I hate your professional bio, here’s why
I hate professional bios. If your professional bio is like everyone else’s, I hate it too, but let’s see if we can fix that. When I look at a conference program or brochure with bios, they range from dull to disingenuous. I don’t need either.
Professional bios tend to be too professional, making them completely uninteresting. They are usually written in the third person, and start with all of the things the person has accomplished. They are too long; buzz word filled fly traps of non-interesting words and half facts. Nobody wants to read that garbage.
A better way to think about your professional bio
Professional bios shouldn’t start with what seems impressive; they should start with what is important. I begin my bio with the foundation of who I am. I’m a husband and father of five (almost six). It signals to the reader what matters most to me. I’m not a corporate ladder climber. I’m not a company builder or kingmaker at my core. I’m a family guy first and don’t forget it.
After starting with what’s important, can we talk about what’s interesting? Maybe your last job performance is impressive, or perhaps, the fact that you have traveled to X number of countries or speak X number of languages is more interesting. I go straight to the fact that I wear a fedora. It’s…
