Dating is hard. Where we were once matched up by family or found love with serendipitous meet-cutes, we are all now judged first and foremost on a brief description of our attributes and a couple of pictures. So getting them right is critical. But what is 'right'?

Lisa Hoehn is the founder of Profile Polish, a boutique service that ghostwrites profiles and coaches clients on the finer points of online dating. In her book You Probably Shouldn't Write That, she shares her expert advice on what people are getting wrong on their dating CV.

Pick the right platform for you. There's everything from Tinder to Match, FarmersOnly to Booky Call. Start your rewrite with a re-evaluation of whether you're on the right sites for your age, interest in commitment, and hobbies/profession. Many articles have fantastic round ups.

Pick a name, but not any name. Some sites require a public username. If the convention is just your own name, great. If it's supposed to be creative, that's challenging. Stay away from sexual references, random letters, or bragging. HikingHippie? Meh. LastManCamping? Yay!

Cover the basics. Most sites ask you to check off some basic data about yourself as well as some criteria for potential matches. Don't lie. Saying you're 10 years younger than you are might get you more visibility and matches, but the relationship will be a non-starter.

Avoid common mistakes on the long-form description. Minimal info like "Work, work, work, rinse, and repeat. It's not as boring as it seems" is lazy and tells the reader nothing--except that you might not have time for dating. Overused "I like to laugh and am outgoing" is bad too.

Hoehn starts her clients off with a survey. Answers can be incorporated into a well crafted and genuine representation of you. Keep 90% about you, and dedicate just 10% of your space to your match. Think about these questions:

Is there something interesting about where you live? Be specific. "An X town lifer and not mad about it. I love knowing my neighbors and being a regular at the Main Bowling Alley" or "Growing up a military brat, I've loved settling in to Xtown the last four years."

Avoid or explain references to other places. Don't: "I'm from Florida. Go Jags!" Not everyone knows football. "I might live in LA, but I regularly scan flight deals so I can get BBQ from in my hometown of Austin" tells me hometown info and something you really enjoy.

Talk about family if needed but keep it brief and turn it back to you. Have kids? "As a mom to three boys, my hidden talent is knowing every MLB stat for the Cubs." If they're grown and live away, no need to mention it. What about pets? Mention them, but keep the focus on you.