You Majored in What? (36 page)

Storytelling is an art. And fortunately, it’s an art you can acquire. In fact, you’re going to acquire it by using the information from your Wandering Map and many of the mindsets from Chapter 3, such as creativity, flexibility, analysis, synthesis, and reflection. But it takes time. Mystery writer Raymond Chandler once said that “a good story cannot be devised. It has to be distilled.” You have to let it sit a little and refine. You have to practice it repeatedly. And the last thing you want to do is try to create a story the night before an interview.

CREATING COMPELLING INTERVIEW STORIES

Get out the blank paper again—it’s time to control the chaos and create several powerful stories that will serve you in the job search and beyond. Like Emily’s story at the opening of this chapter, a good story helps you build a frame around your experiences. You get to control everything—the plot, the characters, the action, and the outcome. A properly selected and developed story will be persuasive, help you establish rapport with the interviewer, and focus your vision. Use your systems (Big Picture) thinking to go above the situation and look down upon it as you consider the story in its entirety. Replay the story in your mind as you ponder it. And remember, your story needs to be believable. A phony story will betray you.

To start constructing your stories, identify three strengths or points you want to make in your interview, for instance, your attention to detail or your ability to handle difficult situations. Then begin thinking of two instances that illustrate each point. Take each instance and see if you can create a short short story—just a few sentences—to illustrate your points so you’ll have at least six stories when we’re done. As you build your stories, remember you only need to tell two or three in an interview. You won’t answer every question with a story. Stories are powerful when they are carefully interspersed with more traditional responses to questions. If you can create two story ideas for the three key points you want to make in your interview (six stories in all), you will likely be prepared for almost any question anyone can throw at you.

Wandering off:

WHEN STORYTELLING GOES AWRY

As powerful a skill as storytelling is, there are some common mistakes you can make that will undermine the value of your story. Watch out for:

• Stories that are superficial, trivial, too long, or too personal. Ask yourself if the story is interesting and worth the time it will take to tell. Make sure you’re not giving the interview TMI (too much information).

• Stories that make you sound arrogant or superior. “I couldn’t believe they asked me to answer the phones. I expected something more challenging than that.”

• Boring linear stories: “This happened and then this happened and then this happened.” Are you bored already?

• Stories that evoke negative emotions like fear, guilt, or sadness. Keep your stories uplifting. Remember the positive mindset in Chapter 3? For the most part, you want your stories to fit that style.

• Stories that are irrelevant or don’t answer the question.

Now that you have generated a few ideas for stories, let’s examine storytelling in greater detail. There are three equally important steps to creating great stories: finding inspiration and ideas, constructing your stories, and telling your stories.

STEP 1: FINDING INSPIRATION AND STORY IDEAS

Where do you find stories? In general,
you
will be the best source for your stories. Events that have happened to you or your family, challenging times you’ve worked through, moments in which you achieved new knowledge or understanding, or something you observed that left an imprint are all possible fodder for a great story. Be a good listener and pay attention to your surroundings. What stories are unfolding before you?

You don’t always have to invent your own stories: you can use anecdotes or small stories you read or hear about, as long as they are relevant to your situation. Every book you read and every movie you see contains a story, metaphors, or moments of understanding. Your family has probably told some of the same stories several times. What do they show about the people in them? You may need to travel into your past to create stories for your future. But don’t try too hard to come up with them: forcing yourself to think of a story can lead to some of the worst ideas and weakest stories.
Relax: Put your mind on storytelling and the stories will come to you.

Some possible sources for your stories include:

• The Wandering Map you completed in Chapter 2: what stories can you tell from those experiences, both successful and unsuccessful?

• The mindsets you analyzed in Chapter 3: When did you use them and what was the successful outcome?

• Significant events that caused you to take action.

• Problems or challenges you’ve faced.

• Your unique way of successfully handling a situation.

• A time you felt proud of yourself or someone else.

Are you bursting with ideas? Suddenly recalling that time when . . .? Then get your blank paper or notebook and jot down your ideas as quickly as possible: this is not the time to censor yourself or judge what comes into your head. Just write out brief narratives or ideas that might be worth turning into a story. Here’s a sample from Jim, whose Wandering Map was described in Chapter 2:

Sample Idea:
The time I volunteered at a center for victims of the Katrina flood The site didn’t have enough food for all the evacuees and no one took charge. I found a phone book called the Governor’s Office and called it. I told them about the problem and within hours food arrived for the people.

I think I could tell this story as an example of my problem-solving skills, or my ability to take charge, or my initiative even when something isn’t necessarily my responsibility.

Now it’s your turn to write your story ideas on your paper or in your notebook. You can use the following questions as a starting point if they’re helpful:

IDEA 1:
_______________________________________________________

WHAT’S THE BASIC OUTLINE OF THIS STORY?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

WHY WOULD I TELL THIS STORY IN AN INTERVIEW?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

IS THIS STORY RELEVANT AND/OR WHAT SKILLS AND STRENGTHS DOES IT HIGHLIGHT?
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

Write as many ideas as you can to find stories that illustrate different skills or experiences. Remember, you don’t need ten stories that all show your leadership skills. One or two stories per key strength will work.

STEP 2: CONSTRUCTING YOUR STORIES

You now have anywhere from one to six ideas that might develop into useful stories. How do you craft them so that they’re interesting to the listener and send the intended message? Focus on your audience: the interviewers who are trying to decide if you’re the right person for the job. Why would they care about your story? How can you make them care?

Remember Emily’s story at the opening of the chapter? She opened her story with the fact that she began studying French. The middle of her story emphasized all the ways in which she built up her knowledge of France and the French language. She ended it by linking her experience and knowledge with the position she was seeking. Your stories will also consist of three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end. You should carefully consider each part, keeping in mind that you want to provide enough detail to make the story interesting without bogging it down with unnecessary detail. We didn’t learn about every class Emily took or every experience she had in France. We only learned the key elements of her experience. Include only characters who are integral to the story. Emily mentioned that she lived with a French family but she didn’t go into any detail about the family. She also stayed on her point and did not go off on any tangents.

Here are five questions to ask yourself as you develop your story. We’ll use Jim’s experience with the Katrina flood as an example.

1. HOW DOES YOUR STORY BEGIN?

Jim:
I was watching the TV coverage of the Katrina flood in New Orleans and they said volunteers were needed at a local shelter.

2. WHAT ACTION DID YOU TAKE?

Jim:
I went to the shelter’s medical area and asked how I could help.

3. WHAT HAPPENED THEN?

Jim:
The buses arrived and the chaos grew tenfold. The noise level was unbelievable. Then a serious problem quickly arose: we didn’t have enough food to last beyond the night. And these people were hungry—some had not had food for a day.

4. WHAT DID YOU DO?

Jim:
Everyone was panicking about the food situation but no one knew what to do. And it just hit me: the governor of Texas was on TV talking about how Texas would help its good friends from Louisiana, so I figured why not call his office? I found a phone book and called the number. I had to go through a bunch of people, but ultimately I reached his assistant, who promised to speak to him.

5. WHAT WAS THE RESOLUTION OR OUTCOME?

Jim:
Within a few hours, the governor had released the food supplies from the local schools for immediate use. What a rush. I was still in a state of shock—this nobody college kid getting on the phone to the governor’s office? What was I thinking? And yet it worked, and people were so happy and appreciative.

Obviously, Jim’s story isn’t quite ready for prime time, and he will want to rework it so that he can tell it quickly in an interview. He’ll need to identify the skills he developed and what he learned in the situation. He’ll want to relate it to the job he’s seeking: How would that experience or the skills he gained from it serve him in this potential job? But he has the makings of an excellent story that will fit a variety of situations.

So now it’s your turn. Try taking one of the ideas you developed earlier and begin to expand it into a story. Your story might not be as dramatic as Jim’s, but don’t censor yourself. It’s your story and you can make it work for you. You can keep it fairly short—remember, you only have a minute or two to tell it. As you write your story consider

• What are the key points of my story?

• How do I want to open my story?

• What details should I include?

• How do I want to end my story?

• What was my reward? Did I learn, did I grow, did I receive something tangible like an award?

• What skills or knowledge did I acquire and how will I now use the lessons or skills I learned?

• What is the meaning or moral of my story? How is it relevant to the job I’m seeking? Have I made that relevance clear?

Start writing—and have fun! You are an interesting person and you have lots of stories in you. You’ll be surprised at what shows up on the paper if you just give yourself some time to reflect and allow the ideas to flow.

STEP 3: TELLING YOUR STORIES

Have you ever heard someone ruin a good joke just by telling it badly? The best story in the world can be ruined by weak storytelling, so this is an important skill to master. Now that you’ve crafted your stories, it’s time to practice telling them. In general, the first time you tell the story it will likely be awkward. You may forget parts and have to go backward, or you might include too many details or get sidetracked. Not to worry. Practice will improve all of these problems and you can learn to tell your stories with authenticity and passion. Don’t try to memorize your story: it will sound stilted and flat. And if it’s too well rehearsed it may lose the personal touch and sound insincere. Just remember the key events or points you want to make and let the story flow from them.

So how do you practice? Over and over. Try telling your story to a friend and ask for feedback. Tell it when you’re driving your car or taking a shower. Tell it once and then let it sit for a few days. Tell it again to the same friend and ask for more feedback. Usually when you tell a story a second time to the same audience, you cut down the unnecessary components without even realizing it.

Try watching some of your favorite comedians: they are often the best storytellers, and their stories tend to be short because they want to keep the audience laughing. Notice the rhythm and inflection in their voices as they tell their stories. Notice how smoothly their stories flow, grabbing your attention as you wait to hear the ending. What words or sections of the story do they emphasize? How do they make the last line (usually the punch line) work? Can you change the tempo or rhythm of your voice to suit your story? (Be careful not to go overboard, because that might sound theatrical—like the old
Saturday Night Live
sketch with the character Master Thespian, who preened dramatically and spoke with false accentuation and flair.) Keep your delivery simple but smooth. And always make sure you have identified your reason for telling the story and that the story fits the situation.