Top 10 Tips on How To Write About Yourself

Many people find it really hard to write fordifferent purposes, with individual "tops and tails"
business and marketing purposes aboutaimed at specific audiences. The more relevant
themselves and/or their product or service -your text is to the reader - telling him/her how
much harder than it is to write about someone oryou and your service meet their needs - the
something else. If that sounds familiar, read on; inmore successful the text will be.
this article a professional business writer shares6. First person or third person? In point #3 we
her top tips on how to write about yourself andsuggest writing in the third person to make it
what you do, efficiently and effectively.easier for you to regard yourself in an objective
1. Before you do anything else, ask yourself notlight. However there are times when you may
what you want to say, but what you want toneed to present your text in the first person -
achieve with the text. Be honest with yourselfe.g. in a letter or email. Try where possible to use
and don't be overly ambitious. Once you've clearlythe third person - if for no other reason than it
identified your objective keep it in mindgives you more leeway to write enthusiastically
throughout the writing exercise. You'll find thatabout yourself.
keeps you on track far more effectively - what7. Follow the rules of modern business writing;
you want to achieve should define what you say.keep it simple. Use "active voice" rather than
2. Forget modesty. As an experienced"passive voice" where possible. Keep your
salesperson would say, "if you don't think you'resentences down to a sensible length and use no
good, why the hell should I?" Equally of coursemore than three or four sentences per paragraph.
you don't want to exaggerate your strengths -Use cross headings and "pullouts" to break your
that can lead to problems when you're eventuallytext up visually and allow the reader to pick up on
called upon to deliver! But be realistic about whatthe main points.
you can do and don't be afraid to describe it in a8. Where appropriate, use short clips of
positive light.testimonials from existing clients or customers.
3. A useful way to achieve tip #2 is to stepAvoid the pleasantly banal bits and use phrases
outside of yourself and regard yourself as aand sentences that have some meaning and bite.
product or better still, as a brand. For theA sentence or two normally is plenty - any more
purposes of this exercise you are not Mary Doeand the reader will probably just skim over it.
the person. You are writing about Mary Doe the9. Be sure that your grammar, spelling and
brand. It's not as difficult as it sounds; write in thepunctuation are right. Although standards have
third person to start with, if you find that morebeen slipping in the last few years the recent
comfortable. Imagine you're a colleague writingpublication of "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" has
about you.focused everyone's attention on the tekkie bits of
4. Bear in mind that whoever reads this textwriting again. Goofs of this nature make your
probably won't care much about you; they'll onlytext, and you, look amateurish.
care about what you can do for them. Structure10. Do a reality check on your text after you've
everything with that in mind. If you need tocompleted it. Show it to friends and colleagues
include factual/statistical information (educationaland ask not if they "like" it, but if they feel it
details, qualifications, etc.) then make sure yourepresents you fairly - and if not, why not. Then
stick it in a box so it's visually separated from thetake other people's opinions on board, but don't
main text.lose sleep over them. At the end of the day you
5. Where possible, identify the audience who willprobably know yourself, and your market, better
be reading your text and aim your writingthan anyone else. Don't be afraid to make final
squarely at them. It's possible that the "core" ofjudgments.
your text can remain the same for a number of