The Complete Guide to Writing an Engaging Profile
Whether you’re crafting a profile for a resume, LinkedIn, dating app or any other purpose, writing a compelling profile can be challenging. Unlike chronological formats like resumes, a profile requires you to step back and thoughtfully analyze your skills, personality, goals and ideals before translating them into concise, engaging language.
This comprehensive guide provides tips and strategies to help you create an outstanding profile that captures attention and conveys the essence of who you are Follow our step-by-step instructions to craft a profile that makes a memorable impression
Defining a Profile
Before diving into how to write a great profile, let’s clearly define what a profile is:
- A short personal or professional summary about someone
- Highlights interests, skills, experiences, goals, personality traits and other distinguishing details
- Often included in resumes, online bios, social media accounts, dating profiles and more
- Used to make a strong first impression and quickly convey key details
The length, content and tone of a profile vary based on the context and purpose it is being used for. For example, a LinkedIn profile will be more formal and career-focused than a casual dating app bio.
Regardless of the specifics, an effective profile should quickly paint a picture of who you are as a multidimensional person. Mastering profile writing takes thoughtfulness, self-awareness and practice.
How to Write a Profile in 8 Steps
Follow these key steps to craft an outstanding personal or professional profile:
- Determine Context and Goals
- What will the profile be used for? A resume? About me page? LinkedIn? Dating app?
- What impression do you want to make on the reader?
- What details are most relevant to include for the situation?
- Research Examples
- Study 3-5 similar profiles to generate ideas on format, tone and content
- Take notes on details that stand out and engage you as a reader
- Identify common elements to inform your own profile
- Brainstorm Content
- Make lists of your skills, experience, personality traits, interests, goals, accomplishments
- Reflect on what makes you unique and what you want to convey
- Prioritize elements based on relevance to the context
- Create an Outline
- Organize content into logical sections based on importance
- Potential sections: Summary, Skills, Experience, Interests, Personality
- Arrange sections in order of impact
- Draft the Profile
- Flesh out outline into paragraphs or bullet points
- Lead with the most important information
- Use concise, expressive language and active voice
- Incorporate metrics, proof points and unique details where relevant
- Review and Refine
- Tighten language and eliminate any fluff
- Check that tone and style fit the context and audience
- Ensure content is clear, consistent and compelling
- Finalize Format
- Make visual impact through layout, headings and whitespace
- Use bullets, lists and bolding strategically
- Perfect grammar, spelling and punctuation
- Proofread and Edit
- Read profile aloud and solicit second opinions to identify improvements
- Set profile aside and re-read with fresh eyes to catch anything missed
- Update based on feedback to create a polished final profile
Writing a Standout Professional Profile
For resumes, LinkedIn and other career-focused profiles, here are some additional tips:
- Tailor content to each opportunity, incorporating keywords from job descriptions
- Focus on skills, achievements and credentials most relevant to target industry/role
- Quantify accomplishments with metrics like dollar amounts and percentages
- Convey your personal brand while maintaining a professional tone
- Exclude personal details unrelated to your career
Writing a Compelling Personal Profile
Some extra considerations for profiles on dating apps, social media and other more personal scenarios:
- Show genuine personality by sharing interests, passions and quirks
- Use engaging language – avoid cliches and business jargon
- Include hobbies, causes you support, places you’ve lived, books you love
- Share just enough intriguing details to spark conversation
- Stay authentic to who you are – don’t exaggerate or pretend to be someone you’re not
Formatting Your Profile
- On resumes and LinkedIn, profile lengths average 2-5 concise lines or 3-6 bulleted lines
- Online bios and social media profiles can be 2-3 short paragraphs
- Dating app bios tend to be 2-3 sentences or a few bullet points
- Avoid dense blocks of text – use spacing, bullets and headings to enhance readability
- Strategically bold key details you want to quickly stand out to readers
Polishing Your Profile
With your draft complete, avoid these common pitfalls in finalizing your profile:
- Using cliche, overused phrases that sound generic
- Making unsubstantiated claims about vague achievements
- Sharing irrelevant personal details or inside jokes
- Having spelling, grammar, or formatting errors
- Exaggerating or lying about qualifications and interests
- Including negativity, sarcasm or controversial opinions
Instead, read the profile from your audience’s perspective. Is the language clear? Do you come across as genuine? Would this make a stranger want to connect with you? Edit ruthlessly until your personality shines through.
Profiles Present the Person Behind a Name
In today’s crowded digital landscape, you often have just a few seconds to grab someone’s attention – and a stellar profile gives you an advantage. Thoughtfully crafted profiles, whether personal or professional, allow readers to quickly learn about your experiences, skills, passions and style. Follow this guide and you’ll be able to write profiles that make memorable first impressions and showcase the unique person behind your name.
Preparing to Write: Conducting Research
Profile writers learn as much about their subjects as possible. Be sure to take advantage of all available sources of information, and follow up on new leads wherever you find them. After completing your research, you will be able to refine your angle and draft your piece. As you gather your research, keep your target audience in mind, and look for details about your subject that will interest them.
Before you begin to do research, you will need to contact people via email about setting up interviews or gathering other necessary information. To come across as a credible researcher, follow professional email protocol when contacting subjects for interviews or other information.
| Professional Email | |
|---|---|
| Take care to use professional email etiquette when contacting potential interview subjects. | |
|
Subject: Interview Request Dear Dr. Kamau, I am a student in Dr. Liu’s first-year composition class, and I am researching the English Language Institute (ELI) on campus in order to write a profile on tenacity in relation to the ELI. I am writing to ask for a brief interview with you to find out more about the ELI. Would you have 15 minutes within the next week to speak with me by phone or videoconference? I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you for considering this request. [Best, Regards, Sincerely, Yours] Sylvia Varela |
Talking with your subject is the best place to start your research. Interviews generally fall into the category of primary research, or research you collect directly for yourself. People who know, live, and work with your subject can provide additional, helpful background information.
The easiest way to conduct an interview is to schedule a brief, informal conversation in a comfortable setting. For a successful interview, have questions prepared and be ready to take notes as you talk. Your questions should address all aspects of the prompt for the profile assignment.
Note that you will need to cite any interviews you conduct, both within the text and in the Works Cited list. The Works Cited entry for an interview will read as follows:
[Last name of interviewee], [First name of interviewee]. Personal interview. Day Month (abbreviated) Year.
Another form of primary research is field observation. If at all possible, observe your subject in their element—watch them (with permission!) during their workday, spend an extended period of time in a related space, or watch available videos of your subject. In all cases, take thorough and detailed notes to create a careful record of every sensory detail you can capture—smells, sounds, sights, textures, physical sensations, and perhaps tastes. This thick description can provide meaningful details to illuminate the points in your piece. Meticulously record all sensory information about your subject and their setting, writing in-depth notes about what you see, smell, hear, feel, and taste. Remember to use words that express size, shape, color, texture, and sound. If you are taking notes on a person, describe their clothing, gestures, and physical characteristics. At the same time, take note of the interview setting. If the interview takes place in a neutral space, the setting can provide a backdrop for the profile. If the interview setting is a person’s room or apartment, record the details that tell the most about your subject’s special interests.
Here are two sample profiles for you to read and analyze. As you read, consider the features that you find for each of the elements of content, organization, language, and design, and consider the values that the writer and audience share.
Profile on Lucas Threefoot – principal dancer with the Oregon Ballet Theatre
Profile on SDSU Fowler College of Business alumna Bernadette Griggs
Profile writing are articles or essays in which the writer focuses on a specific trait or behavior that reveals something essential about the subject — this is often called a dominant impression. Much profile material comes from interviews either with the subject or with people who know about the subject. However, interviews may not always be part of a profile, for profile writers also draw on other sources of information. In creating profiles, writers usually combine the techniques of narrative, or storytelling, and reporting, or including information that answers the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Potential Profile Subjects and Angles
You can find profile subjects everywhere. The purpose of a profile is to give readers an insight into something fundamental about the subject, whether that subject is a person, a social group, a building, a piece of art, a public space, or a cultural tradition. Writers of profiles often conduct several types of research, including interviews and field observations, as well as consult related published sources. A profile usually reveals one aspect of the subject to the audience; this focus is called an angle. To decide which angle to take, profile writers look for patterns in their research, then consider their audience when making choices about both the angle and the tone, or attitude toward the subject.
How to write a personal profile – Workindenmark
FAQ
How to write a profile example?
What is a profile of a person example?
What is a personal profile?
A personal profile (or, personal statement) is a brief highlight reel to sell yourself to potential employers, and luckily, it’s easy to master the key points to hit. We’ll walk you through the basic formula of a compelling personal statement; plus, we’re offering pro tips and example statements for tons of specific careers, too.
How to write a professional profile?
Consider these tips to write an attractive professional profile: Even though a professional profile is more generic, you should still use the job description as a guide. You want to ensure your profile includes details about your skills and experience that target the needs of the employer.
How do you write a profile on a resume?
Profiles come first on your resume and are written in the first person. When you write in the first person, you can also leave the “I” implied (so, “Marketing professional” instead of “I’m a marketing professional”).
How do you write a career profile?
Then, decide if you want to write your profile in paragraph form or using a short bulleted list. No matter which format you choose, your profile should include an introductory sentence, one or two sentences highlighting your skills and achievements, and a concluding statement of your career goals.
