During the past few weeks, millions of people flocked to theaters all over the world to watch “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Who can deny the appeal of Han Solo, Princess Leia, Finn and Rey? As distant as the fantasy seems, somehow we relate to compelling characters regardless of our backgrounds. After all, a common human trait is the love of a great story.
Few people can spin a yarn as well as J.J. Abrams or George Lucas. But job hunters looking to land their dream positions must use effective storytelling. Job seekers must demonstrate knowledge of the employer’s story. And they must tell their own in a resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile or interview. Only then will a job offer be forthcoming.
How well do you understand the employer’s story? Consider this example I heard recounted a few years ago: A top-tier executive recruiting company produced a stellar candidate to head the entire human resources team at a major company. He had every possible credential the company sought for an extremely important job and its handsome compensation package.
After going through several rounds of interviews, everyone was looking forward to extending an offer. The only hurdle left was a one-on-one meeting with the CEO that was supposed to be a formality.
After some pleasantries, the CEO lobbed a softball question: “What would you like to know about our company that you haven’t learned?” To his surprise, the candidate asked something that was answered on the first screen of the “About Us” section of the company’s website.
“Really? You don’t know that yet?” asked the CEO. “Thanks for coming in.” With that, the interview ended and so did any hopes this candidate had of closing the deal.
The simple moral of the story is this: It is your job to learn everything you possibly can about the company before you interview and use that information to show how and why you will be a good fit for the role. The more you know about the company and department in which you hope to work, the greater your ability to ask truly interesting questions that will demonstrate your fitness for the position.
How well do you understand your story? Let’s say a sous chef, for example, wants to gain a higher rank in the culinary world. After working a long day, an interviewer asks about what he accomplished.
The sous chef speaks about how many vegetables he cut, sauces he prepared and other tasks he performed. But he confuses actions with accomplishments and loses sight of the larger story.
It would have been better for him to say something like, “I enabled the Head Chef to provide uniformly high-quality meals to 200 diners in an evening.” That’s the accomplishment. He might then have gone on to say, “I did it by cutting, slicing and dicing the elements that formed the basis for all his culinary magic.” These are his actions that generated the accomplishment.
How well can you make up a story that marries the two? It’s worth it, therefore, to think about the kind of story you tell, how you set it up, how you deliver it and how to best engage your audience. Employers often solicit stories when they ask behavioral interview questions. The tip-off is when they begin with, “Tell me about a time when you …” or “How would you handle a situation like …”
Typically there are no “right” or “wrong” answers to these kinds of questions. What is important about them is that they get you to reveal your character, work style, disposition and handling of complex situations. It isn’t so much what you say, but how your answers portray you that the skilled and experienced interviewer will take away.
Make yourself into a compelling character by engaging your audience and telling enough to elicit interest in your story. But don’t tell so much that you get bogged down in unnecessary and extraneous details. Bear this in mind when you select which stories you choose to tell in these situations.
Of course you can’t possibly anticipate every behavioral interview question that will be posed. But you can prepare for interviews by thinking about stories that demonstrate your work ethic, integrity, ability to work both independently and in groups, your level of expertise and how you cope with interpersonal and other complex relationships.
When you tell these kinds of stories effectively, you improve your chances of hitting the jackpot final question: “We like what we’ve heard today. When can you start work here?”
Happy hunting!
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Once Upon a Job Search: Storytelling Tips to Land a Job originally appeared on usnews.com
