Here are my top tips for creating a strong, engaging bio that concentrates on the client-centric, show vs. tell concept:
- Use short, succinct sentences and paragraphs – less is actually much more
- Use bulleted lists to break up lists of matters/experience but only include the most important representative matters and write about them in client-centric terms
- Organize text with subheadings by industry or area – think about what would make the most sense to the reader
- Avoid repetition by mixing up sentence structure
- Don’t write in legalese and don’t rehash your resume
- Cite specific examples with targeted keywords to enhance SEO
- Add examples where you did something that was “first of its kind” or “groundbreaking”
- Don’t bore readers with overused phrases, similar sentence construction, clichés (i.e. “depth and breadth” or “deep bench”)
- Add articles and speaking engagements to boost subject-matter expertise (but don’t go back to the beginning of time)
- Be discreet with awards and honors
- Showcase community involvement
- Update your bio regularly (at least every six months)
- Don’t cut and paste your web bio to your LinkedIn profile – your LinkedIn bio should be shorter and more casual
- Regularly proofread your bio – nothing is worse than spending all this time creating a great bio just to have typos in itAlways think client-centric and show vs. tell and you will always be on the right path