Storytelling - part 2

Tell a story. Sounds simple? We do it all the time. Suddenly, call it a story and all sorts of associations may arise and stop our voice. Will we be seen as emotional? Fanciful? Boring? Bombastic? Clueless?

Examples of stories:

• our personal introductions
• how we got a job
• what our kid has done lately (said with an eye roll)
• advice given with personal anecdotes for support

The list above isn't exhaustive. These stories roll off our tongues at a moment's notice. Suddenly calling a story out as a story should not make us stumble, though it often does.

It's best to be thoughtful about key stories, to prepare them to achieve what you hope they can. The heart of a story is often found in:

• What do I most need you to know?
• How do I hope you feel about it?
• What might you do with this information?

Facts are often only focused on the first or last question - either dumping facts or ordering results. Telling a story helps us walk through the possibilities together. The formula applies equally to emails, phone messages, anecdotes and introductions. Telling a story can make the interview or deepen a relationship.

Tell a story - embed the answers to the questions - see if the results emerge.

Resumes

Resumes are hard to write. They're also complicated depending on with whom you're talking - mission statements; making sure there are no "hidden" years; formatting issues; CV or not to CV....

The chronological resume seems to be the format of choice these days. That's where everyone makes a list, starting with the most current, of the jobs held and the main duties involved. It's factual; it's consistent; it is a terrible way to sell oneself.

Of course most folks seeking to hire aren't trained how to read a resume either - so if the resume writer can't tell a good story and the resume reader can't infer one... opportunities are lost.

Use the accepted chronological format but ask yourself a few questions as you write it:

• Do I want to only be seen as capable of doing a job I've done before? If no, then what skills and accomplishments can I highlight in each section that will let the reader see how my experience transfers neatly to this new role I'm seeking?
• Does each bullet point below each job title tell a story?  Does it create an opening line for conversation around a skill or an accomplishment?
• What line merely reflects the table-stakes...the basic expectation of the job title above it...and do I really need to explain or include it?
• Have I included lots of adjectives or have I given concrete, unadorned examples of my skills and accomplishments?

There's a lovely blog post about things to not do with your resume on the Burns & McDonnell Careers Blog. I would debate the last point about hobbies & interests though - sometimes discovering someone has a passion for something that is linked to an internal company project (Habitat for Humanity volunteer) or shows a skill for which there was no other place on the resume ("volunteer wrangling" is my favourite so far), can tip the scales towards getting the interview. (in a matrixed organization, wrangling those volunteered is a valued skill!)

Most of all, a resume should reflect the professional "you" that can be substantiated and enthusiastically endorsed ... first and foremost by your own stories and insight.