How to Write a Bio in Less than 5 Minutes: 5 Easy Steps

At work, I've been putting it the the grind--and really busting my butt to keep up with all the work that we've had lately. It's been great; I'm busy as a bee!

We got an assignment from one of the other "managers", the other day, and he asked us to all write bios about ourselves. I love bragging about myself (#humble), but maybe that's because I have to come up with engaging copy all day long.

Wolverine is a PRO Bio writer. 

Enough about that though.

As soon as I got the assignment, I busted it out in under 5 minutes. Too good to be true? NO. You can do it too! 

I sent it off to my team, and they fell in love.

So here are 5 tips to help you write your own bio in less than 5 minutes. 

1. Know yourself (or whoever you are writing the bio for). It's pretty hard to write a bio if you know nothing about someone. However, when you write it, you want to assume that the people reading the bio know nothing about the person they are reading about. Have a long bullet list of accomplishments you want to highlight about yourself/someone else so you can quickly scan through it to pick and choose.

2. Know your audience. There are three different types of bios, so it is important for you to know who this is for. There are school/personal bios, professional bios, and dating bios.

• School/personal bios are probably the ones that really depend on what you are looking for. Include a fair amount of work and personal accomplishments. 
• Professional bios should be the most "serious". However, if you are writing a professional bio for an application, it should differ from the one that will be used for the company website. An application bio should highlight all work accomplishments, with a touch of humor. Depending on your company, you could have a really funny bio, or something that is more toned down. 
• Dating bios should be fun and engaging. You are creating a bio that will attract someone to you. Work accomplishments should be kept to a minimum. 

Try to avoid creepy pictures like this for your bio. 

3. Include personal, humanizing details. People are reading a bio to get to know you! Talk about something that is personal, yet could help people connect to you. An avid baker? Talk about how no one can replicate your raspberry cupcakes. Love to walk Fido? Mention long walks with him! People will love getting to know you. Trust me!

4. Narrow it down. I know you are an awesome human being, but you can't include everything you've done in your life in a short bio. Keep it light and fresh, and keep your accomplishments general.

5. Aim for 100-200 words. We aren't writing a novel here people. Include just enough to give people a teaser, and leave them wanting more.


Here's an example of what I did:

*

So there you have it! Go forth and create awesome bios!



*The reason I did a screenshot  is because I don't know exactly where this is going to end up, and I don't want to discredit the awesomeness of the original word (aka--reuse it and have in penalize wherever it's going) so that's why you guys get a screen shot. 

How to Write a Great Article, Blog, Or Anything

How to Write a Great Article/Blog/Anything

1.      The title is everything.

10 Tips to Saving Money vs.

Get the Car of Your Dreams: 10 Easy Ways to Save the Dough

Now, which one would you rather read?

2.       Start with an AGD.

What is an AGD? It stands for attention grabbing device. This can be a quick story, a question, a statistic, really anything that will grab the attention of the audience.

“Over 75% of Americans wished that they saved more money for their car. Do you want to become part of that statistic?”

3.       Make a list. “Here are 10 ways for you to save money on car insurance, etc” . For internet readers, it is easier to scan and read quickly.

4.      Wrap it up. After you’ve given all those life-changing tips, you can easily wrap up the article. “Now with these 10 tips, you will be able to save you money for that awesome car you’ve always wanted.”

 

Fall 2013: My Professors are GRU!

Welcome to Fall! Where the leaves are crisp, and all I want to do is make something with Pumpkin Spice in it. Oh, and school has started again! 

We have two classes this semester: Business Research and Operations Management. 

The first, Business Research, is taught by Dr. Larry L. Carter. He's a 5th degree black belt in Kajunkenbo. If you think that sounds like someone just sneezed when they were saying Karate...you'd be right. It's a mix of Karate, Judo, Boxing, Jujitsu, and Kung Fu. He told us he was assigned to teach our class 6 weeks before the semester. No worries, he's young, and he's probably going to be a total push over. Just a chance to work on people skills. #amiright

Also, he has a prominent uni-brow. 

The second, Operations Management, is taught by Dr. Cenk Çalışkan. Oh yeah, he totally has an Eastern Slavic accent. No joke. I can't even say his name. But he has the most charming accent, and no one has idea what he is saying. Good thing this class has tons of math stuff in it. 

Also, he has hair so beautiful, I have made it my mission this semester to find out if it is a wig. 

I am excited about classes this semester, because I think I will actually stay awake, and I really want to learn more about Operations Management. 

So you put uni-brow and Slavic accent together, and what do you get? 

FREAKING GRU. FROM Despicable Me. 

                                 

This is when I realized that my professors are pretty much Gru: 

Whadditity eeeep eeep ooo?

              

How the Times Have Changed...

Remember when Wi-Fi had  no meaning, tweets were the sounds birds made, and bling didn't exist? It's weird to think how vocabulary has changed even from when I was an undergrad to now...

Hey. I'm Not Dead

After a long hiatus, I promise I'm back.

It's been a whirlwind of classes, work, and living life. Not to mention, we just went on a 2 week vacation. It was bliss--the kind of bliss where you are sippin' Pina Coladas (virgin--thank you very much) and enjoying the hot Caribbean sun. Not to rub it in or anything.

Anywoo. We are almost done with a year of our MBA madness here at UVU, and we have one class right now. Wow. Words really cannot describe. But a video can:

Ps, I just uploaded this to YouTube from my iPhone. In less than 20 seconds. Go modern technology. 

Anyways. This professor could  make anything seems like the most boring subject on the face of this earth. He even told us about how one time he had a stroke, and his face was paralyzed, and he still managed to make people fall asleep. I MEAN, HOW CAN YOU MAKE HAVING A STROKE BORING?! This man can. 

Not to mention that he has kept the class past 8:50 pm a variety of times. I don't put up with that nonsense, I usually leave halfway through class--only because I don't want my teammates to murder me. The worst part is that he is so boring that its even hard to do other things. I literally sit in a stupor of thought for 3 hours. 

And don't even get me started with his assignments. Which were created when the internet was created, and Al Gore was the only person using it. (and I bet Professor Tuesday*--since he knows anyone and everyone that has ever been important)

#welcometoMGMT6900

#2.5hournaps

#itakevideosbecauseiamsobored

*Professor Tuesday is a whole 'nother post. Let's just say, that man led an adventurous life. I often wondered if he was on crack and hallucinated every encounter he's ever had.  

Please Gouge My Eyes Out: Dress Code 101

Oh m gee you guys.
OH MY GOSH.
WHOA NELLY.

Let me stop you right there.
Goodness.

Now that's all out of the way, let me explain why I am so altered.

Work guys. Where I work is awesome, don't get me wrong. But the dress code is to die for. And not in a good way.

Shorts with plaid shirts, calf-high socks, white socks with skirts, too much skin, not enough skin, it's bad. It's the type of bad where you see people walk in, and you think "did you get dressed in the dark?"

It's to the point where I want to just submit all my office to What Not to Wear. I think they could make it.
I could just imagine Clint & Kelly crying over the things they found in their closets.

That's not really the point though.

My point is dress codes.

Why is a dress code important? 
Why should you follow a dress code? 

Dress codes are important because they:

• Let you know what is appropriate for work
• Set the tone for where you work 
• It's professional 

Why you should follow the dress code: 

• It's an excuse for a shopping spree
• Show you are serious about your job
• You won't have to worry about standing out

A dress code is something to help you in your job, it is never created to make your life miserable. 

I know that when I dress up for my office, I always feel much better about myself, and I work even harder. 

What are some examples of rules of dress code that you hate? 

We Kind of Got Ripped a New One...And How to Analyze a Case Study

Enter marketing class number dos.

You guys.
This professor is legit.

As in, he's BYU caliber.
I don't know if it is because he is one of the best professors we've had (or we've gotten used to mediocre professors--either way) He's great.

He also told us that UVU is going to be offering a full-time program in 2014, which is think is awesome! I am just jealous, because I wish I could have been a part of it :)

Well, this is the real reason I am writing this post: we totally got ripped a new one in class last night. Mostly because MP (marketing professor as he will be referred to now on), started calling on people that didn't have their name tags on them. He's really keen on learning our names, so as punishment, he called on people that didn't have their name tags.

Guys, it was painful. The first guy he picked on was totally under-prepared--more like deer in the headlights. Almost like he was taking out teeth. I was the third person he called on (after the 2nd weirdo proclaimed he didn't have the time/funds to read it). I had actually read and analyzed this case because I thought it was an interesting. (Starbucks case).

(HUMBLE BRAG ALERT).

After a couple of painful minutes, MP asked the class if we had actually been taught how to analyze case studies. Guess who didn't? Our cohort. (Though, I don't really know how hard it is to read something, internalize it, and form an opinion--maybe cause I am a history major. And we do that stuff all the time).

Here are 8 tips we got from MP:

1. Investigate. Learn about the company that the case study is on. 
2. Identify. Find the strengths and weaknesses of the company. 
3. Gather. Find the information on the external environment (competition within the industry/bargaining power/substitute products) 
4. Analyze. Evaluate what you have found in steps 2 & 3. And then analyze those. 
5. Identify. Find the strategy of the corporation. 
6. Identify. Find the business level strategy. 
7. Analyze. Look into what the company is  using to implement business strategies. 
8. Recommend. Make a recommendation of what YOU think is best for the company. 

When you dive into case studies, it is imperative you know the case pretty well. Even googling it if you need a quick refresher is a good idea. It also is a good idea to be analytical, MP kept asked questions that we hadn't even thought of because we were being way more descriptive than analytic. 

No matter what MBA program you are in, they are always the bread and butter of each program. 

Good luck on case studies :) 

New Semester. New Plans. Jumbled Thoughts.

We just had our first summer block yesterday.

Let me tell you.

I AM STOKED for this class.

This is probably the first class that I have been actively engaged in all year.

Maybe because it is marketing.
Maybe because the professor is coherent.
Maybe because I had a two week break from all the madness.


Maybe because I am in love with marketing.

As we sat in class with all the humble braggers, I kid you not, one kid rudely exclaimed, "Well, I know I could have gotten into BYU..." Okay. Well that's cool.

Listen, I am not all about the "humble" braggers that my group so fondly likes refer to them as. One of the reasons that I've had such a hard time with the MBA program, is that is seems that everyone is out to prove how good they are. Honestly, I don't care who you talked with, or what company you could have been working for. All I am interested in is your ideas. All I want to get from my MBA is insight, knowledge, and the confidence to blaze new trails.

I'm all about this quote right now:

The critical ingredient is getting off your butt and doing something. It’s as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today. The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer. – Nolan Bushnell

Until next post.

Powerpoint Tips for MBA Students

We've been having a party over here at the UVU MBA program, which is the reason why I haven't been posting as much. We are taking two classes this semester, Ethical Leadership and IT Management.  So far, these classes have been the bomb.*

In all MBA programs, you will be subjected to presenting with power-points. Power-points can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. If you are looking to make your powerpoint presentation the best it can be, do not use these tips. (For your sake, and your classmate's sake...)

• Memes, memes all around: If you power point is devoid of a meme, you shouldn't even call it a power point. Go home. Find a meme, then you can actually be ready to present your power point. 

• Beautiful slide introductions: By all means, your power point better have those extremely awesome and cool introductions where the words bounce around the screen, or do some totally legit 

• Fancy, schmancy pics: Make sure that your background pic of the slides is the coolest (and most obnoxious) pic that you can find on the internet. It will be sure to make your power point shine. 
• Have one person dress up. Just one. Every one else should come in their sleepwear. Let's just make them stick out like a sore thumb! 
• Comic sans is king. Like really. This is the preferred font of MBA students at UVU. Forreals. 

• Wrap it up with: "That was it....", and look at the audience as if you are challenging them to ask a question. 

Sometimes this is how I feel after power point presentations: 

Please professionals, students, and especially MBA students, make your presentations better. Here's a beautiful little article from INC. on really making a powerpoint shine. 

*Satire or real? You be the judge. 

"Cheating" in Ethics #win?

Welcome to the second semester of UVU MBA.

We are sitting in our ethics class right now...

We may or may not have cheated on our first ethics group project.
#win
#mba
#yousnoozeyoulose
#winning
#smarterthanothergroups
#ethicssucks
#challengerexplosion

We just had our first assignment in ethics class. Entitled the Carter Racing case, we were instructed to choose whether or not to race a vehicle.

The first thing the professor told us, "Don't look up the case online". Shoot.

I already had.

I'm not gonna spoil the surprise fer ya MBA hopefuls out there, so you are going to have to wait your pretty little heads for it.

Here's to a great semester, no Dick, and no long cases (oh wait)...

But reading a comic book and talking about how to always "be the good guy", all I can say is this semester is gonna be a trip.

Ps, the professor just referred to one of our textbooks as a "door stop".
#promising
#UVUMBA