How To Write an “About Me” Page That Gets You Hired

Posted on by Jeff Riegel, Producer/Editor

January 6, 2016

by

About pages are hard. You have one page to summarize who you are, what you do, and how you’re different in a clear, concise, and confident way. No big deal! Just tell us why you matter in two to five paragraphs, without bragging.

Honestly, I don’t know anyone who enjoys this process. Even if you’re comfortable writing about yourself, it’s hard to know where to start or what to leave out. You know yourself better than anyone, but that only seems to make it worse.

Over the past 10 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to help all sorts of people get their websites into shape. I’ve taught workshops on honest marketing and developing portfolios, and I co-wrote a book about writing useful, friendly content. Whenever About pages come up, these are the tips I share:

  • Write to your dream audience.
  • Highlight the kind of work you want to be doing.
  • Tell the truth in your own voice.
  • Read it aloud to make sure it sounds like you.
  • Treat it as a draft. Share it early and update it regularly.

Think of your About page as a way to introduce yourself. It doesn’t need to be exhaustive, and you don’t have to say anything that makes you uncomfortable. Find a balance between being personal and professional, and try to have some fun. This is a great time to step away from the computer, put your self-critic aside, and do some exploratory writing to take the pressure off.

I’ll walk you through the process that I share with my clients. This is focused on freelancers and solo practitioners, but you can use the same steps for your company or project.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

For two decades, Jeff Riegel was a senior level Producer/Editor for the Department of Defense and various government contractors in Northern Virginia. Outside of the workplace, Jeff keeps himself busy with the creation of festival worthy documentaries "Tori Nelson: Fighting for Her Future" and the once nominated and two-time Emmy award winning "A Journey of Education and Remembrance." His short film "The Great Realisation" captured the eyes at 18 international film festivals with various winning honors; a poem that takes on heavy themes such as fevered capitalism, man-made ecological issues, digital addiction during the global Covid blight. Jeff is looking for funding investors and co-producing "The Lost Clipper," a two+ decades project about the first hijacking in U.S. history and the search for those 15 lost souls abducted in 1938, the true first act of war with Japan. Filming takes him to Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, Canada, and locations across the U.S. (see www.LostClipper.com) He enjoys creating media-marketing social networking campaign for personalities such as 13-time world boxing champion Tori Nelson, Netflix's "Narcos" personalities Steve Murphy and Javier Pena, and renowned landscape photographer Frank Lee Ruggles. Jeff is eager to attack any project head-on. Jeff's Motto: think beyond convention...and consider it done!