Recruiters and hiring managers will go through hundreds of applications before selecting candidates for positions. It is practically impossible for them to meet every candidate and evaluate them personally. In such situations, a well-prepared biodata gives you an edge over your competition. In this article, we will discuss how to write biodata and share some examples and tips to help you write your own.
What is biodata?
A biodata is defined as a collection of basic information about a person and their career, work, and life accomplishments. In many interview/recruitment situations, candidates will have to introduce themselves, and their work and state what makes them a good fit for the job. A biodata is the first step in that process, and it plays a huge role in the impact your job application can make on interviewers and potential employers.
Hiring managers use biodata to evaluate the ethics, perspectives, values, and experiences of a candidate. These factors will help them better understand if a person can fit into their work culture and align with the company’s vision. In many cases, candidates are shortlisted for interviews purely on the basis of a biodata review.
Purpose of Biodata
The biodata for the job acts as a professional profile which is the first introduction to the company. Biodata shows the intent to work in the company. Biodata makes the task easy for the human resource team. Candidates have to put their biodata which will act as a first step to getting the job. It is an informational document that will tell your career story to the hiring manager properly, highlighting all the necessary details.
The interested candidates will have to follow the proper biodata format for the job to impact the managers. Better the biodata, the chances to get the interview call is higher. Biodata is your best weapon; hence it is essential to use it wisely to get the job.
How Employers Use Biodata?
All the job seekers send their biodata for the job; employers select the eligible candidates for the interview. Biodata acts as a crucial tool for employers to analyze the career trajectories of applicants going by industry trends. The following are the ways in which employers use your biodata:
- Analyze Trends: Every company receives a large pool of applications now and then. Over time, companies notice trends as people apply for similar kinds of positions. Employers of organizations study this data and analyze these trends to train prospective candidates. These trends will also help them frame job descriptions. They can submit new job postings accordingly to fit existing market trends.
- Identify Education: Specifications: Some job roles require special education qualifications. They have specific education or have minimum educational requirements. Employers look for an application that can fulfill specific educational qualifications, especially in cases where education is one of the essential components of their role. Sometimes, even if your qualification is not exact, employers consider them to fulfill the bare minimum requirements.
- Identify Required Skills: Sometimes, some roles require a specific skill set. In this case, employers look for a skill set. Some skills can be ignored, whereas some of the skills cannot be bent.
ATS Search Approach
- Identify Required Keywords: Many organizations use applicant tracking technology for handling large numbers of resumes they receive. These smart-systems sort the application as per the criteria set by the employer. Resumes are given a percentage as per their preference. Employers set specific keywords to sort the biodata as per the position. Those who score highest are highlighted in the employer’s inbox, whereas those who score less are removed from the system.
- Determine Career Progression: Many job roles require employers to determine your career progression. They look at your professional journey which gives them a clear idea of your career trajectory. That will help them to decide if you are ready for a particular position.
- Assess Online Presence: As social media becomes more and more influential today, employers can find much information for their candidates. People spend a reasonable amount of time online, and their content shows what kind of person they are. If you post questionable content, it will discourage employers from going forward with your application.
How Applicants Use Biodata?
The use of resumes is not just used for the job application process. Biodata is a valuable document that contains complete information about your professional life. Below are the uses of biodata by applicants.
- Send to Employers: The primary use of your biodata is to send it to employers to get your dream job. Sending biodata is the first step to getting an interview call. So if you feel that the job is perfect for you and all the requirements can be fulfilled, you then forward your biodata.
- Introduction to Employers: Your biodata works as an introductory document as before you meet the interviewer, biodata is what they look at. Biodata will give your formal introduction to the hiring managers. They not only look at your skills and qualifications but also your personality.
- Demonstrating Skills: Candidates can list their skills on the biodata, which will help their employers learn about them better. When it comes to creating jobs, a creative biodata plays a significant role as hiring managers will get to know about your creativity, color palettes, and use of images. The role of an HR manager is different than Hiring Manager in some companies.
- Record Keeping: Biodata is like your professional history. Sometimes you can forget the date of a particular qualification; biodata will act as a record. Biodata will help employers understand the complete career trajectory.
How to make a biodata?
If you’re looking for a job, creating a good biodata is essential. A well-written biodata can help you stand out from other candidates and give potential employers a clear idea of who you are and what you bring to the table. But how do you create a good biodata? Here are some tips to help you to make a good biodata.
Firstly, it’s important to include all of your relevant personal information in your biodata. This includes your name, contact details such as your phone number and email address, as well as any social media profiles that may be relevant to the position. You should also include your educational qualifications, work experience and skills, highlighting those that align with the job requirements.
Secondly, formatting is key when it comes to creating an effective biodata. Make sure your document is easy on the eyes by using a clear font size and typeface.
How to write a short biodata?
When most people think of online bios, they probably can readily name a few common short bio examples first. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest all have space for a short description of who you are and what you do. And you should make the most of the 1-2 lines you’re afforded here. Keep your social media bios short, sweet, and only filled with the most important things a stranger should know about you, such as:
Your name
Current role
Ultimate Career goal
Your biggest achievement
How to write a professional biodata?
Professional sites like LinkedIn, AngelList, or a speaker bio on an event site all have space for a bio or summary section. For each of these, you’ll probably want to write a mid-length description of both your current role, professional aspirations, and biggest achievements. Professional biodata allows you to go into a bit more detail than short social media biodata, especially on LinkedIn. It’s generally a good idea to include:
Your name
Current role or professional tagline
Company or personal brand
Career goals and aspirations
Recent 2-3 most impressive and relevant achievements
One quirky fact about you (if it’s appropriate to the site)
99% of Professionals in various Industries will maintain Linkedin Profile. Sometimes if you are too distracted, you can learn how to delete Linkedin Account.
What to include in a biodata at work?
Writing a biodata for your company’s website, HR system, or Slack instance? Be sure to give your coworkers a sense of both your professional expertise—and your personality! You should include anything you’d include in a professional biodata in the bio for your company, but don’t be afraid to personalize it with a few personal details. Have a hobby you love? A favorite book? A professional hero you look up to? Add them to give your coworkers a sense of who you are before they work with you.
Have you done any Volunteer work that can make you stand out?. It is ok to do volunteer for Resume weightage. Highlight them in bold in your biodata.
What to include in a biodata on your website?
The “About” section of any personal website can be a slog. A drain. A hassle. You’ve already created a whole website about yourself, so it can be difficult to muster the strength to write that final description of who you are and what you’re about.
But never fear! Your website bio doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs context on who you are and what you’ve done. This is an open, larger space, so you have room to list a few accomplishments and give context on why they’re important. You can also add a short paragraph about who you are outside of your nine-to-five.
For this type of biodata, you may also want to include a contact form or email, to help prospective clients, employers, or collaborators get in touch. If you do, be sure to include a clear call to action for your reader to contact you.
BioData Format
Writing a perfect biodata for a job can be challenging, but it’s crucial if you want to stand out from the crowd. A biodata is a brief document that highlights your personal and professional details, including education, work experience, skills, achievements, and interests. The purpose of a biodata is to give potential employers an overview of your qualifications and suitability for the role.
To begin with, it’s essential to choose the right biodata format that suits your needs. There are several formats available such as chronological, functional or combination style. Once you have decided on the format that works best for you, start by providing accurate and relevant information about yourself in each section. Highlight your most recent work experience first followed by other professional experiences in chronological order.
A biodata template to use and customize
Even after you understand different types of biodata, it can be difficult to get started. The words may not be flowing, you might not fully understand how your professional biodata will be used, or you might just be stuck. Never fear! Here’s a biodata recipe you can use across most sites.
- Your first and last name: Start by writing your name. That wasn’t so hard!
- Your company or brand: If you have a consulting firm, a brand you use for your side hustle, or a company you currently work at, list that next.
- Your current function: What do you do for work? You can either list your current title or a short, descriptive phrase about your role here.
- Your north star: People reading your bio will also want to get a sense of who you are. Listing your overall goal, values, or a statement that describes your ethos will help them get to know you, even in short biodata.
- Your top three accomplishments: Especially in professional bios, you’ll need a few accomplishments to show off what you’ve done in your career. Choose the top two or three large milestones from your career (no more), and put them next.
- Your cute closer (optional): This may not be necessary for a shorter biodata for Twitter or Instagram. But for a website or similarly professional bio, you may want to add a sentence describing who you are outside of work.
- Your contact info (optional): Depending on the site, you may also want to include an email, contact form, or another easy way for readers to reach you. List this information at the end of your biodata.
4 quick tips on writing a biodata
Even with all of this information on how to write a biodata, it might still be difficult to write about yourself. Even for the most confident person, self-promotion can be exhausting. But never fear! There are a few ways you can keep your “about me” writing on point—without pulling your hair out.
Tip #1: Don’t overthink it
Biodata are usually formulaic—and that’s OK! For most professional biodata, LinkedIn summaries, and speaker bios at events, you won’t need to stray from the norm too much to stand out. Even adding an adjective that shows your personality or an unusual accomplishment can make your bio different from the crowd. You don’t need to create the next Between The World And Me to write a killer biodata.
Tip #2: Remember your worth
Writing a biodata on a site like Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn can be daunting because there are already so many fantastic bios (and people!) out there. But don’t fall prey to bio comparison. Your story is only yours to tell, and it has value. Focus on staying authentic to your truth, and don’t worry about others.
Tip #3: When in doubt, borrow
Bios can be repetitive, sometimes even tedious. So if you find a structure you like and think sounds unique, borrow it! You should never copy a person’s bio—after all, it’s their story, not yours. But you can mimic the structure if you’re feeling stuck.
Tip #4: Get writing help
You’re not alone in your quest to create a bio that stands out. Grammarly is here to help you choose powerful adjectives, clean up hedging language, and make your bio stand out.
How to write biodata?
There are many formats you can follow, to write a biodata. However, there are some key pieces of information that you must include, for it to be comprehensive. Follow these steps to write an effective biodata:
1. Include a formal photograph of yourself
Get a professional photographer’s help to get a good passport-size photograph taken of yourself. Make sure that your face is clearly visible in the photograph. It is good practice to have formal attire and expression in the photograph. Avoid wearing flashy colors, jewelry, or excessive make-up.
2. Add a personal statement outlining your background and career objectives
A personal statement can be an introduction to the sections that follow. It should contain details like your name, your birthplace, your current city of residence, your last job, and the latest formal education you have pursued. Make sure to highlight keywords or isolate them before the body text.
3. Provide some basic personal information
It is up to you to decide how much information you want to share with a potential employer. Include information only if you feel it is vital to the biodata. It is common practice to include full name, gender, nationality, date of birth, and contact information. You may provide this information as a bulleted list, to improve visibility.
4. Share your educational background
List out the formal education you have received, including your degrees/diplomas, your major subjects, and aggregate score/CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average). Also mention the years in which you pursued each course. Take note that your latest educational qualification should appear on top, followed by the others, in order.
5. Share your work experience
Provide details of your work history, including past employers, job titles, and duration of engagement with each employer. Note that you should list your latest work engagement first and the remaining ones in order.
6. List any awards or recognitions you have received
If you or your work has received any awards or formal recognitions, mention them in reverse chronological order. Mention the year in which you received the award and the body/organization/institute that has granted you the award.
7. List your hard and soft skills separately
Make a separate list of your hard and soft skills, along with any software or tools you have mastered. Hard skills are the ones that you have to train to develop. Soft skills are an inherent part of your personality and can be considered to be your character trait. When you list software, you can also mention your level of expertise in each one.
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Tips for writing biodata
While preparing a biodata, it is important to keep in mind the attention span of the reader. Since hiring managers, interviewers and employers may be going through a large number of such documents in a day, it is important for you to make your resume stand out, in terms of clarity and readability.
Documents like CVs resumes, and biodata gets only less than half a minute of reading time, on average. The reader must be able to register vital information about you, within this span of time.
Here are some general tips to help you make your biodata more effective:
- Make sure it is comprehensive. Give appropriate information in a justified order so that it registers better.
- Use formatting tools to stylize text, divide sections, and use variations in font size to improve readability.
- Share only information that you feel is absolutely necessary.
- Highlight the information that makes you a good fit for the position you are applying for.
- Do your research on the company and the job title before you write your biodata. Consider what the reader will be looking for and present information in a way that appeals to them.
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Final Thoughts
In conclusion, writing a perfect biodata for job requires thorough preparation and attention to detail. Start by ensuring that your biodata is well-organized, concise, and free of errors. Make sure you include relevant information about yourself such as your education, experience, and skills. Don’t forget to also highlight any awards or achievements you may have received in the past. Finally, create a professional summary at the end of your biodata that summarizes who you are and what value you bring to the company.
