Every professional needs a short biography to make a positive statement about their skills. Whether it's a LinkedIn bio, a Twitter account, or a company website, that bio needs to be short and meaningful to engage readers and invite them to learn more about you.
Everyone needs three types of bios, long, short and double line.
- The long bio can be one page and go to your website.
- A short bio is about one paragraph long and will be used as your default bio.
- Your biography should summarize your professional qualifications and experiences, achievements and skills.
Each of these biographies is designed to set you apart from other professionals. You should explain why people want to work with you.
With that in mind, here are 20 of the best professional bios short examples. I hope you can use these examples to create your engaging bio.
1. Rebecca Bollwitt
You must include a professional bio on all of your websites and social media accounts. Some people create a single professional bio template. However, every platform is different and so it is important to mix them properly.
LinkedIn is a professional network where you can present your experience and professional qualifications to potential customers. Facebook is more geared towards personal interactions, while Twitter is more concise and direct. Meanwhile, Medium requires a deeper and more detailed bio.
2. Lena Axelson
You should use a well-written, professional bio when posting content on industry-related websites. Niche sites are a great place to share your professional experiences with people working in your industry.
In this example from Lena Axelsson, she begins her bio by connecting with readers first. She recognizes her audience's problems and empathizes with them.
She then explains how she helps clients and how they can benefit from her services. Most importantly, she highlights her professional skills and qualifications, how she differs from other professionals in the field, and why she would be best suited to help clients and their families.
The last paragraph shows your educational background, important information for the readers. Overall, the professional record is compassionate, empathetic, and understanding—traits that are critical when advising clients.
3. Audra Simpson
Another great example of a biography on the professional side is Audra Simpson, a professor of anthropology at Columbia University. Here is the bio she uses on the university website.
Professional biographies are often written in the first person for a personal touch, but in this example they are written in the third person for more authority. It also allows the author to showcase his impressive accomplishments and credentials without sounding arrogant.
The professional biography shares your work experiences and interests in a limited space. It shows Audra's credentials, specializations, and even her work ethic.
4. Corey Wainwright
Corey Wainwright's professional resume on HubSpot is the definition of keeping it sweet and simple. As mentioned in her bio, her responsibilities include being a professional content marketer for the company. With less than 25 words in her bio, she exudes a very approachable and reader-friendly vibe.
Although written in the third person, the biography is characterized by its casual and personal content. It's almost as if she's giving readers a slice of her personal life.
This professional bio links to his social media profiles so people can learn more about Corey. This type of biography does not work in all situations. Some websites require a more serious tone, so it's important to evaluate the medium before creating your professional bio template.
5. Marie Mikhail
When companies look for recruiters, they want to hire someone who is passionate and genuinely interested in the field and its product.
Marie Mikhail makes this particularly well known to readers. Not only does she express her love for recruiting, but she also provides a relevant story about it. Telling a story is also a good tactic in professional writing.
Talent acquisition may not be considered the most interesting career path by some, but Marie does a good job of turning a relatively boring subject into something exciting. This LinkedIn bio of his profile details his professional experiences and love for the company's products. This also includes relevant qualifications for profile building.
6. Megan Gilmore
Another great example of a professional Instagram bio is cookbook and food author Megan Gilmore.
Most pros try to settle on one or two platforms first, rather than going short on more than five or ten other platforms. If you focus on few platforms, you can customize the content for each platform, which means you need two different bios.
You can use these bios to promote your brand on any platform.
Megan does this by highlighting her "fashionable" writing style and listing some books she has written. After that, she uses a pointing emoji to link to her LinkedIn profile, where readers can access her recipes.
This is a great way to showcase your credentials to potential book buyers.
7. Tim Koch
Tim Cook has been CEO of multinational technology company Apple since 2011. You'd think that with a title this big, people visiting Apple's website would already have a pretty good idea of who it is.
However, the professional biography of Tim on the Apple website does not assume this. It's professionally written and underscores his position as Apple's CEO. This also includes being one of the board members.
In addition, it shares details about his career to date and his time as Apple's COO. Even with such an impressive resume, he provides readers with all the information they need to know about him.
8. Shaquille O'Neal
Most professional biographies, like some of the examples above, are written in the third person. It can make you look more professional. It also allows people to list their experiences and qualifications without bragging.
Writing in the first person can also be very effective.
The LinkedIn biography of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal is an example of this. Besides being a famous athlete, he also has a bachelor's, master's and doctorate degree.
As it is something he is best known for, Shaq begins his biography with his greatest achievement as a basketball player. He then goes on to detail his achievements and credentials outside of basketball, describing his business ventures with some of the big brands he has worked with and his speaking engagements across the country.
He's a man of many talents, and writing professional biographies is one of them.
9. Ricardo Branson
Richard Branson begins his professional biography by presenting the British company Virgin Group, which he founded. He is a man known for both his failures and his many successes.
His bio sums up his career, but the last few sentences are the highlight. Switching from a professional tone to a more fun and personal one, he uses the term "tie-hating adventurer" and refers to himself as "Dr. Yes."
10. Antonio Gioelli
When not written properly, biographies often appear arrogant, making some professionals reluctant to speak about themselves and their accomplishments. However, it is important to highlight these achievements and skills as it can entice people to do business with you.
Anthony Gioeli can't stop flaunting his professional achievements. Instead of sounding high-spirited, he does it confidently and matter-of-factly. One of the skills he highlights is that of an experienced negotiator working with multi-million dollar companies like Vodafone.
Notice how well your professional bio is formatted. It does this through a series of paragraphs and bullet points to present information to readers.
While keeping your professional bio short and concise is effective, you can also be detailed like Anthony — you just need the right format.
11. Katrina O.
Professional bios can seem repetitive and boring at times, which is why giving them a spin can work wonders. To do this, you need to arouse the curiosity of your readers so that they are encouraged to read more.
Katrina Ortiz does so in her LinkedIn bio. The first sentence alone creates intrigue when a line like "Coding catches fire" is used. It's different and in turn intrigues readers. Even her name "Katrina O." catches your attention.
With just three words, Katrina managed to captivate readers and give them a taste of her work. As an enthusiastic software developer, she highlights both her professional and personal experiences. She also shares the programming languages she masters.
12. Karen Abate
We love a good list. Lists are a good way to organize ideas or thoughts that are easier for readers to understand. While it's an unusual way of writing a professional biography, it's probably more unusual than this example by Karen Abbate using numbers instead of bullets.
In her list, she presents six important and noteworthy things about her professional and personal data. She uses a confident, professional tone, just enough not to come across as overbearing. She starts by mentioning great brands she's worked with and talks about her love for all things online.
The biography also details his educational background, work experience and passions. She also tells a personal story and relates it to her work. In short, it is an innovative biography.
13. Gijo Mathew
Another good use of the LinkedIn bios list is this example by Gijo Mathew. A list can help improve readability and organize information that, if written differently, might seem complicated. Visually, it also makes the bio more attractive.
In this bio, Gijo uses bullet points to list information to express why clients should choose to work with him. It makes your LinkedIn profile more interesting and understandable.
14. Genevieve McKelly
LinkedIn is one of the most important channels to promote yourself. You need that perspective when creating your professional LinkedIn bio.
A social media marketer's mission is to stimulate engagement or start a conversation between readers or consumers. Genevieve McKelly encourages this conversation by providing readers with book and podcast recommendations in the closing sentences of her bio, and in turn asking readers for recommendations. It's a great icebreaker and makes them friendlier.
In addition to asking for a great reading and listening experience, she also asks an industry-related question. She then ends with accessible words that welcome the speech.
15. Darrell Evans
Identifying customer pain points is important when creating marketing campaigns or a business in general. Pain points are specific issues that potential customers may have.
In this biography by Darrell Evans, he addresses a common problem that plagues most businesses: spending money on marketing, not returns. Darrell then gives them a solution and explains to the readers the nature of his work and the benefits it offers.
He then introduces who he is and what his company does. It also provides readers with some facts and figures that suggest their professional services are the best and helps them solve their marketing problems.
16. Fernando Silva
Professional biographies almost always start with the "professional" aspect and not with the biography. It's a common formula to show your credentials before adding a personal touch to make it more user-friendly and accessible.
However, Fernando Silva mixes things up with his LinkedIn bio, starting with personal information first. He starts by describing himself as a "traveler in the city," then moves on to more professional details like his SaaS background.
Although short, it's a very passionate biography because it shows things he loves like traveling and meeting new people.
17. Nikki Ivey
Being recognizable is a great way to connect with leads and potential customers. Nikki Ivey does just that, sharing a heartfelt story about the struggles she went through to become the "sales coach" she is today.
Her story shows empathy and allows readers to relate to her. It also encourages conversation between readers who may have found themselves in a similar situation. With this shared history, readers can engage emotionally with her and open up to working with her.
However, this approach can be tricky as it needs to be sincere and relevant enough to grab attention.
18. Rafael Parker
You must indicate your work experience in your bio. Raphael Parker presents his experiences in a unique and unconventional way. He uses the term "ex" to refer to his professional career. Then he goes indirectly into his current job and presents it more as a passion than a career.
Raphael's biography leaves much to the reader's imagination but builds him into a seasoned career man. That's pretty impressive considering he only uses a few words and phrases.
19. Allison Zia
The first impression counts. A memorable first sentence in your professional bio can help your readers learn more about you.
These first sentences are usually a few words long, but should have a lasting effect. Allison Zia sums it up in just five words: "I like problem solving." It's a bold statement that makes you want to read more.
Allison expands on her work experience, specialties and skills to capture the attention of her readers. It also includes relevant examples to refer to readers.
20. Anne Handley
Ann Handley's biography is a great example of how even a few words can make the best impression. She's a seasoned marketer, and while many might believe this to be true, she evokes that kind of credibility with her choice of words.
She encourages readers to read more by clicking a link on her site with the little information she provides. Even after clicking through to her site's About page, she keeps things short and simple by breaking up the information with bullet points. If readers want to know more, she provides some relevant links.
This bio, used as a headline, highlights her accomplishments as a writer, speaker, and partner at a major marketing firm.
Conclusion
A professional bio is your opportunity to attract a potential customer, client, or employer. Some can be brief while others can be verbose. The bottom line is that they need to make you stand out from the crowd.
Use these examples as helpful templates to use in creating your compelling professional bio.