Branded Executive Biographies

Your executive biography complements your traditional executive resume and LinkedIn profile.

While many resumes are now written in a story style, they are still almost always ordered chronologically and are very focused on conveying key facts, specific qualifications, and your most impressive accomplishments in a very succinct manner.

Your LinkedIn profile is very similar to your resume–at least the employment history section is–but, you can use the summary section to show some personality and include personal information that fosters networking. LinkedIn profiles are often written in an engaging, personal, and conversational style that encourages networking. Your authentic, personal stories become conversation points for people you network with.

Your executive biography is a unique document that, in some ways, blends the best of both your resume and LinkedIn profile. Written in a narrative style and usually from the third-person perspective, executive biographies tell the compelling stories of your career. Well-written executive biographies frame the progression of your career in a storytelling format that reinforces your personal brand and unique value proposition.

As you can see from the example executive bios on this page, your biography should touch on all the most important facts such as your job titles and employers, but the story isn’t always told in the same reverse chronological order that you are used to from your resume. Sometimes, the story is better told from the beginning to the present. Sometimes, you might start in the present, jump to the very beginning, and then describe the middle. The structure isn’t arbitrary, though. It is a strategic and creative decision about how to tell your story in an engaging and creative way. Other facts that are typically included are your education, associations, certifications, board appointments, and so forth.

From your review of these professionally written executive bio examples, you can see that sidebars and callout boxes are frequently used to give your bio eye appeal while drawing the eye to key facts or qualifications. This is the modern method of formatting an executive bio that has become quite popular in the last few years.

While recruiters will sometimes ask to see your bio, they are more frequently interested in your resume. How then, can you use your biography? If you are a speaker, you will often be asked for a bio. Your bio may also be requested when pursuing board of director positions, usually in addition to your board resume. Bios are also great for networking situations and can be used in conjunction with or instead of a networking resume or infographic value profile.  If you are an executive and take a high-level position with a company, you may be asked for your bio so that the company can list it on their website. Some people also include a biography as a PDF download on LinkedIn.

If you are interested in having your executive biography professionally written, as the examples on this page were, reach out to us and schedule a free consultation.