What is the optimal length and structure for a professional bio?

Well, there is no direct answer to it because it depends on various factors, which include showing your expertise, experience, value, and the audience as well. It can be short and crispy, It can be a medium with essential details, It can be long if you have a lot of experience to share.

One of the main things about the length of a bio is to understand more about where the key pieces of information are in the bio. Depending on the audience, they will be looking for keywords in order to understand if your bio connects you to the expertise they want. So, putting in length of experience at the top may be relevant to one audience whilst a key area of knowledge may be important to another. Readers want to know if they should continue to engage with the bio when they start to read.

So, some of the key things that you need in your structure are: 1) Why they should invest their time in reading further - so say at the start what makes you the expert for this; key words can be your helper here but don't sound like buzz word bingo 2) Connect with them; yes, tell them about your niche but show that you have real world experience 3) present your experience in a way that they can relate to; if the company you worked for is only known in your country talk in terms that are global. I use 'blue-chip' or 'FTSE 100' terms 4) offer external links for more information or to engage with them

Aligning your bio with the goals of your audience is critical here. The first step is understanding who your audience is and what they need. Then, instead of putting the spotlight on "you," put the spotlight on how you can solve their pain points and make their lives easier/better. Remember, if you want your message to emotionally resonate with your audience, you have to make them characters in your brand story.

I always think of your bio as being a piece of great SEO. Work out the key terms and words that you need in order to engage your audience. Don't play buzz-word or hashtag bingo, but do put in the key words that explain what you do.

I cannot stress this enough - READ YOUR BIO OUT LOUD TO YOURSELF. Rubber duck it. When you read it out loud you will find the missing words, incorrect tenses and where you need extra punctuation.

Not a straightforward answer, my CV is 6 pages now, but I have a 1 and 1/2 version too. It really depends on who you are sending the CV to. I strongly believe the recruitment process is broken, I can say so being an employer and an employee. Recruitment agencies are too many and some of them improvised. Head Hunting organizations seem taking more and more control over the recruitment process.

Also consider that you should tailor your bio for the specific recipient, where posibble. You need to have a standard bio but as far as possible, customize your bio before sharing. Why??? The length can be significantly reduced if you put in the information that best suits the recipient such as relevant experience or projects. The impact on the reader is more positive if there isn't unnecessary information.

Never just send your bio out without checking that it works for the recipient. Yes, you may need to rewrite it again and again for different audiences. Tought, that's just how it works. But keep those copies and use them as starting points for the next rewriet