It can be difficult to write a brief description of yourself (which can be formal or informal, like a synopsis). Fortunately, there are some techniques that make this process easier, such as brainstorming and thinking about your accomplishments and accomplishments, as well as personal details. The length and format of the text varies, but it should be short, direct, and interesting to the reader. As with any such project, review the material when you're done so you don't miss a thing.
Steps
Method 1 of 5: Thinking of Text Ideas
Step 1. Identify the target audience
Think about the goal you want to achieve with this minibiography: does it go to your personal website? A professional profile? To apply for a scholarship? This will make it much easier to choose the other details in the text.
Thinking about the target audience
Use a formal tone for academic and professional writing
Some examples: when you want to apply for a job, get a scholarship, or are going to submit a job to a publication or academic event.
Customize the text if it's informal
Use a more relaxed and conversational tone when writing for your personal website, social media profiles or any non-academic publication.
Use a fifty-fifty tone when writing text for professional purposes
If you're going to include the description on your LinkedIn profile or in a directory of the company you work for, mention personal details that are interesting but not more important than your professional accomplishments.
Step 2. Familiarize yourself with the requirements the minibiography has to meet
Consult the guidelines of your contractor, the publication or other responsible organization. If you have any questions, find out if there is someone who can help you through the process with specific requirements.
- For example, a company may ask applicants for a vacancy for anywhere from 100 to 300 words, while the text may have to be longer for those looking to get a scholarship or publish it on a personal website.
- In addition to extension, you may have to follow rules regarding the order of information, such as name and job title or title, education, research focus, and your achievements.
Step 3. List your achievements and accomplishments
In general, the shorter biographies list the person's main achievements. Talk about your academic background and what you have already achieved at work, such as articles published in renowned journals and certifications you obtained. Depending on the nature of the text, it's also nice to list personal achievements, such as marathons you've run and visits to relevant places.
- See two examples of professional achievements: "Responsible for updating the company's purchasing protocols, which reduced operating costs by 20%" and "Voted the company's most profitable salesperson in fiscal year 2017".
- Don't write down simple characteristics like "excited" or "strained". Focus on skills, awards and achievements specific to your case.
Step 4. Create a keyword base by writing professional description text
Incorporate skills that are specific to the professional or academic area the biography falls into, such as "inventory management", "network security" or "research design". Consult documents made for the same purposes on the internet for ideas, in addition to your own résumé.
Keywords that are industry-specific are even more important for anyone looking to apply for jobs and build a resume, as potential hires use search engines and search engines to find profiles of suitable people
Step 5. If necessary, list relevant hobbies and interests
If you're writing a minibiography for a personal website, a social media profile, or a non-academic publication, make one more list - with details, hobbies, and personal interests. Include everything to give a fuller sense of who you are outside of work.
When writing personal texts, you can say that you like small dogs, talk about your children or mention your interest in gardening
Tip:
make a list on topics of interests, achievements and achievements and cool facts about you. Use a mobile app or a Word document that you have easy access to whenever a new idea comes up.
Method 2 of 5: Making a Description Text for Professional Purposes
Step 1. Create two versions of the autobiography:
one in first, one in third person. The third person is ideal in most cases, but it's also nice to have a first-person version of the text. If you are going to make the document for professional or specific purposes, reread the formatting guidelines to make sure you don't get it wrong.
- If you're writing the minibiography for a professional profile on the internet, like LinkedIn, use the first person ("Me…") to make it more natural. Also, use the same feature to describe yourself on your social media profiles, as the third person sounds a bit haughty and insincere.
- In general, use third person for professional and academic purposes. If you are presenting a paper at a seminar, for example, the person introducing you can read the text aloud.
Step 2. Include your name and title or title in the first sentence
Tell readers who you are and what you do right away with a simple phrase, such as "[Name] is [position or title] at [company, institution, or organization]."
- For example: "Jorge Matos is Professor of Philosophy at the University of São Paulo".
- If you don't have a professional title or a lot of experience, put more emphasis on your education. For example: "Nádia Pires recently acquired the title of Master in Dance from the School of Arts of the University of São Paulo".
Step 3. Write a sentence that summarizes the type of role you have
Briefly explain what you do and why it matters. Give a more general overview of your career. If your focus is academic, talk about the topics of your research. It's also nice to describe how long you've been in this field with phrases like "more than five years like" or "a decade of experience."
See some examples: "For almost ten years, she has managed the operations of the company's seven branches in the country" and "The focus of her research is the development of blood collection and testing techniques to detect cases of reproductive cancer early"
Step 4. Tell us about your main achievements, awards and certifications you've achieved
Choose three of the most relevant items and detail them in two or three sentences. Then list them in order of relevance according to your purpose.
- For example: "In 2016, Sofia received the prestigious Medal of Merit from the Animal Support House of Rio de Janeiro. In addition, she is a renowned trainer of large dogs. Since 2010, she has been running an organization that rescues dogs and the like. puts up for adoption".
- If you're writing your profile for a company directory or website, make a shorter list. In this case, it is more relevant to cite your work in managing the organization than the medal you received.
Step 5. Put your education details at the end of the document, unless you are not so experienced
If you have a lot of professional experience and are running out of space, it's okay not to mention education. Otherwise, skip a line after the main content of the text and write something like "Matheus is a Master in Photography and Design by the Institute of Arts of the Federal University of Minas Gerais".
- Remember to put education first if you don't have that much work experience.
- You don't need to skip a line to write about education. If this doesn't seem natural, include these details elsewhere in the text. Just don't forget that sometimes it's better to emphasize professional achievements than studies.
Step 6. Finish the text with some personal detail, unless the text has a formal purpose
Do not include personal details in formal texts such as academic ones. On the other hand, you can cite a non-work hobby or interest by writing a biography for your profile on a website or directory of the company you work for.
- Write something like "In his free time, Alberto likes hiking and climbing - and he's already climbed some of the highest points in Brazil."
- Remember that in your formal descriptions you can include interests or hobbies that have to do with your career, industry, or discipline. For example: "In addition to clinical research in obstetrics, Dr. Luís studies birth customs and practices in cultures throughout history."
Method 3 of 5: Summarizing Yourself for a Resume
Step 1. Omit personal pronouns and use sentence fragments
Use the same active language as in a normal resume. In addition to taking care of consistency of tone, it's nice to omit personal pronouns and use sentence fragments to make the text very concise and to the point.
- For example, instead of "Gerson coordinated five projects in November, which increased company productivity by 20%," write "Coordinated five projects in November, which increased company productivity by 20%."
- As the resume has limited space, use two or three sentences - and a total of 50 to 150 words.
Step 2. Introduce yourself in the first sentence
As with other types of text, start by saying who you are and what you do. See: [Job title or title] with [time] experience in [two or three specific skills].
For example: "Product application specialist with five years of experience in computer-aided design and installation solutions in office systems"
Tip:
if you've ever written a longer professional bio, copy and paste the first two sentences of it. Review the content and adjust as necessary.
Step 3. Highlight your experience and main activities in a sentence or two
After the first sentence, give the experience more context. Include details of how you've already applied your knowledge and highlight those accomplishments to show the benefits of hiring.
- For example: "He served as a senior development consultant for an international non-profit organization. Updated fundraising campaign strategies and generated a 25% annual increase in giving."
- Review the company's skills guidelines for candidates and include them in the document. Contractors want to see how well candidates are prepared to handle certain situations.
Method 4 of 5: Creating Informal Text
Step 1. Use a conversational tone to add personality to the text
In terms of format, an informal biography is similar to a professional one. The glaring difference is the language: in a more relaxed text, you can show your personality, your sense of humor, etc.
Unlike formal texts, you can use exclamation points and other such elements in more relaxed texts. However, you should still follow the standard language and avoid slang
Step 2. Introduce yourself and share your story
As with a formal biography, write about who you are, including important information. Review the job guidelines to see if there is a preference for the first or third person. If not, choose the one that feels most natural (but remember it's best to write in the first person on social media profiles).
You can write something like "Jaqueline Pontes is a coach and speaker and has over ten years of experience. She likes to help clients find her best version. When she's not working, she plays with the two cats or hikes with her husband, Daniel"
Step 3. Talk about an interesting and unique detail
Include interests, hobbies, and other details that show the reader who you are. For example: talk about your pets, your family, your talents or the experiences you've had.
If you're going to write a biography to put yourself in context as the author of a cooking article you're going to publish, include something like “I fell in love with cooking when my grandmother started passing me family recipes. a familiar, historical and traditional process"
Tip:
most of the details of this more informal type of text should be personal rather than educational or professional. Talk about your credentials, but don't make them the priority or the focus.
Step 4. Limit text to 100 or 200 words
Be concise - after all, you're not writing an essay or your memoirs. In most cases, just make a paragraph of three to five sentences or 100 to 200 words.
If you don't know what length to give the text, read the guidelines and see if there are any details or look for examples on the internet. For example, if you have already published a magazine article and need to write a biography, use other authors' texts as a basis
Method 5 of 5: Reviewing the Text
Step 1. See if the sentences follow a logical flow
Read the text and see if each sentence leads to the next. Structure the biography so that ideas build on what came before. If you have to make transitions, use terms like "in addition", "in addition" and the like.
- Take the example: "He served as a senior development consultant at an international non-profit organization. Updated fundraising campaign strategies and generated a 25% annual increase in giving." The first sentence summarizes the experience, while the second speaks of a specific achievement.
- Write "I have ten years of experience as a secondary-level music teacher. In addition, I've been teaching private vocal and piano lessons for two decades. When I'm not with my students, I enjoy going to the theater, gardening, and embroidering."
Step 2. Review your description
Step away from the text for a few hours. Then pick it up and reread it aloud to find new errors and make adjustments.
- Use strong verbs and the active voice. For example: "I developed a new organization system" instead of "I was responsible for developing a new organization system".
- Also, avoid terms like "very" and other informal expressions, especially if you are writing a formal biography.
Tip:
in addition to making it easier to spot errors, reading the text aloud can help you detect sentences that sound garbled.
Step 3. Ask others to read the final text and give their opinion
Show the biography to a mentor, co-worker, friend or relative who is good with Portuguese and ask for feedback. Ask what the person thinks of the tone of the text and whether it is well divided between self-promotion and humility.
Ideally, ask for the opinion of three people: a mentor or superior, an area colleague, and a person from the target audience. In the case of your resume biography, this audience would be the contractor. Finally, if you wrote a text for a personal website, the audience would be someone who will buy your products or services
Tips
- Remember to be brief and use simple, straightforward language. Choose interesting and precise words and avoid terms that are too specific (unless they are needed).
- If you have questions about the format, get inspired by biographies and texts already published. For example, read what other authors have written and consult the websites of various companies and directories.