Mastering Career Storytelling
Last month Career Club DK showcased “Transferable Skills” and how to identify yours. We also looked into how to leverage transferable skills when looking to transition or advance in your career. Transferable skills can mean competencies like critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, adaptability, leadership, and interpersonal skills, and their applicability across diverse industries.
This article from Career Club DK’s LinkedIn (link here) presents a practical guide, outlining four actionable steps to unlock transferable skills. The four steps are:
Analyzing job postings for hard and soft skill requirements
Seeking opportunities for improving hard skills
Recognizing the value of soft skills from past experiences
Tailoring CVs and cover letters to showcase transferable skills.
It’s a fun exercise that can help elevate your resume and cover letter game. We encourage you to take a proactive approach when applying for jobs and reach out to hiring managers to highlight these competencies, stressing the importance of adaptability as a catalyst for innovation.
In May, we are focused on “Career Storytelling.” Let’s look at how we can use what we learned about transferable skills and apply that to help us tell our career story. This is not just to summarize your CV or a list of companies you have contributed to. We want to help you create a compelling, unique story that defines your journey, your passions, your learning, and your potential. Here is where we add the concept of storytelling.
Storytelling techniques are extremely powerful because we all love stories. The best leaders, speakers, and inspirational people tell wonderfully crafted narratives. Luckily, this is a skill that everyone can learn.
Storytelling and STAR method
One effective storytelling technique is the "STAR" method, where you outline the Situation, Task, Action, and Result to illustrate your accomplishments and problem-solving abilities in a structured way. By framing your experiences in this format, you provide context, highlight your proactive approach, and demonstrate tangible outcomes. Another technique is to tailor your narrative to align with the company's values and needs, emphasizing how your skills and experiences make you an ideal fit for the role. By weaving together a cohesive story that showcases your strengths, accomplishments, and aspirations, you can create a compelling narrative that sets you apart from other candidates and leaves a lasting impression on hiring managers.
Leveraging tools to help you tell your story
If this all feels like a lot, you can try to use some tools that help you get started.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the hot topic at the moment and it can help by giving suggestions for structuring narratives and providing feedback on your writing. You can try to use ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot to help you turn your bullet point CV into an interesting, unique narrative.
Another tool that can help you frame your life and work experience from a timeline to a storyline perspective is Sumry: https://sumry.me/signup. This tool asks the right questions and it can open your mind to how to tell your story from different angles.
For visual storytelling, tools like Canva or Adobe Spark offer user-friendly interfaces for creating engaging graphics and presentations. All of the tools mentioned above have free versions or trials and can be a great place to start.
Next steps for creating your own story
In the professional realm, storytelling and transferable skills are two powerful tools that can make you stand out. Here’s how you can leverage them to secure your dream job:
Unlock your transferable skills
Use the STAR method to frame your experiences
Tailor your narrative to company needs and values
Use tools for inspiration (Chatgpt, Canva, Sumry)
By bridging storytelling and transferable skills, you can create a compelling narrative that showcases your unique abilities and experiences, making your application memorable and setting yourself apart from other candidates. Why not try it out today?
Article By
Ligia Gaspar
Product Leader & Career Club DK Advisory Board Member
