What’s YOUR career story?
Throughout the years, I have been listening to a lot of stories or pitches. I still remember the following ones: Carlos from Venezuela, who learned from his grandfather, an investment banker, how to beat the hyperinflation economy with sophisticated financial products, and wanted to bring this to other people. Or Sid, an engineer from India, who switched his career into Life Sciences to help improve other people’s lives after witnessing how access to a better healthcare system impacted his family’s life. Or Gus, a former athlete, coach & math geek, who wanted to bring his analytical mind and sports passion together to help sports organizations and athletes understand their performance data and achieve better results – physically and economically.
People connect with people through stories. So…what makes a good story?
An interesting character: YOU are in the center of the story to stand out
Characters or issues that you care about
Great content:
– Emotions, not just information – remember: there is another human being on the other side of the table/screen/phone!
– Passion, values, purpose
– Is there something at stake or a problem to solve? Do you have a point of view?
Finding your story starts with FINDING YOUR WHY. What has been the moment, the low and high point, getting you where you’ve been today? What drives you? What do you want to change or be a part of?
Or, another way, CONNECTING THE DOTS: Identify the themes that run through your professional life. What do all your jobs or projects have in common? What skills or talent do you always apply regardless of what kind of function or industry you have worked in? Often, longtime friends or family members are better able to identify those when listening to you. Start to connect the dots for people that don’t know you so that they can make sense of your career and the possible next step that you want to take.
To craft your story it can be helpful to follow the structure of every story: Beginning – Middle – End.
The Beginning is usually the ‘Old Normal’ …and then something happens and you become aware of a professional, personal or economic problem/need. That’s the middle of your story, when you start to think about shifting directions. The end of the story is where you want to be in the future, your goal.
Work with Grad CCD on your Career Story. We would love your story to be remembered.