New Skip newsletter article on telling your career story: https://lnkd.in/ex2XZnKh (Note: this article is a companion piece to the podcast episode on the same subject: https://lnkd.in/ga-FKUdr)
Just Published: Skip newsletter article on telling your career story I think in every interview, I eventually ask "tell me about your work at [company X]". Nine times out of ten, I come away dissatisfied. So my latest newsletter article is a step-by-step guide on how you should craft a compelling story about the role you've held. https://lnkd.in/ex2XZnKh (Note: this article is a companion piece to the podcast episode on the same subject: https://lnkd.in/ga-FKUdr) What are the common pitfalls in broken stories? - Too long and boring, making it hard to remember - Too much detail and too little structure - It's unclear what the candidate specifically contributed and impact they had - Solutions are listed without any context on what was hard or challenging - No opinions, insights, and lessons learned - Assume I have context about the company, product, and market - List of responsibilities rather than unique achievements - Overly rehearsed and monotone, not conversational Yet telling the story of what you achieved in a role is crucial to selling your qualifications. And we tell career stories all the time, not just during interviews. We describe our work in performance reviews, team meetings and even social settings. So it really matters. Ensure you practice a 2-minute version of the job that you have today. Use the simple framework in this article to help organize the key information and opinions and avoid getting stuck in minutiae. - Start with context about the company, product, and market to set the stage - Be clear about your specific role and how it changed over time - Zero in on the key challenges you faced and your unique approach to solving them - Share what you built and why, including your perspectives and opinions - Be candid about what worked, what didn't, and the lessons you took away - Tie it all together with a compelling conclusion that sets up your next chapter In this article, I work through a case study on how I apply these steps to a fictitious role on Gmail. But if you want to work with me on improving your own story, I’m workshopping with a few folks for an upcoming live podcast episode. Drop me a note and keep practicing those stories