Here are some things to keep in mind.
1. Don't worry about it being too long.
My example was a little much for most uses. I can cut off the fat (so to speak) depending on my needs.
2. The best bios have a little personality in them.
We will explore this concept further in an upcoming post. Facts are boring (that is what you CV is for) without a little personal context. What makes you tick, Chef?
We love underdog stories. (This means we love it when losers win). Most success stories have a large dose of disadvantage in them. Tell us about it!
3. Stay away from the poetic.
The worst bios are the ones in the form of a quotation where someone else does a pretentiously close reading of your oeuvre. Worse, when it ends with a dash and their name as if this is the quote of the century.
"This Biograhical approach makes one vomit to death from the pretension."
- Karoline Steckley
(1973-1 minute ago)
4. Language. Follow the KISS rule (which stands for "KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID" Or "KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET" or "KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE". You decide). If you are going international, remember the plight of the translator. those glorious idiomatic expressions and overused clichés do not hold up in other languages.
For proof of this just translate this page using the translate button in the side bar to ANY LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH and see what it does with the word "underdog". Also, the text will sound like Tarzan wrote it.
5. "Done is better than perfect."
That is a quote hanging on the actual wall of FACEBOOK. I hear Mark Zuckerburg lives by it and I could not agree more.
And THAT is what I have to say about your bio.
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