Use These Storytelling Principles to Land Your Dream Job

Use These Storytelling Principles to Land Your Dream JobUse These Storytelling Principles to Land Your Dream Job A good story will make us feel, compel us to act and help make ideas stick. The value and buzzwordy-ness of Storytelling is nothing new to the business world. In fact, telling stories is the most fundamental, and oldest, method of communication, dating back thousands of years to the times of cavemen and hieroglyphics When carving out a career your love, you can (and should) use storytelling to help set you apart. If you want to stand out, especially in the crowded employment market, start building and sharing a story that excites prospective employers with these principlesWhile your skills and projects youve worked on are obviously important, they are only one piece of the puzzle. They differentiate you, but only to a certain degree. When designing your resume, consider the niche, or specialization that youd want to highlight, and create your position arou nd that, says Arielle Shnaidman, Brand Story Coach .Each bullet point on your resume should reflect your niche, contribute to your story and relate back to why you would be successful in the specific job youre applying to.One thing people often overlook is how to be clear on what exactly they do. When building out your narrative, Shnaidman suggests having a clearly defined answer to the following questionsOnce youve distilled your answers, you can create a clear and concise position statement, that can help guide the creation of your resume/LinkedIn, and focus during conversations and interviews. Create focus on where your niche fits within the market, and have confidence when discussing your own skill set and valueSimon Sineks Ted Talk How Great Leaders Inspire Action has gained lots of attention around the idea that leaders and organizations need to understand their Why - their greater purpose - in order to succeed. This frame of thought should also be applied when crafting your personal story and narrative as well.When writing and speaking to your work experience, you must be able to clearly articulate your exact purpose. Ask yourself Why am I doing this kind of work? Once you have your overarching answer, take that even further, and keep asking Why, suggests Shnaidman .A I like educating people on ways to be more successful at workI can take that a step further and askQ Why do you like educating people about the workplace?A Well, figuring out your career is a challenge, and I like being able to help peopleKeep digging through each layer of your Why, until you get to the true core. If you can have this answer cleared up in your writing and in the interview process , it will help breathe life into your story and narrative.Rather than forgetting parts of your life and experiences that dont quite fit a certain mold, use these experiences to reframe your narrative, and create the building blocks for your story. If youre constantly in the process of try ing to be like everyone else, youll forget what makes you unique. Rather than drowning in a sea of sameness, lean into your past experiences that have made you who you are says Shnaidman .You cant just show up online when its time to find a new job. Like networking , showing up online needs to be a continuous practice. You need to always be present, online and offline, to help show people who you are.Showing up online does not mean you need to stress about pumping out 800-word blog posts every day. Rather, slowly build your presence by sharing articles, thoughts, quotes or anything that resonates with you, says Shnaidman .When you share stories relating to your work, it shows that youre a human . For example, you might say something like Hey Today we launched a product, and here were the hiccups we experienced, but here were the awesome results When you share honest stories relating to your life, it demonstrates your values to people around you. If people can assess what youre r eally about beyond just facts on paper, they are more likely to work with you and want you on their team, says Shnaidman . Simple things like sharing an update on LinkedIn, or retweeting an industry thought leader help people connect with you.The human brain is wired to connect with narratives, so if you want to increase your chances of standing out from the crowd, show up authentically, get clear on your story and watch your success growStacy is a professional development specialist who helps employees and leaders grow and build new skills through innovative programs. She is passionate about creating opportunities for people to advance in their career while improving their organizations retention rate and output. She loves sharing insights on workplace development, career building, and networking for success. Stacy also holds an MA in Educational Technology. Connect with her on LinkedIn , Twitter , or at www.stacypollack.com.