Are you job hunting or looking to build more personal marketing content for various purposes? Do you have an executive biography?
I’m sure you’ve read a typical bio that walks you through the person’s career progression and provides hard facts. Aside from touching briefly on their families and perhaps hobbies, they so often lack vibrancy. They give you little feel for what kind of person you’re reading about and what drives them.
A strong brand biography evokes emotion and helps to generate chemistry around you and your candidacy, if you’re job hunting. If you’re using it for other purposes, a branded executive biography will differentiate the value of your expertise.
Your biography can help you land a Board of Directors, Partner or C-suite role. If hired, companies will also use your bio publicly on their website and elsewhere, so it needs to send the right message to clients and investors evaluating the company and you.
A brand biography is a storytelling tool that breathes life into an otherwise flat rehash of your resume. For job search and career management, a bio affords the opportunity to reinforce your brand with storytelling in a way that a resume doesn’t allow.
Having a strong executive profile is crucial for anyone looking to advance their career into leadership roles. Your executive profile encompasses your personal brand story thought leadership, online presence and relationships. By developing these key areas, you can create an executive profile that captivates audiences and positions you as an influential leader in your field.
In today’s highly competitive job market your executive profile can be the difference between getting that critical interview or job offer versus having your application overlooked. Recruiters and hiring managers want to understand who you are beyond just your resume’s list of skills and work history.
An executive profile allows you to showcase the value you bring through your unique experiences, perspective, leadership capabilities and potential. This gives recruiters confidence that you have what it takes to thrive in a senior level role.
Follow these five steps to build an outstanding executive profile that gets you noticed:
Step 1 – Define Your Personal Brand
Your personal brand articulates what you stand for, your values, leadership style and the unique impact you make. It’s a succinct way to communicate the essence of who you are as a professional.
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Identify your strengths, skills, values and passions. What are you deeply talented at? What principles guide your leadership?
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Reflect on the unique perspective you bring based on your background, education and life experiences. How does this shape your approach to leadership?
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Consider the specific ways you make a difference in any role. Are you an innovator? A unifier? A developer of talent?
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Distill this down into a personal branding statement. For example: “A collaborative and innovative leader dedicated to building high performance teams and empowering employees.”
Step 2 – Craft Your Story via an Executive Narrative
An executive narrative weaves together the defining experiences and accomplishments that showcase your capabilities as a leader. It should highlight your career progression, successes, leadership roles and business impact.
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Reflect on signature projects where you played an instrumental role in the outcome. Quantify the results achieved.
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Identify major accomplishments that illustrate core leadership skills like building high performing teams, leading change or strengthening culture.
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Capture defining moments that shaped who you are as a leader such as challenges overcome, risks taken or lessons learned.
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Structure these elements into a compelling story that flows chronologically while underscoring your qualifications and achievements.
Step 3 – Develop Thought Leadership Themes
Thought leadership establishes you as an expert in your field. Identify key topics and trends where you can provide unique insights and perspective.
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Leverage your expertise, research and industry connections to explore emerging developments.
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Offer informed analysis and forward-thinking ideas on these issues through speaking engagements, articles, blog posts or social media.
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Tie these themes back to your core brand and narrative to showcase your leadership capabilities in an area that inspires you intellectually.
Step 4 – Create an Online Presence
Your LinkedIn profile and website serve as hubs to bring together all elements of your executive profile in one place for recruiters and colleagues to find.
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Develop a robust LinkedIn profile highlighting your background, career narrative, leadership roles and thought leadership content.
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Create a personal website to consolidate your bio, resume, articles, speaking engagements, press mentions and more.
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Ensure consistency across platforms in branding, messaging and design.
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Promote your profile and website on email signatures, business cards and bios.
Step 5 – Build Strong Relationships and Engage
Expand your network and connect authentically with influencers in your field. Position yourself as a collaborative partner and leader.
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Regularly engage your network by sharing content, congratulating achievements and establishing rapport.
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Attend conferences and events to build connections and raise your professional visibility.
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Pursue leadership roles in industry groups and associations.
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Develop a mentor relationship with an influential senior leader who can advise you.
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Give back through volunteering or community organizations.
By following these five steps, you can develop a well-rounded executive profile that captivates recruiters and showcases you as a consummate leader. Define your brand, craft your narrative, establish thought leadership, create an online presence and build relationships. With a strong executive profile, you will amplify your visibility and opportunities to advance to the next level.
A few questions to help you write your executive biography
Here are basic guidelines to write your executive biography:
- What are 3 or 4 defining moments for you as your career progressed? Think of events or things that shaped your career path, had the most impact on making you who you are today, and led you to add value to your companies.
- Which of your personal attributes have been most beneficial to you in your career? Explain why.
- How have adversity and challenges made you stronger and a more valuable employee?
- What are the two or three most important lessons you learned along the way that others could benefit from?
- Who have you mentored and how did your guidance impact that person, your team, your department, and your company? How do you describe your leadership style?
What an executive biography should include
The following items may not all apply to you, your career and your job search, and there is no single best way to order, structure and write a biography. Use the following checklists to guide you.
How To Make A Great Executive LinkedIn Profile
FAQ
What is an executive profile?
How to build a CEO profile?
How do I create an executive profile?
Here are the steps to follow for how to create an executive profile: 1. Gather information Begin collecting the information you need to create an interesting executive profile. It’s important for you to craft a profile that best represents your personal brand while engaging the user. Some examples of types of information you may include are:
How do I create a powerful executive LinkedIn profile?
To create a powerful executive LinkedIn profile, it is crucial to build a strong foundation with essential elements. The following advice walks you through how to maximize the elements to build a profile that stands out. Profile photos are not really optional for executives.
Why do you need an executive profile?
An executive profile also helps establish your personal brand. Your personal brand helps establish who you are, typically making you more recognizable to those within your industry. Developing your brand may improve your overall digital presence and reputation, attracting recruiters to you.
