Why You Should Have a Career Biography

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Biographies were once only used for detailing and promoting a celebrity’s information. Today, a career biography may take the place of a résumé if you have a large amount of experience and information you want to convey to potential employers in a compressed form. A biography for employment is generally less rigid than a traditional résumé, and is also generally more appealing.  As a rule, a career biography works well for professionals with an extensive employment/military portfolio, unemployed individuals who have remained busy through volunteering, independent writers and business professionals, and any other persons hoping to establish or re-establish an employment record.

     The art of creating your biography is simple, you will probably use information from your last résumé, DD214, or portfolio for your biographical information.  It is very important to write your biography in third person.  While going through information, check to see if you have saved letters of reference from which you can pull informational quotes and insert into the body your biography.  You should also carefully assess your résumé for any specific accomplishments or qualifications to insert into your biography.    Because a career biography should be brief (around 400-600 words), try to summarize and paraphrase your work experience as much as possible.  Remember that you should not use bullets in your biography (you can use numbers but use them sparingly). 

       When starting your biography, write a one to three sentence introduction which includes your education, past employment, and your future goals.  The second paragraph should provide information on why you are writing the biography – making a career move or change, or re-entering the workforce. The next paragraph should provide your past employment highlights, any special training or schooling you have received, and your personal strengths and attributes.  This is your “Knockout” paragraph!  Your final paragraph should relate to the employer why you are the right person for their organization.

One really important note: Do not include a photo on your biography!  

© Copyright Vet2Work/Naturallysilver 2010-11. This is an excerpt from "Successful Career Moves" by C.A. Stapleton. About the author:  C.A. Stapleton, A.S., B.S., M.B.A., is an experienced, published professional career consultant, mentor, and résumé/ biographical writer.