yourself-storylisted

# Yourself story Source: Adam Bryant's *Corner Office* column (NYT) interviews with 500+ CEOs on what they look for in candidates, plus Lauren Weinstein's GSB research on the two-axis model of social judgment, plus a set of model bios taught in Glenn Kramon's *Winning Writing* class. ## The goal Bryant's rule for any "about you" piece: > *"Make the CEO want to have a beer with you — and hire you."* The two halves of the sentence are not the same thing. *Beer* is warmth; *hire* is competence. A bio that nails one and misses the other fails. Aim for ~50/50 word-count split between the two. ## The two-axis bar (Weinstein / Fiske) Weinstein's GSB research, building on Susan Fiske's Princeton work on social judgment: **two qualities account for more than 90% of the first impression you form of a person.** - **Warmth** — the ability to create an authentic connection and create trust - **Competence** — the ability to inspire confidence in you A first impression made in roughly one second sticks. The bio is the first impression you control. Score high on both axes or don't ship. ## The 10 rules (Bryant + Kramon + Roizen + Weinstein) ### 1. Know your audience Same rule, every skill. A bio for a VC is not a bio for a hiring manager. Customize. The phrase *"I'm building a tactile-sensor company"* is the right opener for the right reader; the wrong opener for the wrong one. ### 2. Be vivid Picture your favorite movie scene. Describe it in words. That's the texture you want in