It can be challenging to write about yourself. However, the good news is if you follow the formula and tips below, you should be able to generate an engaging “About Me” statement without too much of a struggle. Here’s how to write an “About Me” page you can be proud of.
What is an ‘About Me’ Page?
An “About Me” page is a summary (typically two to five paragraphs) on a personal or professional website or a blog describing who you are and what you do.
Why Create an ‘About Me’ Page
Should you or shouldn’t you put the effort into crafting your perfect “About Me” page? Here are a few reasons why you should (and maybe shouldn’t) spend the time.
Getting Started: Step-By-Step Guide
Your ‘About Me’ page should convey:
Who you are and what you’re doingHow you got thereWhere you’re looking to go next
Use this space to describe your credentials, expertise, and goals. What’s the best way to start? The following exercises can be helpful in figuring all of that out, and will help you determine what to include based on your target audience.
Spend about five minutes on each question. You can use the example answers to get an idea of what that answer might sound like in its final form, but be sure to use your own words.
1. What are you currently doing (in regard to your career) and how did you get there?
How does your background make you unique?
2. In terms of the work you do, what aspects are you most passionate about and why?
Share what you love most about your work.
3. What do you consider some of your biggest professional and personal accomplishments?
How did your attributes contribute to those accomplishments? Be as specific as you can.
4. What are you looking for right now?
If you’re job seeking, considering a career change, or looking to take on projects or gigs, mention it in your statement. Include your email address in the last sentence, so it’s easy to get in touch with you. Madison’s hunger for knowledge and determination to turn information into action has contributed to her most recent success at Rockwell Group. There, she led international award-winning campaigns for heavy-hitting brands such as Puma, Gucci, and Rolex. Meanwhile, she vastly improved the productivity of her department by implementing strategic project management methods and ensuring a work-life balance for her team. Madison believes mindfulness in the workplace is key to success—a tenet she lives out through her interests in yoga, meditation, gardening, and painting. Once you’ve completed the exercises above, you’ll have some material to work into your “About Me” page. Ideally, each answer should flow into the next. Again, you want the finished product to convey who you are and what you’re doing, how you got there, and where you’re looking to go next.
‘About Me’ Page Examples
When you have put the pieces together and your answers are organized into paragraphs, they would read something like this:
Example of a Published ‘About Me’ Page
Here’s an example of an “About Me” page with images. Madison’s hunger for knowledge and determination to turn information into action has contributed to her most recent success at Rockwell Group, where she led international, award-winning campaigns for heavy-hitting brands, such as Puma, Gucci, and Rolex. Meanwhile, she vastly improved the productivity of her team by implementing strategic project management methods and ensuring a work-life balance for her department. Madison believes mindfulness in the workplace is key to success—a tenet she lives out through her interests in yoga, meditation, gardening, and painting. Madison is currently working as a freelance marketing director and is always interested in a challenge. Reach out to madisonblackstone@gmail.com to connect!
Tips for Writing a Great ‘About Me’ Page
Decide if you want to use the first or third person. Should you use the first or third person, what’s the difference, and why does it matter? First person involves the use of “I” statements as in, “I manage teams …” whereas the third person (as exemplified above) uses “he/him” or “she/her" as in “She manages teams …” You will find “About Me” statements written both ways. Most important is that you choose one and remain consistent, rather than alternating between the two:
If you’re writing the “About” statement on a business website, it’s generally advised to use the third person (“She supervises …”).If your website is a personal portfolio or blog, it’s best to use the first person (“I have 10 years of experience …”).
Don’t ramble. Most likely, your reader’s attention span isn’t going to be very long. Try to keep your statement to between 250 and 500 words. If your “About Me” statement runs long, try using bolding or bullet points to break up the text. Include an image. If you’re promoting your expertise, consider adding a photo to your page. A professional headshot, like you use on LinkedIn, will work perfectly. If your website or blog is about a product or service, include a related image. Stay humble. Although it’s important to include your accomplishments and your experience, do so in a reasonable manner, avoiding outlandish statements. Declarations like, “I’m the best marketing professional there is” or “Any company that brings me on board is lucky to have me” will certainly hurt you more than it will help you get hired. Use your own voice. Don’t use words plucked from the thesaurus or a business book. You won’t be introducing yourself in the same way you would be to, say, someone you’ve just met in a bar, but you also shouldn’t sound like a politician running for president. Use a tone pitch you should use for networking. Also, be honest about your interests and goals. Go for humor rather than trying to be funny. In some “About Me” pages, you’ll see that humor can be effective. However, avoid joke telling, especially if it doesn’t come naturally. Don’t feel pressure to sound clever and entertaining. Instead, focus on coming across as approachable, friendly, and engaging. Be honest. Your “About Me” page should reflect your genuine interests, whether they’re personal or work-related. You never know when someone might use the material in your statement to strike up a conversation. For example, if you’re not really into yoga, don’t write you’re into yoga, or if you hate the account management aspect of your job, don’t write that you’re passionate about client experience. Proofread, print, and read aloud. Typos make you look careless and reduce the professionalism of your page. Carefully proofread your statement when it’s complete and ask a friend to do the same. Then, print it out and read it aloud. Not only will this help you catch typos or grammatical mistakes, but it is also the best way to ensure the statement reads naturally and sounds like you. Include links when possible and relevant. Make sure your email address is a link. If you use the word “experience,” you can link that to your LinkedIn profile. If you mention any specific projects you’ve worked on, add links when you can, whether that’s a link to your portfolio, a positive news article, or even a blog post on your own site that discusses the experience.
Update Your Page Regularly
Remember that your ‘“About Me” page is a living document. Whenever inspiration strikes, you can (and should) come back and update the page to ensure it accurately reflects where you’re at in work and in life.
