Keep this in mind when you have to write about yourself

It’s time to sit down and write about yourself -- an About page, your bio, a new LinkedIn summary. You think, this is going to be simple... it’s my life, right?

Fast forward 3 hours and…

Why can’t I come up with more than what’s on my resume?

Blech, this sounds salesy!

How do I bring my unique voice to this?

You are not alone in these thoughts. I hear them all the time. We start trying to write about ourselves for LinkedIn or a cover letter or a bio or whatever (what many of us call “The Blurb”) and we slide into “pitching” ourselves.

The minute you feel you are pitching, you start to sound like someone else – the infomercial, the healer, or worse – the know-it-all.

Because you are, sort of, pitching. You know that whoever hears or reads this is coming to you with a problem. They need to make a quick decision if you’re worth the time, effort and resources to get to know you better...kind of like speed dating.

Speaking of dating, it’s true what that high school boyfriend told you: it’s not about you.

It’s about what you can do for them. Whether you have a solution to their problem. Whether they can trust you. Whether you share their values. Whether there’s chemistry. Whether you’ll help them get where they want to go, and support them while they get there. Do you have the chops to deliver and will I like interacting with you?

We’re so overloaded with content, saturated with offerings, even when we scan someone else’s About page, we’re looking for clues about ourselves.

This is where telling your story is key. And: you have to make it about them.  (Authentically you, but not about you. Pithy and catchy, yet honest and deep. How do you do all of that?)

The work I do with clients on their blurbs is similar to the work I do to help people create a TED like talk, toast, pitch or compelling leadership communication. I help people move back into conversational language, out of the list of achievements and into why their work matters to them.

Because the goal is always for us to see the real you.

So, you’re not really pitching, you’re sharing. Revealing. Your blurb is not about persuading someone you’re capable. It’s about showing who you are, and letting them decide if you ‘fit’. Like dating, sometimes saying “next!” is really the best option for everyone involved:)

The Blurb. The Bio. Your LinkedIn summary. The About Me page. These are hard to write on your own. I just had to write a blurb for myself. I hemmed. I hawed. But I stuck to the dance of what’s enough to share that helps them see me –and also see what’s in it for you. Don’t worry, I’ll be sharing it with you soon.

 I love helping people find the words to communicate who they are– Reach out if you need me!