Quick Tip – Writing a Better Bio

When to use third vs. first person – Issue #58

Writing a bio always feels a bit self-centered and awkward. We have a difficult time talking about ourselves and our accomplishments. It feels even stranger to write your bio in the third person.

The norm used to be using a third-person voice (e.g., “Larry is a leadership coach”). However, the rise of informal bios on social media sites and other services has made that approach feel bizarre. It’s never a good look to talk about yourself using your name.

How do you decide?

A good rule of thumb is only to write your bio in the third person when:

• Your profile is displayed with others (e.g., several people are part of the same event)

• Or, the context doesn’t only belong to you (e.g., someone else is listing your author bio and is the only one who can update it)

• Or, the situation is very formal (e.g., the dust jacket of your book).

For example, a conference page that lists the speakers would have all of their bios in the third person. Here is a recent example of mine in the third person:

“Larry Cornett is a leadership coach and career advisor at Brilliant Forge LLC in northern California. He enjoys helping ambitious people forge more invincible careers so that they get to call the shots in their work and life. But, he also spent over 20 years in the Silicon Valley Tech industry as a designer, UX leader, Product executive, and startup founder. He worked for a number of smaller companies and larger corporations, including IBM, Apple Computer, eBay, and Yahoo. He somehow leveraged a Ph.D. in Psychology to become an entry-level designer and researcher, then spent the rest of his career working his way up into management, executive leadership, and eventually founding his own Tech startup as the CEO.”

Otherwise, writing your bio in the first person sounds more down-to-earth and authentic. Use that style on your website, Medium, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and even LinkedIn. I like to use it anywhere I feel like it is “my page” and I have full control over editing the content and appearance.

Yes, LinkedIn is a more formal setting, but first-person bios ring truer. Third-person bios come across as arrogant and narcissistic.

Again, another example of my bio from Twitter in the first person:

“Leadership Coach & Career Advisor at Invincible Career® in NorCal. I help you become an opportunity magnet so the best things in life come to you!”

Share your bio in the comments. I would love to see it!