Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: How to write about yourself in general
• Method 2 of 4: Autobiographical Essays
• Method 3 of 4: Cover Letter
• Method 4 of 4: A Brief Autobiography
• Tips

You may not know how to write cover letters, autobiographical essays, and short autobiographies, but after learning some tips and tricks regarding the style and content of these documents, you can easily write them.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: How to write about yourself in general

1. 1 Introduce yourself. Writing about yourself can be challenging because you have so much to tell and you need to reduce all of your life experiences, skills, and talents to one or two paragraphs. What kind of autobiography and why you are writing, just think about how you would introduce yourself to a stranger. What do they need to know? Answer questions like:
   • Who you are?
   • What is your education and experience?
   • What are your interests?
   • What are your talents?
   • What are your accomplishments?
   • What difficulties have you dealt with?
2. 2 Start with a short list of your talents and interests. If you're not sure where to start, or if you're tasked to write about one thing, start by making a list. Use any good ideas to help you decide what to write about, and jot down as many different answers as you see fit.
3. 3 Narrow down the topic. Pick one specific topic, describe it in detail, and use it to tell your story. It is better to choose a single aspect and cover it in many details than to give a long list of common phrases.
   • What is the most interesting or unique quality you possess? Which word (s) describes you best? Choose this topic.
4. 4 Use a few nice details. Once you've picked a specific, narrow topic, give the reader some unique details that will grab their attention. Remember to describe yourself and provide details that show you in a positive light.
   • Bad: "I love sports."
   • Not bad: "I love basketball, football, hockey and tennis."
   • Good: "I love football: both watching and playing myself."
   • Even better: “When I was growing up, my father and brothers and I never missed a Champions League game on TV, and then we took the ball and went to play in the yard. Since then I really love football. "
5. 5 Be humble. Even if you are an extremely educated and gifted person, you should not push yourself too high. You are not writing for the sake of bragging. List your successes and achievements, but soften them in more modest language:
   • Boastful statement: "I am currently the best and most active employee in my company, so you should hire me for my talents."
   • A modest statement: “In my current job, I was lucky to receive the Employee of the Month award three times. It turned out that this is a record for the company ”.

Method 2 of 4: Autobiographical Essays

1. 1 Write a great story. Autobiographical essays are typically used in university applications and school assignments. An essay differs from a cover letter in that the purpose of the cover letter is to introduce an applicant or candidate for a vacant position, and the purpose of the essay is to reveal a specific topic. In an autobiographical essay, you need to write about yourself using specific, real-life details that emphasize the theme or idea of ​​the entire essay.
   • Sample topics for autobiographical essays: "Overcoming difficulties", "Great successes and impressive failures", "A situation that allowed you to learn something new about yourself."
2. 2 Focus on one topic or one event. Unlike a cover letter, an autobiographical essay should not have abrupt transitions from one topic or event to another to emphasize the merits of the candidate; the essay needs to focus on one event in order to reveal it.
   • Depending on the topic of the essay, you may need to insert a funny story about yourself in the text to support the topic of the entire essay.Think about stories from your life that fit the topic of the essay.
3. 3 Write about problems, not just all the good things. In an essay, you do not need to show yourself exclusively from the positive side. Write not only about your successes and achievements, but also about what needs improvement. For example, how you once forgot to pick up your sister from kindergarten when you were at a party with friends, or how you skipped class and got caught.
   • Popular clichés in autobiographical essays are stories of athletic achievement, significant travel, and deceased grandmothers. It is possible that these are great essays (if they are well written), but it will be difficult for you to stand out from the background with the story of how your team lost an important match, then trained long and hard and finally won. This has already been written countless times.
4. 4 Reduce your time frame. It's almost impossible to write a good five-page essay about your entire life before you turn 14. Even a topic like “My High School Years” is too difficult to write a quality essay. Choose an event that lasted no more than one day (or, as a last resort, several days).
   • If you want to talk about how you broke up with your loved one, do not start with how you met. Concentrate on the breakup.
5. 5 Add vibrant details. If you want to write a good memorable essay, include vivid (but real) details of events and a description of your thoughts and feelings.
   • Start by writing down the details you remember about the event. What was the weather like? What was the smell? What did your mother say?
   • The first paragraph sets the style for the entire essay. Instead of starting with boring background information (your name, place of birth, and the like), find a way to express the essence of the story you're writing about in your essay.
6. 6 Start in the middle of the story. In an autobiographical essay, don't worry about the progressive intrigue of the narrative. If you want to write, for example, about a badly celebrated holiday, start with a burnt pie. Don't start off by inviting friends and the like. How did you handle the situation? How did the guests react? How did you celebrate next?
7. 7 Combine the details into one common text. If you write, for example, about an unsuccessfully celebrated holiday, remember that you are writing not only (and not so much) about a burnt cake. What's the point in this story? What is important in this story for an outside reader? At least once on each page, you should indicate something (thought, detail) that connects the reader to the main topic of the essay.

Method 3 of 4: Cover Letter

1. 1 Find a requirement or template. If you need a cover letter or motivation letter for a job, university admission, or any other reason, find the requirements for what the letter should include. You may need to describe your education, qualifications, and the like. Possible requirements:
   • Describe your qualifications and abilities.
   • Tell us about yourself.
   • Describe why your education and experience qualifies you for this position.
   • Explain how the opportunity presented will affect your career development.
2. 2 Choose the writing style appropriate for the purpose of its presentation. For example, if you are submitting a cover letter to a university, it is best to write the letter in a professional academic style. If you're applying for a cover letter to a new web design firm offering “Describe your three superpowers in programming,” it's best to use an informal writing style.
   • When in doubt about your choice of style, write short and formal. Don't include funny stories in your email unless you are sure they are appropriate.
3. 3 In the first paragraph, state the purpose of the letter. The first two sentences should clearly explain the purpose of submitting your cover letter and application.If the person reading your cover letter doesn't understand exactly what you want, your application will go to the trash can.
   • “I am writing about the vacancy of a sales manager in your company, posted on your website. I am confident that my experience and education make me an ideal candidate for this position. "
   • Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to include your name in the body of the letter. Your name will appear in the signature as well as in the header of your cover letter, so there is no need to write your name in the text itself.
4. 4 Write your letter in a cause-effect format. The cover letter should explain to a potential employer or admissions office why you are the best candidate for the position or why you should be accepted by the university. To do this, be sure to indicate in your cover letter what you are proposing and how it will satisfy the ambitions of both parties. Be sure to describe the following:
   • Who are you and where are you from?
   • What are your career plans?
   • How will this opportunity affect your career development?
5. 5 Describe your abilities and skills in detail. What makes you stand out from other applicants for this position? What experience, skills, talents, education do you have?
   • Be as specific as possible. It is okay to write that you are “a leader in all walks of life,” but it is much better to give an example of your leadership in an unusual life situation.
   • Focus on the required skills and abilities. Overtime, leadership positions, and other accomplishments may be important to you personally, but may be completely uninteresting to the particular reader of your cover letter. Include in your letter only those skills and abilities that are in any way relevant to the position you are applying for.
6. 6 Describe your goals and ambitions. What do you want to achieve? Both admissions committees and employers are interested in ambitious and entrepreneurial people who are motivated to achieve high results. Describe what you want to achieve and how this position / education will help you with it.
   • Be as specific as possible. If you are writing a cover letter for a university, then it is obvious that you need a college degree in order to work as a doctor. But why this particular university? What do you want to learn?
7. 7 Explain the benefits to both parties. How do you differ from other candidates? What will the university get if you enter it? What will you gain by getting this position?
   • Be careful with criticism in your cover letter. You don't need to write, for example, that "your company's financial performance for the last quarter is just awful, and my ideas and abilities will correct this situation." Even if you get a job, you may not be able to deliver on your promises.
8. 8 Don't confuse your cover letter and resume. While it is important to list relevant skills and abilities, do not go into details of your education, previous positions, and the like; this should be done on the resume. Since in most cases both a cover letter and a resume are required, make sure that the resume and the cover letter contain different information.
   • Even if, for example, you have an impressive GPA, don't include it in your cover letter, but be sure to include it on your resume.
   • Don't include the detailed information on your resume in your cover letter.
9. 9 Keep it short. The ideal cover letter should be no more than one or two pages (250-400 words). In some (rare) cases, it is required to write a longer letter of 700-1000 words.
10. 10 Format your email. Cover letters are usually one-spaced in a legible font (eg Times or Garamond).As a rule, cover letters should include a greeting to the admissions office or a specific person named in the ad and end with your signature; The email header should contain the following contact information:
    • your name;
    • mailing address;
    • E-mail address;
    • telephone and / or fax number.
    SPECIALIST'S ADVICE

    

    Lucy yeh

    
    
    Career and Personal Trainer Lucy Yeh is Director of Human Resources, Recruiter and Certified Personal Trainer (CLC) with over 20 years of experience. Trained in Personal Coaching and Mindfulness Stress Reduction (MBSR) at InsightLA. Works with professionals of all levels to help them improve career quality, personal / professional relationships, self-marketing and life balance.

    Lucy yeh
    Career and personal trainer

    Expert advice: Save time and effort by creating a template that you can use for emails to different companies, changing only the specific details related to a given job. Start with a general opening paragraph, then include one or two sections dedicated to your resume and experience relevant to the job, and end the letter with a closing paragraph and thanks.

    
    

Method 4 of 4: A Brief Autobiography

1. 1 Write about yourself in the third person. Brief autobiographies are printed in company catalogs, brochures and other materials. You may be asked to write a short autobiography for a variety of reasons. Such a biography is sometimes difficult to write (as it should be short).
   • Imagine that you are writing about someone else. Write your name and start describing this person (as if you were describing a colleague or friend): "Vladimir Petrov is the commercial director of ABV ..."
2. 2 Indicate your position or specialty, taking into account the purpose or reason for writing a short autobiography.
   • If you're a jack of all trades, point it out. Don't be afraid to list “actor, musician, motivational speaker, and professional climber” (if you do all of these, of course).
3. 3 Briefly list your responsibilities or accomplishments. If you are a multiple winner of awards, list them in a short autobiography (and also advertise yourself). Try to include relatively recent facts and information in your short autobiography.
   • You can also indicate your academic degrees / titles and any achievements / awards related to the work for which you are writing a short autobiography. If you have received additional training, be sure to mention it.
4. 4 Include a few facts from your personal life. Having finished your short autobiography with such a fact, you will "revive" it a little. For example, mention your hobby or your cat's name.
   • “Vladimir Petrov is the commercial director of ABV, responsible for sales and marketing. He graduated with honors from Moscow State University with a degree in Marketing and lives in Moscow with his cat Chita. "
   • Do not overdo it. It will be funny if you start like this: “Vladimir Petrov loves car racing and hates hamburgers. He works as a boss. " Such facts may be relevant in some cases, but be careful not to overdo it. Telling stories about your favorite hangover cure is best left for friendly conversations after work.
5. 5 Keep it short. As a rule, short autobiographies consist of only a few sentences. Such autobiographies, as a rule, are printed on a page with a list of employees, so you should not stand out with a half-page autobiography, while others have it only a few phrases.
   • Stephen King, one of the most successful and popular contemporary authors, in a short autobiography lists the names of his family members, the name of his hometown and the names of his pets (completely leaving aside self-praise).

Tips

• Remember that your job is to write about yourself. Don't post about family and friends, no matter how much you want to.
• If you're having trouble, search the internet for examples of cover letters and autobiographical letters for ideas and inspiration.
• Don't worry about how others perceive you. Everyone has their own point of view.