Tips for Writing Your Bio

Tips for Writing Your Bio

Recruiters have to scan 100s of bios, so you want to make sure yours is concise and interesting! Recruiters want to know more about “you”.

This is NOT a cover letter, or a space for you to restate all your experience/qualifications, or a lengthy philosophy of education. Recruiters can easily find this information from your Search profile.

Here are some guidelines/suggestions (trust me, I know what recruiters are looking for!):

• 3-4 short paragraphs
• Write in the first person (“I/me”)
• Reflect current/recent experiences
• Highlight key points that you want recruiters to know about you, professionally and personally, which could include family background, interests/activities, major personal or athletic achievements.
• You may want to include a brief statement of why you are passionate about teaching (your “aha” moment). How have you arrived at this point in your life and career? What motivates you as a professional? What is your competitive advantage?
• Add an anecdote, include some humour, show your personality
• SPELLCHECK and check for correct grammar
• Do not use Letter format (Dear Principal….Sincerely, ….)
• Avoid cliches “I love travel and adventure” or “I travelled to (country) and fell in love with the people and culture…” (as you can imagine, all aspiring and experienced international educators could say the same thing!)
• Do not ramble on (avoid “blah blah blah….”)
• DO NOT OVERTHINK THIS!  We know it’s hard to talk about yourself, but do not let this delay your application or your account re-activation. Go ahead and draft a few paragraphs. You can always go back to edit/revise your bio, or any part of your Search profile at any time, in any status (Active, Pending, Archived).

Enhance your Bio with AI. Consider using AI tools (ie Chat GPT) to enhance your bio, making it concise, engaging and dynamic. 

Note: when you submit your application, or when you are re-activating your account, I do read your bio (I want to get to know you better too!) and may edit any obvious typos/grammar errors, but otherwise, I do not make any changes. I may make some suggestions, but then leave it up to you, since it is YOUR bio. But I really hope you use the above advice, to make your profile as competitive as possible.