recent company name] . A proud graduate of [school or university] , they were inspired to pursue a career in [field] after [explain what led to your decision to work in your industry] . Prior to working at [most recent job title], they were the [previous title] at [previous company] where they were responsible for [insert professional accomplishments here] . In their free time, they can be found [insert your favorite hobbies] .

Short professional bio template for students

[First name last name] is a current [year] at [institution] majoring in [area(s) of study] . On campus, [First name] is actively involved in [activity name] , for which they [insert details about what you do for the activity you're involved in] . They most recently [interned/worked] at [organization name] , where they had the opportunity to [insert details about what you did on the job] . They intend to work in the [insert field name or industry] after graduation to follow their passion of [insert what you are passionate about] . In their spare time, they can be found [insert your favorite hobbies] .

Short professional bio template for someone with a gap in employment

[First name last name] is a [position/job title] with [number] years of experience in [specific skills or industry] . Following [briefly mention the reason for the employment gap] , [he/she/they] took some time off to focus on [briefly mention what they did during the gap, e.g., personal development, family obligations, health reasons] . During this time, [he/she/they] also [briefly mention any relevant skills or achievements acquired during the gap] . [Name] is now eager to return to the workforce and is excited to bring [specific skills/accomplishments] to [his/her/their] next role. With a proven track record of [list specific achievements or skills] , [Name] is confident in [his/her/their] ability to contribute to [specific industry/profession] and make an impact in [his/her/their] next position.

If you decide to use any of these templates, we strongly recommend you tweak it ever-so-slightly. We don't mean diving into creative writing and rewriting it entirely; just add a little bit of personal flair once you've finished plugging your details in. Add some adjectives, remove anything that doesn't quite fit with your vibe or experiences, or append some more personal details as you see fit. Feel free to work off of any one of the bios from our resume examples to get feel for how different styles can be used across roles.

Remember, as cheesy as it sounds, there's only one you. Even if you use a template, your bio should still have a small sprinkle of personal flair, if possible.

Final Thoughts

Crafting a professional bio that effectively showcases your unique skills and accomplishments can be a challenging task. It's important to keep in mind that your bio should be concise and focused on the most relevant details of your career. If you're struggling with what to include, consider starting with the basics and keeping it simple and factual.

Remember, your bio can evolve over time along with your career, so don't be afraid to make updates as you gain more experience and achieve new accomplishments. By taking these steps, you can create a friendly and professional bio that effectively represents your personal brand.

Ready to create a full set of professional bios to get to your next career goal faster? Sign up for Teal to get started building your short professional bios and matching resumes.

Use the AI technology integrated within Teal's Resume Builder to generate professional summaries directly within the Teal platform.

Once you have your professional bio, don't forget to use Teal's free Resume Builder to update your resume with your skills, latest experience, and work achievements! The job of your resume is to get you in the door. Optimizing it will help you land interviews for the next opportunities that excite you.

Use the AI integration feature within Teal's Resume Builder to generate achievements. To get quality, metric-driven achievements, make sure to attach a job description to incorporate relevant keywords.

Emily Polner

4 Ways to Use ChatGPT to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile (with Prompts)

We help you find the career dream.

Reinvent Yourself!

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY EXAMPLES

We write powerful, branded, job-winning resumes, linkedin profiles, letters & other job search documents.

Your professional biography (aka executive biography or personal biography) complements your traditional executive resume and LinkedIn profile .

While many resumes are now written in a story style , they are still almost always ordered chronologically and are very focused on conveying key facts, specific qualifications, and your most impressive accomplishments in a very succinct manner.

Your LinkedIn profile is very similar to your resume –at least the employment history section is–but you can use the summary section to show some personality and include personal information that fosters networking . LinkedIn profiles are often written in an engaging, personal, and conversational style that encourages networking. Your authentic, personal stories become conversation points for people you network with.

Your professional biography is a unique document that, in some ways, blends the best of both your resume and LinkedIn profile. Written in a narrative style and usually from the third-person perspective, bios tell the compelling stories of your career. Well-written professional biographies frame the progression of your career in a storytelling format that reinforces your personal brand and unique value proposition .

Biography Examples From Our Portfolio

A FEW WORDS ABOUT OUR PORTFOLIO OF EXAMPLE RESUMES:

Please remember that each of these example resumes and other career documents are protected by copyright and may not be copied. Also, when you hire us to write your resume , please feel free to share with us any examples that especially caught your eye. But remember, your resume should be designed to showcase the unique factors that set you apart from your competitors in the job market. This means that the format you have grown to “love” might not be the best format for you. Before we write your resume, we will consult with you and apply our expertise in creating a resume design and format that matches your personal brand while also showcasing the key selling points unique to your background .

More About Our Biography Examples

As you can see from the example professional bios on this page, your biography should touch on all the most important facts , such as your job titles and employers, but the story isn’t always told in the same reverse chronological order that you are used to from your resume. Sometimes, the story is better told from the beginning to the present. Sometimes, you might start in the present, jump to the very beginning, and then describe the middle. The structure isn’t arbitrary, though. It is a strategic and creative decision about how to tell your story in an engaging and creative way. Other facts that are typically included are your education, associations, certifications, board appointments, and so forth.

From your review of these professionally written biography examples, you can see that sidebars and callout boxes are frequently used to give your bio eye appeal while drawing the eye to key facts or qualifications. This is the modern method of formatting biographies that has become quite popular in the last few years. This library of more than 100 downloadable biography templates for MS Word will spark your creativity when it comes to formatting options and designs. Whether you are looking for an executive bio template or professional bio template, you will find one that meets your needs.

While recruiters will sometimes ask to see your bio, they are more frequently interested in your resume . How, then, can you use your biography? If you are a speaker, you will often be asked for a bio. Your bio may also be requested when pursuing board of director positions, usually in addition to your board resume. Bios are also great for networking situations and can be used in conjunction with or instead of a networking resume or infographic value profile . If you are an executive and take a high-level position with a company, you may be asked for your bio so that the company can list it on its website. Some people also include a biography as a PDF download on LinkedIn .

We Are Here to Help You!

If you are looking for help writing your resume or biography, we invite you to set up a free resume writing consultation . We’ll be happy to discuss your situation, answer your questions about working with professional resume writers, and provide a customized quote.

You may also enjoy reviewing our example resumes , example before and after resumes , example cover letters , and example resume addendums.

20 Tips to Modernize Your Resume for 2020 (and beyond)

Your ultimate guide to telecommuting, you've lost your job, now what.

ATTENTION JOB HUNTERS Take the 30-Day Challenge

Attention job hunters, modernize your outdated resume in minutes.

CREATING A VISION FOR YOUR LIFE

How to write a board of directors resume , the ultimate 20-point resume checklist, how to 5x your results when applying for advertised openings, job searching & career management during a pandemic , look & feel poised and confident be competitive...land the job.

101 Fast-Action Things You Can Do For Your Career Today In 15 Minutes or Less!

Easily identify your accomplishments to create a powerful resume.

Create a Perfect Résumé With This Step-by-Step 20-Point Checklist

IMAGES

45 Biography Templates & Examples (Personal, Professional)
Examples Of Biography
How to Research and Write a Biography (with 40+ Biography Examples)
45 Biography Templates & Examples (Personal, Professional)
Professional Biography Sample by BiographySamplesAU on DeviantArt
Sample Biography

VIDEO

Art Of Biography Writing
What is Biography?|| How to write a Biography? || What are the Elements of Biography
Why Biographies are So Important for Us to Read
Writing A Biography
Features of a Biography
Writing an Author Biography that Connects with Readers

COMMENTS

What Is the Difference Between Autobiography and Biography?
A biography is the story of a person’s life in the words of another person, while an autobiography is the story of a person’s life in his own words. A biography is typically written in third person, while an autobiography is typically writt...
What Are the Characteristics of a Biography?
A biography must cover the accounts of a person’s life in the third-person. The biography can cover the subject’s entire life or a distinct portion.
What Are the Elements of a Biography?
Elements of a biography include the person’s date of birth, major accomplishments, career summary and an overview of why the person is interesting or important. The length of the biography is also an important element, as it affects the typ...
20 of the Best Professional Bio Examples We've Ever Seen [+
Summarize your experience in a polished professional bio. Use these bio examples, templates, and tips to showcase your career online for
How To Write a Professional Short Bio (With Examples)
Learn how to write a professional short bio and use our template and examples as a guide.
45 Biography Templates & Examples (Personal ...
The lives of many people have interesting bits of information, but you ought to know what to capture in the biography and what to leave out. Biography Examples.
How To Write A Short Bio (With Templates + Examples)
Short Bio Examples · Entry-Level Job-Seeker Bio Example. Mitchell Morrison is an upcoming video producer and editor who believes in the art of
45 Biography Templates & Examples (Personal, Professional)
45 Biography Templates & Examples (Personal, Professional) Example Of
13 Bio Examples ideas
Feb 12, 2015 - Examples of really good biographies. See more ideas about best biographies, bio, example.
Short Professional Bio Examples
Here are some examples of professional biographies in different industries. Teacher. A teacher may include their professional biography at the top of a class
6 short professional bios and how to write one yourself
Real life bio examples ; Tim Cook. Tim Cook bio photo ; Ann Handley. Ann Handley bio photo ; Joaquin Duato. Joaquin Duato bio photo ; Anne T. Madden.
How to Write a Short Professional Bio (With Examples and Templates)
A short professional bio is exactly what it sounds like — a short professional biography that introduces yourself and gives a brief overview of
Professional Biography Examples
5 professionally written biography examples plus tips to help you write a standout personal bio. For speakers, executives, boards, and more.