9 Professional Bio Examples and Expert Writing Guide

Professional bios are an important part of making a good first impression on potential employers, clients, or contacts. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about professional bios.

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What is a professional bio?

A professional bio is a brief description of who you are as a professional, including your accomplishments, goals, and skills. Bios can vary in length, but are typically around 4-7 sentences.

You can include professional bios on:

• LinkedIn profiles
• Personal websites
• Portfolios
• Social media profiles
• Resumes

Your professional bio provides others with an opportunity to get to know a little bit about who you are and what you do, and gives potential employers or clients a bit of insight into what you have to offer as an employee.

What to include in a bio

Your professional bio should include your:

• Name
• Place of work
• Job title
• Educational background
• Mission statement
• Professional accomplishments
• Professional goals
• Hobbies or interests

That may seem like a lot to squeeze into 4-7 sentences. The good news is, you can take or leave what you need depending on who your bio is geared towards.

For example, if you’re writing a resume and want to include a bio, keep it professional and leave out your hobbies and interests. If it’s for your social media profile, adding more personal flair will help you connect with your audience.

Pick and choose what is most relevant for your purposes, and what will leave the best impression.

How to write a good bio for work

Summing yourself up in a few short sentences can be a challenge. Here are a few tips to help you write a bio that champions your skills and qualifications:

1. Describe what you do

The first thing people want to know about you is what you do, so be sure to explain clearly by including your job title and a brief description of your work.

Here’s an example of an effective opening sentence to a professional bio:

2. Highlight your professional achievements

When you’re trying to make a good first impression, highlighting your professional accomplishments can make a big difference, so don’t be shy. Quantify your achievements and put them in the spotlight.

Following from our first example, here’s a strong second sentence that includes some accomplishments:

3. Add a personal touch

If you decide adding a personal touch to your bio is appropriate, it can give your audience a sense of your personality and something to relate to.

Here’s a sample that demonstrates how to close out your work bio with style:

4. Tailor your bio according to your platform and goals

To make your professional bio impactful, it should be tailored to a specific audience. Don’t write just one professional bio and slap it on your resume, LinkedIn and Instagram. Each medium has a unique audience, and catering to each one individually will give you the best results.

Moreover, how you write your bio should shift according to your goals. For example, writing two versions of your LinkedIn bio for when you’re looking to make connections versus job hunting will help you get the response you’re looking for.

Here are some tips to help guide you in tailoring your professional bio:

• Know your audience: Before you start writing your bio, consider who will be reading it and what they will most want to know about you.
  Consider the platform: Each platform has its own set of practices and etiquette, so make sure that your bio is appropriate for the one you choose.
• Prioritize relevant information: Put the most relevant information first. Readers should immediately understand what you do and why they should be interested.
• Include keywords: If you’re using your professional bio as part of a job search, incorporate relevant keywords related to your target role to improve your visibility.
• Highlight your unique qualities: To leave a lasting impression, emphasize what sets you apart, whether it’s a unique skill, a prestigious award, or a notable project.
• Share personal insights wisely: While a personal touch can humanize your bio, be selective about what details you include and keep the focus on your professional journey.

Professional bio examples

Now that you know how to put together a short bio, let’s look at some examples of both brief and longer professional bios.

Short professional bio examples

Here are some examples of short professional bios:

Recent nursing school graduate short bio example

Here’s an example of a professional bio for an aspiring pediatric nurse:

Denise’s bio is concise, but gives readers a good idea of their educational background and professional goals. It also shows that Denise is a compassionate person, and gives a little insight into their hobbies outside of work.

Elementary school teacher short bio example

Here is a professional bio for a teacher:

Darryl’s bio lays out his key qualifications: his teaching experience, degree, and key teaching skills. He also mentions what motivates him in his teaching, which tells employers that he is dedicated and driven.

Long professional bio example

If you’re a seasoned professional, you’ll likely have more career highlights to show off. In that case, you can opt for a long professional bio and include 3-5 short paragraphs summarizing your achievements.

Here are a couple examples:

Writer bio example

Here’s what a writer’s professional bio might look like:

In this example, Tabitha tells readers about her writing background, where she derived inspiration and her most noteworthy accomplishments. Including the literary magazines she’s been published in leaves readers with a strong first impression.

Brand strategist bio example

Here’s an example of a brand strategist’s professional bio:

As a professional who makes a living crafting rich stories, Jamie includes his own in his bio, giving potential clients a good idea of the services he can provide. By telling his own story, he demonstrates his value as a brand strategist, and helps the reader connect with him.

Professional bio templates

Ready to make your own bio? Below are two templates you can fill in with your own information to create an eye-catching bio for work or your LinkedIn profile. The first one is a first-person short bio template:

If you want to make it a bit more formal, use the third-person. Here’s a template for a short professional bio using third-person:

What is a resume bio?

A resume bio is a great way to start your resume. It’s a brief 3-5 sentence introduction of yourself as a candidate that highlights all of your key qualifications, such as your:

• Education
• Relevant professional experience
• Industry-specific skills
• Related accomplishments

A resume bio should include less information than a standard professional bio used for a personal website or LinkedIn profile, and should leave out any personal details that aren’t directly related to the job you’re applying for (for instance, you don’t need to include hobbies and interests on your resume).

Another key difference to note is that while a professional bio is written for a broad audience, your resume bio is written for a particular employer, and should be tailored to the specific job you’re applying for.

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Resume bio examples

So, what is a good bio for a resume?

Here are a couple examples of good resume bios for you to follow:

Frequently asked questions about professional bios

Have more unanswered questions? Check out our answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about professional bios below:

How do you write a powerful bio?

Here’s how you write a powerful bio:

1. Tailor the information so that it will resonate with your target audience.
2. Create a compelling narrative – effective storytelling will capture a reader’s attention and make you more memorable.
3. Quantify your achievements with numbers.

How long should a professional bio be?

A professional bio should be approximately 5–7 sentences long, depending on where you intend to use it. A bio for a resume should be concise at 3–5 sentences, while bios for other platforms can be longer.

However, keep in mind that readers are looking for a short overview and won’t be likely to read more than a few paragraphs. If you plan on writing a longer bio, consider breaking up the text to make it easier to skim with bulleted lists or bolded text.

What tense should a professional bio be written in?

A professional bio can be written in present tense, past tense, or a combination of the two. Because professional bios usually describe an individual’s career progression, it’s fine to give an overview of your past accomplishments and then switch into discussing your current role or objectives.