The Value of Stories in your Job Search

STORIES

Like the pieces of a quilt, each person has his or her own experiences that together form the story of who they are as a person. Stories permeate families, communities, and organizations. In each family, stories often create memories discussed through the years and in organizations the culture shapes the stories and stories shape the culture.

The Value of Stories

Stories leave a legacy
I really enjoy doing anything creative. In fact, several years ago I took a scrapbooking class led by someone representing a scrapbooking product company. Her pitch essentially revolved around the fact that photos commonly end up in a box in the attic. She said scrapbooking (using their products, of course) ensures the stories that create your family memories are passed on to future generations. Having personally sifted through boxes of pictures in the attic and trying to decipher the people in them as well as the stories behind them, I have to say this pitch worked with me. The sales rep sold a lot of products that day – and a lot of them to me. Without doubt, stories leave a legacy and endure time.

Stories bring people together
Holidays are a time for families to come together. They prepare and share in giant feasts, but they also share stories – funny stories, dramatic stories, sad stories, celebratory stories, all kinds of stories. As people sit around the table, congregate in the kitchen, or sit together in the living room, they share in the emotion of each story. They laugh at the funny stories and even share stories from years past. The point is, stories bring us together – they create commonalities.

Stories bring concepts to life
In my opinion, the best teachers use stories to help bring concepts to life for their students. A story helps someone visualize it, they can see the plot playing out which helps bring the concept to life…it makes it real. Notably for me, the subjects that were more easily translatable to a story were not only easier to understand but also more interesting.

Stories are memorable
As a career coach and former recruiter, I can assure you that the candidates I remembered days, months, even years later are those that shared memorable stories with me. There was nothing more “blah” than asking someone to tell me a little about themselves and having them recite that they worked at X for 2 years, Y for 3 years, and Z for 3 years. What is memorable about that, especially after I talk with 50 people at a networking event in one night? Nothing! On the other hand, I distinctly remember the person who was always interested in entrepreneurship and started selling candy out of a box in his high school. Apparently, he was so successful in this “side business” that he got suspended because he was making hundreds of dollars a day. (I personally didn’t think he should have gotten suspended, but that is beside the point.) I also remember the person who told me her greatest achievement was losing 150 lbs. on her own. This is a remarkable achievement and she shared her journey with me. I remember these people because I remember the stories they shared, I don’t however remember the companies they worked for or went to work for…only their stories.

Stories & Your Job Search

So, how do stories tie to your job search? Well, I would argue that stories facilitate your job search and here’s how:

• Job Search Documents: When you write your cover letter and resume you need to tell the prospective employer your story. Your cover letter should emphasize points that tie into your personal story and your resume should highlight your accomplishments, after all it is your accomplishments that set you apart and create your professional story.
• Networking: When you meet someone, you have to succinctly introduce yourself. In other words, you must know your story and be able to share it in a way that is interesting and memorable (i.e. not conveying your entire life story or rattling off every company you’ve interned with or worked for during your career). People are often surprised how difficult this can be.
• Interviewing: It’s absolutely crucial to go into an interview knowing the stories you want to highlight – and they should be your best stories (for anyone who needs clarification – yes, the stories must be true and must be yours).

This is my first blog of many…and I hope to use future posts to share thoughts on this subject (and other related subjects) with you. I look forward to your comments, ideas, and feedback – and to the conversations that come of this blog. I suppose this is just the beginning of a story!