Career Rescue

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You might need a professional biography instead of a resume


A professional biography may be what you need to market yourself.


When you are looking for a new job, a resume is one of the first tools you develop to showcase your skills, work experience, education and qualifications. It’s not enough to create one resume, you should tailor the format and style to each audience.

If you are new to the job market or have been searching for a while, you will be faced with a broad array of decisions:  to stay in your same field, change industries or perhaps explore the possibility of consulting in your area of interest.

A resume is much like a marketing brochure for a product. It gives the reader information about the product, and the goal is to create interest in the product that leads to a sale.

Your resume presents “you as the product” to the employer, providing information and creating a reason to bring you in for an interview.

On the other hand, if you are considering a consulting assignment, a chronological resume may not be the best approach. A professional biography, which typically is used for introductions (for speaking engagements, for example), may be what you need. While a resume  highlights your  work history, a biography is unlimited and gives you a creative edge because you don’t have to present information in chronological order.

Even if you are not job searching, writing a biography is a great exercise to help you identify what you want people to know about you. What you come up with still can be useful for introductions to a new team or to support the efforts of a sales proposal, for example.

A good biography should include a clear message, describing who you are and what you bring to the table.  When writing your biography it is best to stay to one page, and limit your information to 4-5 paragraphs.

Most readers scan a document for useful information, so the first paragraph should convey your most significant content, presenting the facts in a compelling story way. Choose words that support your central theme, and as with any marketing piece, use language your audience will understand and appreciate.

Writing a personal biography can be challenging because you may feel you are praising yourself, which people often find awkward. Once you have a draft, read it to family and friends to make sure you are conveying your message in a clear and compelling way.

Developing a variety of different career marketing strategies will help you generate more attention, and give you more control over the messages you want to communicate.

What do you think makes a memorable biography?

Kim Thompson

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