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Based on a poll I conducted, it's obvious there is no consensus on where storytelling in the job search is most prevalent. But that's what makes polls fun. And as usual, the answer I voted for was one of the lowest results of the four options. But I don't take this as a sign that my expertise is waning.
The question for the poll was: "When You Think of Job-Search Storytelling, Which Stage Comes to Mind First?
The answers and results were:
- Networking 34%
- Resumes 33%
- Interviews19%
- LinkedIn About Section 12%
As you can see, Networking won by a one-percentage-point margin to take the trophy over Resumes. My choice, Interviews, came in a disappointing 19%, but I was among great company whom I respect as career coaches, resume writers, and hiring authorities. But I won't be a sore loser.
Let's break down the four ways storytelling is used in the job search. We'll start with the winner of the poll.
Networking
This is definitely time to tell a job-search story. You want to gain the trust of your networking partners for your likeability as well as your value to employers. Stories will cement both if they are well told. Here are some tips for telling your job-search stories during networking events.
1. Begin positively and maybe some humor
Talk about what motivates you in the work you do. For example, what motivates me is seeing unemployed job seekers land jobs. How I do it comes later in the conversation. At this point I talk about the pleasure I derive from reading an email that tells me the good news and the client later showing up to my office with a cheesecake to thank me for my help.
2. Include a brief success story
This is where you illustrate what motivates you by talking about some of your accomplishments, while also keeping the listener in the conversation. "I had a client who was struggling with her LinkedIn profile. With my help, she was able to write a better About section and complete her Experience so that it spoke about her value. In addition, she put together a killer banner, a banner I emulated."
3. Connect the story to the listener
This is perhaps the most important networking skill. After telling a story, pivot back to them: "That's what keeps me motivated. What motivates you about the work you do?" Or "Enough about me. What's been your experience with the people in your field?" It's very brief but it shows interest in them.
Resumes
Telling your stories on your resume is a different animal than networking or interviewing. This is where you condense all the great narrative into concise two-line bullet points. Which you might think does a disservice to your resume, but keep in mind that your resume is generally, but not always-a two-page document, so you don't have a great deal of space to work with.
1. Focus on accomplishments, not duties
Duties are the most common thing hiring authorities see on resumes and, quite honestly, they're boring. Whereas accomplishment statements are more interesting and a breath of fresh air. When writing your accomplishment stories, think about the larger stories behind them and employ the S.O.A.R. framework: Situation > Obstacles/Opportunities > Actions > Result/s.
2. Quantify your impact whenever possible
Numbers make your stories credible and memorable. Include metrics such as percentages, dollars, time saved, number of people served, projects completed, or goals exceeded. In some cases, you don't have the metrics. So, qualify them by talking about how you received kudos from your boss, or that you were the first to introduce a program, etc.
3. Create curiosity, don't tell the whole story
A resume is not the place for the complete S.O.A.R. story. Instead, provide a brief accomplishment statement that makes the employer want to hear the full story during an interview.
Example:
- Increased website and social media engagement > 300%, despite a limited budget, by researching Facebook and Instagram best practices and staying attuned to our industry.
Interviews
In interviews, your listeners aren't as forgiving as your networking partners; they have a difficult job to do, which is to determine if they should hire you. People who've interviewed candidates know when an answer falls flat. You will deliver your S.O.A.R. stories in response to behavioral-based questions.
1. Use a clear framework
It's during these times when you're answering the directive, "Tell me about a time when....," and the interviewer wants a well-structured story that guides them through the Situation/Challenge, Obstacles/Opportunities, Actions, and Results.
So guide them you will: "The challenge was that we were faced with delivering a SaaS product within a two-month deadline.
"Some obstacles we faced were a tighter than usual deadline, as well as stakeholders who were not entirely clear on the expectations for the product. These were some of the obstacles I had to address with the team immediately for the product delivery to be successful.
"Here were the actions I took to accomplish meeting this tight deadline. First, I contacted the stakeholders to determine what their expectations were. For instance, I scheduled a series of meetings with them to clarify the product requirements, identify the must-have features, and establish priorities for the initial release...."
Follow with more actions to demonstrate your action-driven value.
"The results our team achieved were delivering the SaaS product on schedule, meeting the stakeholders' core requirements, and receiving positive feedback for both the quality of the product and the team's responsiveness throughout the project."
2. Choose stories that are relevant to the employer's needs
If the directive is "Tell me about a time when you demonstrated excellent written communication," you're not going to deliver a story that talks about your outstanding public speaking performances. This story would be irrelevant and mean nothing to the interviewer.
3. Emphasize your role and the results
All too often I hear clients use the pronoun "we" instead of "I," and this makes me wonder what role they played in the actions taken. They meant for me to know what they did, but because they still have that company mentality, they assume they were the ones who performed the actions.
LinkedIn About Section
Because you have more characters to work with in your About section than in your resume Summary section, you can tell a great story. Since LinkedIn was founded, the way to describe the About was to use it to tell your story. I've stuck with that ever since.
Like the resume accomplishment statements, there should be structure to your story. No one structure is best, so I'll tell you what I use, while emphasizing there are others to use. What's most important is that it tells an effective story.
1. The why you do what you do
For me it's identifying a problem that exists in my industry: unemployment among high-earning people, and how I go about solving the problem. It reads: "As unemployment rates for higher-level job seekers have reached an alarming level — commonly referred to as the "White Collar Recession"— I make it my mission to empower 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 to take control of their job search and secure rewarding careers."
2. Share a story that demonstrates your value
Once you've established the "Why," now it's time to show the value in what you do. Some like to list accomplishment statements with metrics; I prefer to save them for my Experience section (because I still see value in it). To accomplish my mission, I give you as example one of four actions:
"𝗪𝗘𝗕𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: Designing and delivering webinars allows me to reach thousands of statewide job seekers a month. There is great value in the webinars I lead, as evidenced by the high ratings I receive."
3. End with how you can help others
The final part of your About section should bring the story full circle. You've explained why you do what you do and demonstrated your value; now tell readers how you can help them. Whether they're job seekers, recruiters, hiring managers, or fellow professionals, make it clear who you serve and invite them to connect. Your About section isn't just your story; it's the beginning of a conversation.
"𝗜 𝗚𝗘𝗧 𝗜𝗧! You don't need to be told that being out of work can be emotionally and financially challenging — I've been there. So I'll be the last person to tell you not to feel stressed and discouraged. However, I will tell you that unemployment is temporary and to 𝗡𝗢𝗧 go it alone."
Again, everyone is different in how they choose to tell their story in the About section. Mine is just one way of many to accomplish it.
As the results of this poll show, storytelling can take many forms throughout the job search. On a resume, it creates curiosity. In networking, it builds relationships. In interviews, it provides proof of your abilities. And in your LinkedIn About section, it helps people understand who you are and what drives you. No matter where it's told, a well-crafted story remains one of the most powerful tools a job seeker can use.
Thoughts from other Career Leaders
I FIRST think, "interview stories," however, you have all the right steps and may consider more. The first set of stories is the one we'll tell for ourselves when we create our UVP (unique value proposition). Unless and until a person is fully clear about their own story from start to finish, how will they lock on the right ones for the right audience?
UVP -> interview prep -> (then research to align market fit) -> networking (market fit validation) -> interviews -> and then "thought leadership" internal and external to the company you work for.
It's a flexible throughline.
ALL of this relies on the UVP work.
Commenting from Odense Denmark. I believe the Resume and LinkedIn are an early priority but before that even happens, a clear self-audit needs to talk place that includes current assets backed with proof, weaknesses, and what you want to do next.
The resume remains a foundational document and where most people start honing the stories they'll tell throughout the search process.
Once you've structured those career stories in the resume, they flow naturally into the conversational tone of LinkedIn, inform how you introduce yourself and your networking topics, and differentiate you throughout the interview process.
Well-shaped stories inform the whole process, but they typically start in the resume.
This is a hard one for me to answer, as I see storytelling as super important in every stage. But the first stage is usually where you want the first point of contact, so resume or LI. Maybe for some, this is networking. Interviews happen after the story has already been shared in some way.
For me it starts with the target. Once I’ve interviewed the client, I write their resume and LinkedIn with the target in mind. The stories they shared with me, mirrored back in their resume and About section, then form the foundation for elevator pitches and interview prep.
Angela Watts M.Ed., SHRM-CP, CCTC
The resume and LinkedIn profile should be the teasers that make a potential employer want to learn more. The interview is the time to tell the (relevant) full story.
I would say the interview, because that's ultimately where candidates need to demonstrate their value through stories and examples. That said, I don't treat storytelling as something that starts at the interview stage. From the very first coaching conversation, I'm listening for accomplishments, challenges, decisions, strengths, and patterns. We capture everything. Then we tailor the presentation based on the audience and purpose.
The content is largely the same; what changes is the format, depth, and emphasis; we keep revisiting the stories; we create new ones as they learn new tech, for example.
Here's my order of operations: Resume first. Stories out of your head and onto "paper" first, tailor (per company, role, industry), edit and finalize (for now), then update the LinkedIn profile using the new resume as a guide. Now all these written stories are top of mind (you just wrote them) and its time to network and share while its fresh. Hopefully an interview comes next. Good luck out there!
Related: Stop Starting With Your Resume and Start Getting Interviews