Where to Apply and How to Tell Your Story When Job Hunting
Have you ever heard the saying (or read the book) “start with Why?”. Well it’s no different here. Employers are looking for you to tell them WHY you’re a good fit and WHY they should hire you. They want to think “Where did this person come from? What a perfect fit!”. This is where your story comes in.
However, before we get into telling your story, the first problem that the job seekers usually encounter is which companies to apply to (or get in front of). I have been using a system that helps you figure out:
- A list of companies that could be a good fit and
- How to tell your story to them.
Identifying Potential Jobs
It all starts with identifying potential jobs that align with your story and purpose. It may be the case that you are starting fresh. If this is the case, you have a little tougher time, but focus on talking about your passions, projects, and other “work” and you’ll do well.
Go through the following exercise and see if you can develop a list of companies to apply to. List all of the jobs and projects that you’ve worked on. What are the threads that connect them? What would be the most obvious “next job” for a person with this background?
Let’s say that you’ve had 3 jobs : I’ll use a snapshot of my own experience as an example and show you exactly how connecting your experience can lead to amazing job outcomes:
- Chess Teacher for Kids
- Tax Preparer
- Marketing @ A Startup
Three seemingly unrelated jobs. Now, to find a thread between the combination of these roles. Also, these don’t have to be jobs, these can be passions, projects, volunteer work, or anything in between. When looking for a thread, don’t just use the obvious. Aspects like industry, customer base, role, and so many other things can be used. Here is the same example continued.
Let’s combine Marketing & Tax Preparation…
I could go and help a startup that is tackling tax issues. Well this is exactly what I did and I worked there until we sold the company to Turbotax in 2013.
What about Teaching Chess and Marketing?…
Maybe I could teach marketing to professionals seeking further skills. I did that also and helped to start Tradecraft as the instructor of the Growth Track there.
I think that this system has worked pretty well for me andif you start to look, you will see it in other’s careers too. Be the obvious choice.
Don’t tell everyone the same story
So, before we get started on how to craft your story it’s important to understand that you should probably have a bunch of different (true) versions of your story, that fit different types of companies. Limiting yourself to one story/company is just too limiting and usually doesn’t lead to getting a job in a timely manner.
Constructing your Story
Your story is less about your job history and more about why you would be a good fit (at this particular company). The great thing is that there can be all sorts of reasons that you’d be a good fit for a ton of companies.
Don’t just fill in the blanks here, you can modify it but I’ve noticed that most people follow this general pattern.
I’ve always been passionate about _________, that’s why when I started my career, I did ________. But then I learned that _____________ and I knew I had to ___________. So, I did that and now, I’m ready to __________ and it seems like your company would be the perfect fit.
Here it is using the example…
I always had a passion for teaching; so while in college i taught chess to kids. This was fun but didn’t really offer the element of business and entrepreneurship that I was seeking. So, after graduating with a degree in business & entrepreneurship, I went into marketing and found it really rewarding. But I missed teaching and wanted to be more consultative and less “heads down” in my work. It seems like teaching at Tradecraft could be a perfect fit.
Don’t Fake It
The last thing i’ll say is good luck and don’t fake it. I REALLY do have a passion for teaching and love marketing. Blowing smoke when you tell your story will only lead to you being unhappy when the job isn’t everything you’d hoped.
Feel Free to Reach Out
If you ever have questions or thoughts on job hunting I’m always up for chatting and also always looking for contributors to my publication in one of our 4 categories. Email me at Graham@MarketerGraham.com
