A Professional Description is how you explain to people what you do. While this may seem easy, many people get it wrong. They are often too vague, or they are complicated, so people don’t understand what they actually do. Here are 4 tips to write a Professional Description.
Simplicity = Clarity
Your professional description should be clear, simple, and easy for someone to understand. If someone can’t understand what you do, they can’t introduce you to other people or bring you opportunities.
Power Tip:
The best brands and professional opportunities are easy to remember and share. If someone can’t easily understand what you do, they can’t connect you with opportunities or tell other people about you. This should be your test as to if your brand is clear and simple enough.
Remove Jargon
Even if your target audience in your industry would understand a more technical professional description, you want your personal brand to have the ability to travel by word-of-mouth. Many of the people you meet will be outside your field and not understand a technical description. It may be helpful to have two professional descriptions if you work in a highly technical or specialized field – one for those in your industry and one for the public. This will allow you to communicate effectively to both groups.
Be Specific
While your professional description should be clear and simple, it also must be specific. What exactly do you do? Not “insurance” but “I am an insurance broker specializing in personal coverage.” Not “social media” but “digital marketing trainer for business.”
- I’m an insurance broker.
- I’m a digital marketing trainer.
- I’m a business consultant.
Do not Complicate It
Do not overcomplicate it. If you say things like “I do social media” (too vague), or “I provide disposal system engineering to maximize waste removal” (too complicated), people will not understand you.
Action Item:
Craft your professional description to describe what you do as clearly as possible. Remember that it should be easily understood by average people and your target audience.
What do you do? ___________________________________________.
(professional description – clear, simple, no jargon, easy to understand)
The is taken from an excerpt of “Launch Yourself”, by Krista Neher. For your free action planner and bonus resources, visit www.LaunchYourself.com/book.
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