#Storytelling: How Does it Fit into Your #JobSearch?

A Collaborative Post By Sarah Elkins & Lynda Spiegel

Sarah Elkins, who coaches individuals and businesses in how to enhance their communications though the art of storytelling, and Lynda Spiegel, a job search coach who develops an employee value proposition for her clients’ resumes and LinkedIn profiles, discuss the role of storytelling in finding and interviewing for a new job.

Lynda: Sarah, I know how much you dislike buzzwords, and certainly, “storytelling” has become one in recent years, but ubiquity often signals authentic trends. Why do you believe that storytelling is a concept whose time has come?

Sarah: Not everyone is good at telling stories, but everyone is impacted by them because they forge an emotional connection. Just like other concepts that become buzzwords or trends, storytelling is a way to encapsulate the connection businesses and people want to make between a concept and an improved bottom line. Storytelling has always been with us; it’s just one small part of the way we communicate.

The better we learn to tell our story, the more likely it is we’ll connect with others, whether B2B or B2C, human to human. Even businesses actively recruiting can make better hires when they tell their stories. I love the article you wrote about that concept. But a resume doesn’t seem like an ideal place to share your story, especially if you’re looking for a job in a traditional organization. I’ll bet you have some ideas for that!

Lynda: You’re right – the seeming contradiction is that resumes must be brief, while storytelling implies settling in for a long narration. But our resumes should articulate our (buzzword alert!) professional brand, which is really a highly condensed version of our story.

Sarah: Stories are so personal, though, and we’ve been taught to avoid getting personal in a professional setting.

Lynda: You’re making an important point. However traditional resumes are so devoid of the personal that everybody winds up sounding generic. Take any profession – accounting comes to mind – if I look at 10 accountants’ resumes, the only differences are the details. But if I go ahead and include the story of why that person loves the discipline of accounting, and what led her to join the profession, and that candidate has differentiated herself because all our stories are different.

Sarah: I read an article where Liz Ryan of WorldWIT quoted a line in an accountant’s resume that said, “Unusually wicked sense of humor for a finance type.” I love that. It seems, though, that this approach will only work in certain circumstances. But if you’re applying for a job in a traditional environment, will that still fly?

Lynda: You know – I was in HR in finance, a highly traditional industry – and I would have loved a resume that reflected humor and personality; the caveat is to be professional while sharing something relatable.

Sarah: Well, you’re successful in creating a relatable human voice in a resume, while my expertise is in the interview and networking part of storytelling. I wrote a post a while back that the best interview tip (yes, click bait once!) is learning to tell your story.

Most of us have an idea about the kind of questions that will be asked at their job interview, right? So the key to being prepared is to have a specific story to demonstrate your expertise; it goes miles toward a successful interview. Here’s an example: if asked: “What’s your approach to managing a project?” Rather than responding with a checklist of project management tools, relay your story about a project you managed. Get into detail about the team you built, the project’s goals, and include something you think you could have done better, what you learned, and what you might do differently next time.

Lynda: Exactly! Turn that story – some might call it an example, although what is an example but a story – into a bullet on your resume to make it more meaningful. An engineer I worked with told me some great stories like this one that we included as bullets in the accomplishments section of his resume:

“Avoided expense of moving 800k pound dredge needed to dig a lake by taking it apart, reassembling near the location and utilizing laws of physics for placement”

Sarah: That makes sense, Lynda. It’s high level, but intrigues a potential employer to want to learn more. I love the idea of building curiosity without the resume lacking substance. Did the resume work for that engineer?

Lynda: His target employer invited him in for an interview and the first question asked, was, “so how did you come up with the idea to disassemble that huge machine?”

But tell me more about the art of storytelling in relation to job interviewing!

Sarah: In a face-to-face interview, just like sharing a story with a friend, be aware of body language – yours and the interviewer’s. It’s important to sit up and lean forward slightly to indicate your interest. Make sure to maintain eye contact. Observe the interviewer; if he or she leans back or crosses their arms, you need to wrap up your answer quickly.

The second most important part to sharing your story is to make sure that it actually answers the question. When I interview people who don’t answer a question, I feel as though they’re being evasive and/or scripted, as though they were using a prepared answer to a question they had expected would be asked, and hadn’t listened to the actual question.

It helps to use a timer when you practice telling your stories. Practice by writing bullet points for three key points to each story to make sure you hit the important parts in 3-5 minutes. Rehearse in front of a friend, the mirror, or your dog or cat.

Lynda: I didn’t know you did interview coaching, is that a new part of your work with Elkins Consulting?

Sarah: Thanks for asking, Lynda; I hadn’t thought about it as a different or separate offering because helping people tell their stories in any situation is the kind of coaching I provide. Interview coaching fits right into all other improvements in communication, don’t you think? If you learn to interview well, you can apply the techniques to pretty much any communication situation.

Lynda: Totally agree, Sarah! Storytelling clearly fits into every aspect of the job search – resume, interview, emails – as well as through the first months at your new position. That’s why it’s helpful to understand the basics of sharing your story.

Storytelling is not just about sharing a story, no matter the medium, it’s about engaging an audience and persuading them to do or feel something. Want to improve your communication techniques using stories as your foundation? Email sarahelkins@elkinsconsulting.com, or visit my website elkinsconsulting.com.

Would you like help crafting your story for a resume that earns you interviews? I'm Lynda Spiegel, founder of Rising Star Resumes, a job search and resume writing service. With 15+ years’ experience as a human resources professional, I leverage my experience to help professionals in a variety of industries achieve their career goals. Bragging rights earned as a Wall Street Journal Expert Panelist. Email Lynda@risingstarresumes.net or in the U.S. or Canada call (718) 897 – 5074