Writing a personal or professional biography is one of those tasks that most of us dread. What to include, what to leave out? Often it seems easier just to ignore the task until another day. But at the same time, we all know that a great work bio is a necessary document these days.
One way to make this dreaded task easier is to use a fill-in-the-blank biography template. When you use the templates provided below, all you have to do is choose one or two sentences from each of the four categories and add your details. The result will be a great short bio.
To structure your bio, choose one or two sentences from each of the four categories below.
1) who you are
2) what your expertise is (credentials and experience)
3) why the reader should care about your expertise
4) how the reader can contact you
I’ve organized the bio sentence templates below into the four “who, what, why, and how” categories. Choose one or two sentences from each category, fill in the blanks, and you’ll be done!
Category #1: WHO you are (choose one or two sentences)
NAME is a _________ (your job title) with ___________ (company name). In this role, NAME looks after/coordinates/manages/leads a team providing (choose one of the foregoing) all aspects of _______, including _____, _____ and ______.
A big believer in ______, NAME supports _______.
NAME is a qualified __________ (your professional designation, e.g. electrician, property appraiser, esthetician, salon manager) and holds the _________ degree/certification (choose one) from ______ (name of educational institution). (Note: some people prefer to put the education part at the end of the professional bio, just prior to the contact information.)
Category #2: WHAT your expertise is (choose one or two sentences)
NAME is no stranger to ________ (your industry or type of work), having spent ___ years as a ________ and a __________ (occupations: e.g. board member, speaker, fitness instructor, computer support specialist, entrepreneur, chef, senior executive, where he/she ____________ (your major responsibilities or accomplishments in that role).
NAME has more than ____ years of ______ experience in _______.
Prior to starting his/her _________ (type of business) business, NAME spent _______ years as a ___________ and a __________(your relevant experience).
Before joining ______ (company name) in ______ (year), NAME worked for ___ (years) for a diverse range of organizations, including _____ , _______ and ________(e.g. small business startups; large corporations; private sector; non-profits; government agencies).
In this role, NAME was responsible for ______, ______ and ____.
NAME specializes in _________________ (your area of specialization, e.g. marketing and social media; presentation coaching; multicultural awareness; leadership training) and has successfully served a range clients, including ______, _________, and ________ (range of clients served, e.g. entrepreneurs, corporate professionals, nonprofit organizations, CEOs).
____________ (your name) is also the creator of a/an ____________ (name of something you have created, e.g. conference, forum, website, application) which is ___________ (choose one: enjoyed; frequented; visited; read) by _________ (number e.g. hundreds; thousands; many) ____________ (who enjoys it, e.g. visitors; participants; registrants) each ________ (time frame, e.g. month; year).
Category #3: WHY the reader should care about your expertise (choose one or two sentences)
NAME helps _________ (your target clients) to ___________ (a problem or goal your target clients have). [For example, if you are a CPA or accountant, you might write “She can help your company make decisions about allocating resources by providing assurance about financial information.”]
NAME offers a wide range of programs and services, from ___________, to __________ and __________ (your services)
Drawing on _______ (many, several, XX) years experience in ___________, ___________ and _________ (former jobs or industries), NAME now focuses mainly on __________ and ________.
After a successful career in __________ (what you’ve been successful in), NAME now coaches/teaches/advises (choose one) other people how to achieve the same success.
NAME’S varied background in ___________, ___________ and _________ (former jobs or industries) provided the perfect foundation for _________ (what you are doing now).
Passionate about ______and its possibilities, NAME provides ______ services that help _______, _____ and _______ to ________.
Her/his book ________ (book title) was published in ____ (publication year) and has since helped _______ (number: dozens? hundreds? thousands?) of people to _______ (problem book solved for them, or what it taught them)
NAME has _____________ (your accomplishments, e.g. published articles in; had exhibits at; consulted to) ______, _______, and ______, among others. [For example, “Naomi’s mixed media collages were featured in the January 2015 print issue of Somerset Studio magazine and a feature article about her work was published on the magazine’s website.”
Category #4: HOW to contact you (choose one sentence)
To contact NAME please email ______ or go to _______ (your web site).
NAME is available for private consultations on ______, and can be reached at (PHONE NUMBER or other contact info) or by email at ______.
A final word about writing your professional bio
Use these bio templates as a starting point but try not to feel constrained by them. If there’s something that you think is interesting or important to add, by all means do so! Trust your own judgment and let your personal or professional bio reflect what is unique about you.
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If you don’t feel confident about your writing, or you’re simply in a hurry… go here to get an in-depth professionally written “fill-in-the-blanks” bio template that is specific to your type of job. You’ll have it written and complete in less than 30 minutes.
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