A lot of job seekers make the mistake of giving every one they meeta copy of their resume. That is not the proper use of your resume. As we said earlier, your resume should be one of the least frequently used tools in your Job Search Survival Toolkit. Your Professional Biography (bio) should act as your calling card.
Note
Because more than 80 percent of your job search efforts will be in networking, the Professional Biography will be your most frequently used tool.
Because more than 80 percent of your job search efforts will be in networking, the bio will be your most frequently used tool. The bio is simply a one-page narrative of your career, written in paragraph form, in the third person—as though someone else wrote it about you. This is certainly no time to be shy, so make it sound impressive. The bio really speaks to your reputation and character, much more than a resume does. The interesting thing about Professional Biographies is how few working professionals know about them—much less use them to full advantage.
Think about it: even if you're not in a job search, your bio should always be up-to-date and current. Why? Because you'll need it...
If you're applying for a project internally
If you're presenting your firm's credentials to a potential client
If you're asked to speak at an industry conference or trade association meeting
If you're responding to a journalist to be quoted in the media
If you write an article for publication
If you want to present a professional image to the world without ever hinting at the fact that you may be looking for other opportunities
Read over the examples on the following pages to get the feel of what a good bio looks like. Later, we'll put yours together, paragraph by paragraph, and you'll have a chance to polish it into its final format.