How To Build Your Career Brand With An Executive Bio
Let’s face it, having an executive bio may be the least of your concerns. You may be thinking that as long as you have a good cover letter, updated résumé, and a decent LinkedIn profile your job is done, right? Well, not quite. There’s more to a career branding portfolio than the big three. You’re missing your executive bio. So, what’s the difference? Your résumé is a fact-based, chronological business document while your LinkedIn profile is the best place to share your story in first-person language, show your personality, and build your network.
An executive bio will highlight who you are and detail your professional experience and industry impact in a classic narrative, biographical format and written in third person language. So, before you spend hours scouring the internet searching for executive bio examples or articles on how to write an executive bio, let’s go a bit deeper to learn what it is, why you need it, and how you can make your executive bio the best it can be.
An executive bio is a one-page document or story highlighting your core values, career history, achievements, goals, and aspirations in a narrative biographical style. It details your personal brand and is a high-level way of marketing yourself. This stand-alone document is a powerful tool to get your name out there and in front of the people that matter. Essentially, it is a networking tool crafted to add support and complement your already existing résumé and LinkedIn profile.
In the corporate world, competition is stiff, and your executive bio is an important way to help your career brand stand out above the rest. You want to be able to differentiate yourselves with a detailed yet concise executive bio that demonstrates what makes you unique. It is often used as an introductory or “about me” section that can be used to market your career brand.
What Should You Include in Your Executive Bio?
It starts with collecting all the information you want to include and the information you think the reader needs to know. Then you begin to tell your story and connect those dots. Your executive bio should consist of at least your:
Job experience
Educational background
Awards and achievements
Special training or certificate
Community involvement
Personal details about you
You'll want to consistently tailor your bio to the industry you need to display it in, so it will need regular editing. Remember, you will want to write in the third person and know the audience you're tailoring it to.
The Uses for an Executive Bio
Executive bios are not exclusive to the hiring world. They are used to define your brand to key executives throughout your industry. Your executive bio can be on your website or included on your company's about page.
The executive bio can be consistently shaped to your needs as you move through your professional career. As long as you have a standard version you can take it apart for different uses and platforms. For example, you can use it as an introduction for industry events, add it to your LinkedIn profile or as a social media blurb, as well as use it to help you craft your pitch when someone says, “Tell me about yourself.”
Tips to Personalize Your Bio and Make it Stand Out
You want to be sure you are setting the right tone with your bio to show your genuine personality and your values and expertise. It has to be impactful and engaging to stand out. Here are some tips to help you personalize your executive bio.
Be Creative and Concise – You want to capture the reader's attention from the start with a tone that exudes your brand's personality and highlights your values creatively. Your storytelling abilities can play a major role in your networking and ability to market yourself. If you can capture your reader’s attention, they will likely read through to the end. Follow a flow that starts with who you are and what you’re doing now, and work your way backward through your career milestones. Most bios end with personal facts related to what you’re passionate about outside of your work.
Format Your Bio in Small, Easy to Read Paragraphs – Keep your paragraphs to 2 to 3 sentences to draw the eyes to the information you want people to read and allow them to easily gather all the essentials, such as your values and what makes you unique. Even if your reader were to skim, they should still be able to get a good idea of what makes you an asset.
Be Yourself – Allow your bio to reflect your personality and flow in a way that feels like you are having a natural conversation with a person. Read it out loud and let your words flow naturally. Formulate your story in a narrative that helps your reader understand your journey and the impactful events that have contributed to your success. Displaying your personal brand is essential to any job search. What do you want the reader to feel after reading it?
Having a great executive bio is essential beyond searching for a new career. When you can create detail about your achievements and highlight your personal brand, you have a unique opportunity to showcase your career history in a new way. Use the executive bio to tell the story of you and how you managed to achieve your successes.
At Career Global, we know the value of an extraordinary executive bio and building your branding portfolio. Schedule a brand strategy session with us and allow us to work with you to guide your ambitions and give you the framework to succeed.
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