The 1-2-3 guide to writing a Brief Bio

From time to time I’m called on to provide a brief biographical paragraph for one reason or another. Perhaps a conference presentation, an article, or company website. These requests always seem to occur at inconvenient times, when I have other really important things to do, yet it needs to be done. Here’s the template I use to lower the cognitive load:

  1. State who you are and what your current role is.
  2. List a few of the cool things you have done in the last 4-5 years.
  3. Close with a fun fact or personal interest.

Example from a previous employer:

Dave is currently a senior engineering manager for business applications and revenue cycle management teams. His experience ranges from engineering research, through freelance and consulting, to production software development. Hinge Health is his fifth startup. He enjoys programming in multiple languages.