Resumes vs Stories

Dale Dauten writes a column called "The Corporate Curmudgeon" for the Hartford Business Journal. I enjoy his column and read it faithfully. This week I was especially interested in his article because it was entitled "I Don't Have a Resume; I have a Story". How perfect!

Dale goes on to "tell" the story of a business coach's work with someone who had a disastrous job history. To complicate the job search further was the fact that the man was also a recovering alcoholic in his mid 50's. The coach, Hustad, had his client develop a "story card". When approaching possible employers he simply said "I don't have a resume, I have a story" and then handed them his story card. On the card the client's story was told, the good, the bad and the ugly. Also included was a note on how he could help the company. The result was the man received several job offers and landed a job far better than he had hoped for.

Wow, as I read this article it proved once again the power and connection of story. For the last few years I have been presenting to a local re-employment group. The focus of that work is to get the job seekers to use narrative more effectively in the interview process. Every time an interviewer asks "Tell me about", you should answer in story format. The whole process becomes much easier and less stressful when viewed as a conversation, not an interrogation.

Think about that the next time you find yourself interviewing (on either side of the table). Put your answers in the form of a short story and don't be afraid to engage the other person based on something in the story. Stories put people at ease and information will flow more readily. As an interviewer you might gain valuable insight into a candidate. Insight that might have been masked by nerves or a too polished interview style.

If you would like to hear more about how to incorporate story into the interview process give me a call.

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