The ability to tell a great story is not just beneficial at night when putting the kids to bed or when trying to impress your friends at the pub.
Storytelling has been an embedded part of our history and culture since the dawn of civilization. It’s everywhere – TV, movies, books, music, theatre, advertising, marketing, and all forms of entertainment. It’s also a big part of the recruiting process.
“Everyone loves a story. Personal anecdotes bring people together and strengthen ties with your listeners. Whether you’re in a staff meeting, pitching to a client, or interviewing for a job, telling a story about yourself can create that magical bond with your audience,” says Judith Humphrey on fastcompany.com.
The ability to be an exceptional storyteller can benefit you in your career, particularly during the job search process. A candidate’s ability to tell their career story can be a key differentiator when you are interviewing for a job. Your ability to connect your experience, skills, and how you can help an organization can help you tell the story of why you are the best candidate for the position.
Don’t worry – you don’t have to be a natural storyteller to have success. You simply have to master a few skills to improve your interviewing ability. Here’s how you can become an exceptional storyteller during job interviews:
What’s your story?
You can’t tell a good story if you are not sure what the story is you are trying to tell. You’ll need to spend some time figuring out your career story. The story you’ll tell will vary based on where you are in your career, your goals, and the type of job you’re seeking.
Be authentic
Your story has to be believable. To do this, you need to be your authentic self. Avoid trying to be something that you are not. People will see through this. Be the best version of yourself.
Perfect your story
Even if you have a good idea of the story you want to tell, it’s important to prepare your story. Everyone gets nervous during a job interview and this could cause you to get off track if you’re not prepared. So, put in the time to prepare the key points of your story and how you will communicate them during the interview process.
Understand how to tell your story across the interview
Job interviews are question-and-answer format. So, it’s not like you are going to break into a long monologue and tell your entire story all at once. Rather, you should create it in chunks that are related to common job interview questions. For example, part of your story will be about your qualifications and another part will be about how your experience makes you a great fit.
But when you answer each question, make sure it relates back to the overarching theme of the story you are trying to tell.
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