Guide to writing a professional bio

Wondering how to write a professional bio? Don’t stress. This is one of those times when the thing you need to do sounds a lot more imposing than it actually is. You’re not actually writing an abbreviated version of your entire biography—you’re only covering a very specific slice of your life. A short professional bio is related to an elevator pitch, but it’s more geared toward your work history and experience.

Most of the time, a professional bio is one small paragraph of copy (around 100 words) that quickly explains who you are, what you do, what impressive stuff you’ve done, and a friendly personal detail.

Before you start figuring out how to write a professional bio, let’s get a few things squared away first. Are you writing it from your point of view (“My name is Jane Doe”) or not (“Jane Doe is…”)? Another thing to know: Is the bio meant to be lighthearted (you’re speaking at your niece’s school for career day) or more formal (you’re speaking at a big-shot convention surrounded by esteemed colleagues and potential patrons)?

For the purposes of this article, we’ll write the bios in the third person and we’ll lean toward a more formal tone.

3 professional bio examples

Jane Diaz is an award-winning master carpenter with 15 years of experience designing and building theatrical sets in and around the New York metropolitan area. She has worked both on and off Broadway on productions including Hamilton, Les Miserables, and To Kill a Mockingbird, the latter of which earned Diaz the honor of Big Deal Designer in 2019. She thrives on creative collaboration and is currently partnering with Lego to develop the set for a futuristic revival of The Threepenny Opera, due on Broadway in spring 2022. Diaz is also an adjunct professor of conceptual design at XYZ College in Brooklyn. She lives in Harlem with her dog Bob.

Tom Doe teaches fifth grade at XYZ Elementary School in New York City. He previously taught at ABC School in Sometown, New Jersey, where he was Teacher of the Year in 2019. An educator for more than a decade, Doe has a master’s degree in child development from City College and has co-authored three papers on reading comprehension in bilingual children. He lives in the Bronx with his family.

Ann Brown is a part-time manager at ABC Store in Denver and is regularly recognized for exceptional customer service skills and her can-do attitude. Brown is also a longtime volunteer at the Boys & Girls Club where she coaches basketball and softball. During her downtime, Brown enjoys reading mysteries, rooting for the Nuggets, and restoring antique furniture. She is a proud veteran of the United States Army.

In each of the above sample professional bios, the reader learns the person's name, occupation, work-related achievements or accolades, and a snippet of personal information. The bios aren't clogged with too many unnecessary details but they do include the important highlights in a person's career.

If you're still struggling to figure out what to say, one of the best ways to learn how to write a short professional bio is to look online at what other esteemed people in your field have written for themselves. Simply replace their details with your own.

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