Ep. 099: How to Tell Your Life Story in a Job Interview, with Rob Biesenbach

Studies confirm that storytelling is the most powerful form of communication there is. By transforming your career history from a chronological list into a story with personality, you’ll leave a strong impression on the interviewer. Rob shared tips to tell your career story with a strong narrative arc in 5 steps: The Thread: Connect the dots of your history, and boil it down to one common theme. Disruption: Tell a story that impacted your career trajectory. Turning point: How did you decide to turn a corner. Conflict: Summarize a couple of impactful challenges. Resolution: Explain how you resolved the challenge and what brought you here. Our Guest for This Episode: Rob Biesenbach Rob Biesenbach helps organizations and individuals capitalize on the power of storytelling. He’s an award-winning consultant to Fortune 500 companies, an engaging and informative keynote speaker, and a Second City-trained actor. Rob is also the author of two fun, practical books that use principles from the world of performance to help people communicate more successfully. And he’s now at work on a third book on storytelling. Ben’s Job Search Resource: LinkedIn Profile Mistakes Recruiters shared the LinkedIn mistakes they see people make all the time. Whether your profile is outdated, you have a lame headline, or you’re not telling a coherent story about your background, this resource shares common mistakes job seekers should avoid on their LinkedIn pages. Read Recruiters Explain What the Worst LinkedIn Profiles have in Common on Fast Company. Find Your Dream Job Listener Question: New Professional Potential This week’s listener question comes via email from Heather Rockwell in Newberg, Oregon: “I'm young, passionate, fresh out of college, energetic, and ambitious - how do I get employers to take me seriously? I've had several interviews since graduation, and all of them left me feeling like I was too young, too optimistic, and too inexperienced for them. How can I show my potential as a young, early-career professional? I know I have what it takes to perform the jobs I'm applying to, but I need them to see it.” These segments are sponsored by Mac’s new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere . The book offers practical, actionable, and proven tools to help you get clear about your career goals, find hidden jobs, and ace your next interview. Get the first chapter of this useful resource free. Be a part of the Find Your Dream Job podcast! Join in: Ask your job-related question! Email it to becky@macslist.org , or leave us a message at 716-JOB-TALK . If we use your question on the air, you will receive either a copy of our new book, Land Your Dream Job Anywhere . Share your best job resource with our listeners! Send your resource to ben@macslist.org , and tell him how it has helped you find your dream job. What do you think of our show? Rate and review our podcast on iTunes . We appreciate your support! Opening and closing music for Find Your Dream Job provided by Freddy Trujillo, www.freddytrujillo.com . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices