Resume/Bio Tips
Develop a one-sheet biography about your professional experience/expertise. Place a short version in your marketing brochure. Include a longer one with any proposals you submit or introductory letters when you deliver to potential clients. Some clients may also ask for your resume, so make sure it's updated.
Below is a common pattern for bios:
- The first paragraph starts off with a high-level "what's special about this person?" one-liner. Then summarize your industry experience. Include your mission statement is you have one.
- List past employers and/or clients. Size of company you're most comfortable with. Types of projects you've done or would be good at.
- Special qualities (e.g. strong analytical and problem solving skills)
- Other related affiliations. Business related organizations that you belong to. Boards that you sit on.
- Education.
Resume/Bio Basics
- Make sure there are no typos. Check your grammar.
- Make it is easy to read, avoid too much "tech talk".
- Pay someone to proofread your materials or ask your mother to read it. If she can understand it, it's likely your clients will.
Other Bio Tips
- Customize your biography for different industries or jobs. Highlight related projects that you worked on that relate to the project you are proposing. Emphasize relevant industry experience.
- Be honest about your experience. Don't oversell and try to make yourself look on paper like something you're not. Also, don't downplay experience that you have. Include relevant experience even if you weren't the expert managing the project.
- Use action verbs such as "developed," "managed," and "designed," to emphasize your accomplishments.
- Quantify your accomplishments to show the impact. State the results that were produced from a project you worked on work not just the activities you performed. For example, 'Developed a user friendly customer database that increased the efficiency of sales reps' ability to contact customers.
- Communicate your experience clearly and concisely. Don't use long sentences or to many flowery descriptive adverbs. Eliminate unnecessary details about your personal life. Don't fill up space with non-specific info that will bore the client.
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