Your life path has helped you to acquire valuable skills, regardless of where it has taken you. If you feel like you don’t have a good personal story for job interviews, get some reassurance here.
When you are writing a cover letter or working on how to stand out in your job interview, there are always tidbits from your life path that can help to illustrate your pertinent skills and talents.
The best way to present your story in an interview or cover letter is to frame it in a way that shows what’s in it for them.
What do they need?
How can you make their life easier?
What relevant skills and qualities do you possess that make you a great candidate for the job?
And if you think you don’t have anything special or relevant in your personal story to illustrate your value, think again.
Every part of your life path has value, even if you are a new graduate whose only job experience is scooping ice cream or life-guarding.
I once coached a graduate whose only extracurricular activity was a class he took in avalanche rescue.
He was worried because that was the main chapter of his story.
Together, we explored what taking that class revealed about him.
It showed that he was courageous, that he was willing to take risks, and that he was a team player.
None of these were on his resume because he was looking for a job in business.
But the story showed that he had valuable and relevant qualities for the job.
Get clear on what your story is before you even sit down to write your cover letter or plan for your interview.
What valuable skills and qualities can be illustrated by the different parts of your life path?
Do you want to gain more confidence in your personal story?
Have a conversation with a friend as if it is someone you just met.
Share with them some of the valuable skills and qualities you have gained from the different life experiences you have had.
See what juicy tidbits you can come up with.
This is an activity that is particularly helpful for new grads, but there are also people in their forties and fifties who haven’t put much thought into what their personal brand story is.
Your personal brand story is worth developing.
It will change and evolve as you move through your life, gaining new experiences, and integrating new tools, so it’s good to revisit it periodically.
Is your work situation frustrating you? Do you hate your job, but have no idea what to do instead? Attempting to navigate those waters without support is not fun (yes, I do know, but that’s another story). I’m excited to announce that I’ve created The Job I Love Toolkit, with all the resources you’ll need to finally clarify how to get paid to do you.TM To be the first to hear more details, join the VIP Wait List.
And if you know a friend or neighbor who could use hearing the advice in this article or needs The Job I Love Toolkit, please forward this to them.