Writing an about section can be difficult. Just look at all of the blank or auto-generated bios on LinkedIn!
From now on, we’ll stop referring to it as an About section. This section is about introducing yourself. Have you ever been put on the spot with a microphone in front of you and the words “introduce yourself” trailing off into the recent past? Perhaps 1% of the population is naturally inclined towards being able to give a charming and accurate answer. The rest of us ramble on, including our name, job title, company, and maybe a half-baked explanation of what we do.
We’re going to do this a bit differently. Instead of getting you to introduce yourself straight off the bat, instead we’re going to go through a few exercises to get the words pouring out a little easier. Eventually, we’ll turn them into an About section (that you can use for platforms like Wiserr, Facebook, and LinkedIn) by picking and choosing the best bits. Remember: everything you do in these exercises is just for you.
(Note: If you don’t already, we think that starting a journalling practice is something worth considering).
Think of this as taking a full inventory of your wardrobe before selecting what you’ll pack for an important work trip.
Activity One: Just Write
You will need:
a countdown timer (the clock app on your phone will do just nicely)
a notebook and pen OR a word processing application*
*if you use a word processing application, make sure everything else is closed off and turn off notifications.
about 30 minutes
Directions:
Below are a set of questions.
For each bullet, you’re going to set a 3 minute countdown timer.
During that 3 minutes, you will answer this question to the best of your ability. Start with writing anything. Then write as much as you can. Quantity over quality – only you will see this.
If you are stuck, that’s fine. Just wait out the 3 minutes thinking on that question to see if anything comes up. Even if half a thought comes up, give it a shot.
When the 3 minutes is up, if you feel the urge to keep writing then by all means, keep writing! It’s not always easy to turn the tap on so make the most of it.
When you’re done, set another 3 minute timer and move on to the next question.
- Who is your ideal customer? Can you think of any specific people?
- In an ideal world, how do you help them? How do you make their lives better? Why would they enjoy working with you?
- What are your skills? What are the things that friends will come to you for help? What are you good at that most people aren’t?
- What would you neverdo? What type of work do you hate?
- What makes you passionate? What could you happily talk about for extended periods of time? What is something you alwaysdo? What type of work or what type of people energises you?
- Why are you doing this? What inspired it? Why do you do what you do?
- Do you have any childhood or early career stories that explain who you are?
- How do you enjoy helping people? What keeps you motivated?
- How do you fill your “cup”? What do you love to do outside of work?
That’s all for today!
Put the file / notebook somewhere where it won’t be lost – make sure you label it with something meaningful.
Don’t re-read it just yet. Time to sleep on it for a bit.
