Professional Biography $-$ Major Assignment

#$1$

Your first major assignment! We will ease into this one, given that it's our first. Here is the timeline:

When writing a professional biography, be intentional about the content you include and tailor it according to your purpose for your biography. Many people write one core professional biography, so that they have it available to them and can make small changes as necessary when submitting their biographies places $($job opportunities, profiles, etc.$).$ This can save precious time, especially when applying for multiple jobs...a professional bio is often attached to a resume or incorporated into a cover letter.

The purpose of a professional bio is generally to:

State who you are and what you do

Provide examples of your work experience that bolster your credibility

Tell your story $($briefly$,$ following the $8C\text{'}$s$)$

How you go about accomplishing these three goals will vary, yet there are common characteristics of the professional biography. Some that you noted in your observations are:

$-$interests $($including professional $-$ job desires $-$ and personal hobbies$)$

$-$goals

$-$accomplishments$/$achievements

$-$education

$-$skills

$-$values

$-$"Your story"$/$personality $($word choice comes into play here$)$

$-$occupation

$-$location $($include this only if you intend to stay in the same geographic area as some companies may see location as a hindrance $($for example: company in on the east coast and you reside near San Jos$$ and are not willing to relocate$)$

Some other elements may affect how you organize your professional biography. Students are more likely to provide more information on skills and education rather than experience since their work experience may be rather shallow. A famous person is more likely to write a very general or short biography, as they can assume that others already know who they are based on their infamy.

For examples, take a look at profiles in LinkedIn! There are good ones and bad ones, for certain, so be judicial as you review: does the example follow the $8C\text{'}$s$?$ Does it give you a quick picture of who this person is$,$ what their experiences are, and maybe a little bit about them personally? What kind of impression are you left with about this person?

Once your professional biography has gone all the way through the writing process, go create that Linkedin profile and put yourself out there! Effort Point Opportunity: copy and paste your LinkedIn profile to the bottom of your submission of your Professional Biography!