A well-written biography can be the key to your success. It will be your way to show who you are and what you do and it can open doors to many venues, whether it is finding a job or getting more business for your company. The biography should be professional in a well-polished manner – and, what’s more important, you can do it yourself by following the general tips listed below.

First, a good preparation is a job half done. Take your time to collect information on your accomplishments (professional or otherwise) and be precise about them. Make a list or ask someone to do this for you. Ask former teachers, colleagues, associates, .. for testimonials and have them addressed to a third-party instead of you (this will make the document more useful).

Your biography should not be longer than one page (or even less). One page is ideal to have it copied for a handout or to make flyers. Don’t use sentences that are long-winded. As everywhere in writing, a biography should be short and up to the point. The main goal here is to inform others about yourself, what you do or can do for others.

Always write a biography in the third person. It is more professional. It should feel like someone else wrote the text. Don’t know how to do this? Then read the texts on the covers of books, who go like: ‘Nickie Fleming is the author of several novels of historical fiction,’ etc. Reading some might give you a good idea of how to go about it. And remember to keep it short!

State your business in brief. People want to know who you are, who you have worked with. If you are a business owner, you can include your business niche, some of your clients and some of the jobs you have done.

Don’t forget to mention every award you once received. Others are interested in finding out about your talents. Also, mention the organizations you belong to. The reader of your biography might feel connected because he/she belongs to the same organization or group and this can lead to interesting opportunities. I should mention here that you can’t assume that the reader knows everything. Spell out acronyms. The purpose in writing a biography is to gain contacts, so be clear and precise.

Mention any article, book you have ever written and showcase them.

Were you once a guest in a talk show or have you been interviewed on radio, TV, a newspaper? Include this, it can add to your credibility.

Include every kind of contact information so that you can be reached. Remember to include different ways of contacting you. Mail, telephone, fax, email address, website….even your next door neighbors might come in useful!

The last thing you should do before your biography is complete, is edit. Every text needs to be edited more than once. You’ll often spot mistakes in a second or third reading.

Finally, keep your biography up to date!