In a world driven by LinkedIn profiles, it can be easy to forget how impactful a true biography can be. In fact, biographies play a crucial role in establishing credibility, showcasing expertise, and building connections. However, biographies are not a “one size fits all” career marketing piece.

1.   Traditional Professional Biography

If you have ever read a company’s “About us” page, chances are that you have seen the traditional biography.

The professional biography is more of a snapshot with the specific purpose of showing how the person enhances the company’s mission. It is usually less than 500 words. Depending on the company culture and its branding, the biography may be very formal or creative and personal. (Want to see some creative bios? Check out the About page for Personal Touch Career Services: https://www.personaltouchcareerservices.com/about.)

2.   Executive Biography

Also known as an executive summary, biographies for senior leaders in the C-Suite are designed to showcase the person’s strategic leadership, vision, and impact. While some companies choose to post these longer documents on their website, they are typically used for company proposals, investment prospectus, grant applications, or the executive’s job search. When submitted to a recruiter, the executive biography is usually a full page or anywhere from 500 – 700 words.

In terms of tone, these documents are almost always formal business language – unless, of course, the executive is in a highly creative field or is making a statement.

3.   Entrepreneurial Biography

While an entrepreneurial biography may have some of the same goals as an executive resume, the focus is different. For example, the entrepreneur may use the bio to raise funding or attract partners and clients. Since the focus is to grow the business, the overall tone needs to be persuasive, along with providing supportive facts to drive the point home.

Depending on what platform is used, the length can vary from less than 400 words on the company’s website to over 700 in a prospectus.

4.   Freelancer or Consultant Biography

Not to be confused with the entrepreneurial resume, the consultant biography is designed to drum up business by proving one’s expertise. Branding matters a lot on these documents: After all, people need to understand not just what you do and how you do it, but why it will benefit them.

The length of the consultant biography varies depending on the media source. Is it a static page on the website? Is it a flyer that is distributed at events or emailed to interested parties? Or is it part of a larger brochure? Finally, this bio might actually be used as the summary or About section of the LinkedIn profile, especially if that is how the consultant is seeking new clients.

5.   Job Seeker Biography

True, not every job seeker needs a formal biography. However, the About section of a LinkedIn profile can greatly enhance a candidate’s chances of landing a job if it is done right.

Many people don’t know that the About section can hold 2,600 characters. That offers a lot of space for a job seeker to clearly show their expertise, strengths, achievements, philosophy, goals, and any number of other elements that will help them stand out from the competition.

It is impossible to describe all the powerful variations of the LinkedIn About section within a quick article. The main point is this: The most successful job seekers will have a clear brand promise. Additionally, recruiters and managers review LinkedIn profiles to get to know candidates’ personalities. Therefore, the best profiles will showcase the person. (Not sure how to do that? We would love to help you craft a new LinkedIn profile.)

6.   Personal Biography

Some industries allow for a creative approach to biographies, including ones that blend the professional and personal life journey. The private service or luxury lifestyle management industry is a perfect example. For the people who manage multi-million-dollar private estates for high-net-worth individuals (HNWI), job seekers often receive requests for narratives that walk through their lives. That’s right; their entire lives, not just their professional experience. After all, the employers want to gain a sense of who the candidate is before inviting them to their estate.

Personal biographies can also be used for highly creative industries. People in the arts, entertainment, and creator fields need to show their uniqueness and drive while meeting the standards of their industry.

For example, here is a recent speaker biography that I wrote for a presentation for the National Resume Writers’ Association (NRWA):

Donna Shannon (they/them) is President at Personal Touch Career Services and holds NCOPE and Master Career Director (MCD) designations. Since 2005, they have been deeply involved in the niche industry of luxury lifestyle management, helping estate managers, personal assistants, butlers, private chefs and others land jobs managing the private affairs for the Ultra High Net Worth individuals. They have spoken about job-searching strategies at conferences for these niche industries in Orlando, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, and Denver, among others. Donna personally mentors their staff of five resume writers to stay on the cutting edge of the employment landscape, including the latest developments within their target markets.

Compare that to my comedy biography:

As the owner of Coyote Visions Productions, Donna Shannon develops comedy showcases and variety shows throughout Colorado’s Front Range. If it’s fun, creative, and different, we will probably make it into a great show! In spanning the globe and the Denver area for talent, we value diversity and unique viewpoints that connect humans by laughing together at the ridiculousness of life.

On a personal level, Donna believes in following their dreams, which led them to become a strip club DJ, a recovering addict, a teen mom, and a career coach (not necessarily in that order). A self-proclaimed nerd, their humor dives deep into geek culture and all that it entails.

Final Notes

Choosing the right format for your biography vastly depends on your audience and your intent. What is perfectly normal for one industry might be crazy for another one. Similarly, failing to take a risk may make a candidate seem boring if used in the wrong setting. Whatever the case, make sure your new bio reflects the real you. Companies want to hire real people, not just a jumble of keywords. Your biography is an ideal way to show them who you are.

Not sure how to write an attention-grabbing biography? We can help! We offer biographies for all of these situations. Please schedule a consultation to find out more:

https://www.personaltouchcareerservices.com/contact