Everyone Has a Story to Tell - The Power of Storytelling

Do you remember as a child, your mom, dad or teacher, introduced you to storytelling. Whether it was at night before bed or at school after recess, they would tell or read you a story of a fascinated tale, which would grab your attention, pull you in to the situation or create a memorable experience. From babyhood to the early teens, children love to hear a good story.

Well, it’s not just for children. Successful presenters, public speakers, salespeople and politicians have mastered the art of storytelling. They typically use a personal experience and a relatable analogy to tee up their main points. The personal story makes them more interesting, and serves to transfer their passion to the audience. A great story demands just the right amount of detail, no more and no less.

As a jobseeker, you should too. It can be a powerful tool that helps provide a lasting impression with hiring managers. We tend to remember stories longer and better than just facts on a resume.

Several years ago, I attended a HR Symposium of the Bay Area conference. This is an annual forum that brings together business experts, leaders, and human resources professionals to discuss issues and trends affecting Human Resources and the Silicon Valley across all industries. 

At this event, there was a panel consisting of distinguished members of HR Leaders from various companies. Now, I’ve attended many of these conferences over the last decade but this one was a bit unique. The panelist talked about the “art of storytelling” where they shared their personal experiences on some of their latest work they were engaged in, as well as how they formulated solutions to overcome the challenges they were facing in this dynamic business and economic environment. While speaking, they shared personal stories about failures and real-life learnings. Needless to say, the session was great. It wasn’t just another boring conference that I attended. It was meaningful, genuine, inspiring and engaging.

As a jobseeker, the stories you must be ready to tell during a job interview are about your experiences that took place in previous jobs or work assignments, things that back up the skills and qualifications that you wrote about on your resume. Storytelling is a skill that can be learned.

Here are three tips to help you be a good storyteller at your next job interview:

#1 – BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWING:  Ever been asked to tell a story in an interview? You know, in response to something like, “Tell me about a situation where you faced a challenge in a previous position, and how you handled it.” This type of interview question is an invitation for you to tell your story.  One of the biggest mistakes candidates make during an interview is that the candidate answers the interviewer’s questions with simple facts and details. Or, they talk about the intellectual way on how they would solve a problem.

This style and approach of storytelling is a powerful tool for job seekers as well. Telling a story in a structural way is an effective way to describe events in your past experience and how these events demonstrate your multiple talents and skill-sets.  It is also effective in describing how you would approach future situations that are relevant to the job.

#2 – MEMORABLE STORIES: Great stories include sufficient details (think about how an engaging novel describes the environment in such a way that you can picture yourself right there in the action). Details create a memorable story and help the interviewer visualize what you’re trying to illustrate. Since hiring managers have plenty of good candidates to choose from, expect them to ask tougher interview questions as they try to reduce candidate pools and ensure they hire the right people.

Be very careful of how you showcase your skills and abilities highlighted on your resume. For every little you you write, make sure you have at least one story that can support it. For example, if you write in your professional summary that you have a “strong record of meeting critical project deadlines in spite of unforeseen obstacles,” be ready for the hiring manager to ask you a behavioral question like: “Tell me about a time you encountered an unforeseen obstacle. What did you do to overcome it?”

#3 – DRAMA SELLS:  The most memorable movies and novels have content that is either out of the ordinary or contains a bit of drama. Our brain remembers drama or anything that stimulates it. While you communicate your solution to a problem, you should seek ways on how you can respond in a way that will engage the interviewer.

The biggest mistake candidates make is spending more time on writing their resume rather than preparing for the job interview. Most people spend an average of 15 or more hours writing or modifying their resume and only 1 hour preparing for the actual interview. Some people even spend hundreds of dollars on resume-writing services but still only spend an hour preparing for the only event that can get them hired – the interview. If you spend time preparing for each interview, this investment alone will improve your outcome of finding and landing your dream job.

If you’re not a natural storyteller, start practicing. Tell your unique story by using the following structure: beginning, middle and end. Don’t just write it, recite it and memorize it. Make your story relevant and tie it to the job. The job interview is the most important moment in your job search. Your resume may get you to the interview, but only your job interview skills will secure the job offer. 

Remember these three tips the next time a hiring manager asks you a question during a job interview. You have amazing stories to tell and these techniques should enhance your ability to explain yourself in a more powerful and memorable manner. Rehearse to make sure you nail the delivery of telling these stories out loud a few times and you’ll be well on your way to acing your next job interview.

Good luck and happy job hunting!

Has storytelling ever helped you land a job? I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments, please share below.

Edward Avila is the Head of Global Talent Acquisition at Synaptics, the pioneer and leader of the human interface revolution. To learn more about our global job opportunities like nowhere else, please click here www.synaptics.com/careers.