Bio Hazards: 9 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Professional Bio

Posted: May 14, 2012

You need a polished professional bio to make the right impression. A few key mistakes can turn your bio from polished to tarnished. Learn the 9 most common mistakes that are made when writing a professional bio, and how to avoid them.

You need a polished professional bio to make the right impression. A few key mistakes can turn your bio from polished to tarnished. Learn the 9 most common mistakes that are made when writing a professional bio, and how to avoid them.

[caption id="attachment_10120" align="alignright" width="281"]© peterjunaidy - Fotolia.com[/caption]A professional bio is a bit like an auto club card, you may not need it very often, but when you do, you’ll be really glad you have one. All professionals and business leaders, from athletes to CFOs to pediatricians to DJs, should have at their disposal a few well-written paragraphs recounting their career accomplishments. A brief bio is indispensable for use in social media profiles, company Web sites, press releases, event programs, brochures, book jackets and more.

So as a PR and marketing copywriter, I’m continually amazed at how many people, even A-list actors and C-level executives, don’t have up-to-date, cleanly written bios at their fingertips. And when I ask clients for their bios, to include them in press or marketing materials, they often respond with such a combination of guilt and dread you’d think I’d asked them to tell me their 401k account balance.

In reality, writing a good professional bio is nothing to be afraid of—as long as you avoid a few common pitfalls.

1. Writing in the First Person: Even if you’re writing your own bio, take a page out of the Herman Cain/Bob Dole playbook and refer to yourself in the third person. Whoever the subject is, call them by their full name the first time you mention them and just their last name on subsequent references. (The one exception to this rule is social media profiles; the convention there is to be less formal and write in the first person).
2. Starting at the beginning: Like resumes, bios should generally start with the present and work backwards chronologically. The reason for this is simple: the purpose of a bio is to describe what sets the subject apart professionally. For most people, that’s going to be the major accomplishments of their adult lives—not their formative years. Sure, Meryl Streep studied acting at Vassar. But so did lots of people. No one else has been nominated for 17 Oscars, though. That’s why it’s a good idea to begin with a summary statement that includes the subject’s current position or occupation as well as their most significant recent accomplishment.

Read the remaining 9 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Professional Bio.