In today’s hyperconnected world, first impressions often happen long before the first handshake. Online networking profiles, email introductions, and website bios increasingly shape professional opportunities. But there is a hidden challenge: conveying genuine warmth through written words is notoriously difficult.
There is, however, a simple and powerful solution. When you introduce yourself in writing, do not just showcase your achievements. Share part of your journey. How you got there matters as much as where you are today.
Professionals who highlight their journeys – the challenges, growth, and learning experiences behind their successes – along with their achievements are seen as significantly warmer, more humble, and more likable than those who simply list their accomplishments. With my colleagues Ovul Sezer of SC Johnson College of Business and Nadav Klein of INSEAD, we conducted research across seven studies with more than 2,500 participants and consistently found that this greater sense of warmth made readers more likely to want to connect with these professionals who highlight their full journey, ups and downs and all.
In a professional world that often emphasizes competence, adding journey details does not only make you relatable, it makes you more attractive as a collaborator, colleague, or candidate.
Text-based communication strips away the nonverbal cues – tone of voice, facial expressions, body language – that naturally convey warmth in face-to-face encounters. Written self-promotion, by contrast, can easily come across as sterile or, worse, arrogant.
Highlighting your professional journey counteracts this. It signals humility: an acknowledgment that success was not instantaneous, that it took effort, learning, and growth. Humility, research shows, boosts perceptions of warmth, trustworthiness, and approachability – qualities essential for building relationships.
Conveying humility is especially important today, when audiences are increasingly skeptical of overly polished narratives. A purely outcome-focused introduction may seem impressive but distant, while including journey elements invites empathy and emotional connection. To test these observations empirically, we first examined hundreds of online professional profile introductions. Independent evaluators rated these introductions based on whether they contained mostly outcome-only statements or included journey-oriented narratives, as well as evaluated the perceived warmth, humility, and likability of the professional. The profiles including more journey elements consistently outperformed those that only listed credentials and achievements.
To better understand causality, we designed a series of experimental studies. In one study, participants were randomly assigned to read different versions of a written professional introduction – one purely outcome-focused, another that incorporated journey elements. Participants who read the journey-enhanced version rated the introducer as significantly warmer and more likable. In another study, we tested whether the medium made a difference by comparing text-based and video-based introductions. We found that in video introductions, where tone and facial expressions already conveyed warmth, adding journey elements made little difference. But in text – the most common medium today for first professional interactions – journey storytelling had a substantial positive impact.
Across all seven studies, the pattern was consistent – including journey elements reliably increased perceptions of warmth without diminishing perceived competence. This warmer perception, in turn, predicted a stronger desire to connect, recommend, or collaborate with the individual.
Practical Tips for Writing Warm, Journey-Oriented Introductions
- Focus on how your experiences shaped you. Incorporate brief reflections on what you learned or how you grew during key stages of your career. Emphasizing learning signals humility and makes your introduction feel more authentic and relatable.
- Mention challenges or formative experiences. Without overdramatizing, reference obstacles you overcame or pivotal moments that shaped your development. Our research shows that acknowledging growth moments builds perceptions of warmth.
- Balance competence with humility. Ensure your introduction still conveys your qualifications and achievements, but balance them by highlighting the effort, mentorship, or perseverance behind them.
- Keep journey elements succinct. Our studies found that brief journey details were sufficient to improve impressions. One or two well-chosen sentences about your path can significantly increase perceptions of warmth without making your introduction overly long.
- Prioritize text-based introductions for journey storytelling. Since the positive effects of journey elements were most pronounced in written formats, use this technique especially in online professional profiles, emails, and written bios.
Applying This in Different Professional Contexts
These principles can be effectively applied across various professional contexts. In job applications, mentioning a formative experience that led to your career interest can make your cover letter stand out. Instead of merely stating, «I majored in finance,» you might add, «My passion for financial analysis began when I helped my family navigate complex business challenges.» This turns a basic fact into a human story that invites connection.
For leadership bios, acknowledging the path to leadership – whether through early mentorship, pivotal failures, or gradual development – signals authenticity. Leaders who share their growth journeys are often perceived as more relatable and inspiring. Sharing a journey reminds audiences that leadership is earned, not just appointed.
In sales and client-facing roles, weaving personal development into your professional narrative can deepen trust. Clients prefer working with individuals who feel genuine, not robotic. A simple acknowledgment of lessons learned over the course of your career can humanize even highly technical fields, making complex services or products feel more accessible.
When networking, a short explanation of why you are passionate about your field can create instant rapport. It frames your professional interest not as opportunistic, but as mission-driven, making people more inclined to want to help or collaborate.
Entrepreneurs, too, can benefit from journey-focused storytelling. Investors and customers often buy into the «why» behind a founder’s work. Sharing the experiences that led to the business idea – the unmet need you saw, the challenge you set out to solve – can make your venture far more compelling.
Even within internal teams, leaders and managers who highlight their developmental journeys when introducing themselves to new teams often build stronger initial trust. Rather than presenting themselves as finished products, they position themselves as relatable, growth-oriented individuals, creating a foundation for psychological safety.
As our work lives become increasingly digital, sharing your journey matters now more than ever. Genuine human connection has become a strategic asset. In a world filled with automated messages, AI-generated profiles, and templated introductions, what stands out is sincerity. Professionals who are able to craft introductions that blend competence with human warmth have a significant edge.
Remote work and global hiring have further amplified the importance of text-based first impressions. Increasingly, we meet new colleagues, collaborators, and clients first through email or online platforms, not in person. Without the benefit of immediate nonverbal cues, our written words do even more heavy lifting. In this context, showcasing your journey becomes not just a bonus, but a necessity.
In addition, organizations are increasingly emphasizing not just what candidates know, but who they are – their values, their resilience, their adaptability. Sharing your journey allows you to showcase these attributes implicitly, without having to claim them directly.
From first impressions to securing major partnerships, the ability to convey warmth in writing can influence career trajectories. Especially for emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, and career changers, crafting a journey-oriented narrative can open doors that a list of achievements alone might not.
In your next written introduction – whether it is on LinkedIn, in an email, or in a company bio – ask yourself: Am I just listing my outcomes, or am I inviting others into my story?
Because it is the story – your journey – that makes people want to take the next step with you.
© IE Insights.
