14 questions for your staff bios that don't suck

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Hey Alexis, how long will it take me to implement the awesome suggestions that I'm about to read? These questions are yours for the taking. The only lift for you is the cat herding required to get folks to actually respond!

Here's a healthy variety of questions for your staff to choose from as they're completing their bio information for the company website.

Disclaimer: Obviously, these aren't all appropriate for every type of business or organization, so I'd encourage you to edit where necessary in order to make these quirky little Q's gel with your industry and brand voice.

  1. In another life, I'm pretty sure I was [COMPLETE SENTENCE].

  2. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd start a [BUSINESS TYPE] company. And, you know, keep working here.

  3. The best piece of advice I've ever been given is [COMPLETE SENTENCE].

  4. If I could invent a holiday, it would definitely involve [COMPLETE SENTENCE].

  5. What advice would you give a candidate who wants to join our team of superstars?

  6. If I weren't so damn good at my job, I'd probably be [COMPLETE SENTENCE].

  7. Cats or dogs?

  8. My favorite word in the English language is [COMPLETE SENTENCE].

  9. My favorite word that has no direct English translation is [COMPLETE SENTENCE].

  10. What's the most inspiring part of your job?

  11. If I were a superhero, my superpower would be [COMPLETE SENTENCE].

  12. When I was 5, I was pretty sure I'd be a [JOB/PROFESSION] when I grew up.

  13. If you were a pasta shape, what shape would you be and why?

  14. If we held an office talent show, I’d wow everyone with my [COMPLETE SENTENCE] talent.

Stop asking people to add their resume-like bios to your website. They're taking up space, can sound a bit like a dating profile (I've got an MBA and a love for travel, and am into working hard, playing hard, blah blah blah), and with few exceptions, nobody really cares.

Give visitors a more personal look at your team and show them that it's made up of real people with interesting things to say.

Still feel like you could use a little help putting together engaging and concise staff bios? I got you.

Update your staff bios recently?

Let me know when you've taken these recommendations for a test drive. What works? What doesn't? Share specific successes and data-backed challenges here and be entered into a monthly drawing for free coffee.