Your Narrative: 3 Steps to Make it More Compelling
A Spearmint #2020 Strategy Paper
Constructing a compelling self- narrative, starting with your elevator pitch, has always been important for job seekers, but it has taken on heightened importance in this current - virtual - market. When I speak to groups and to each of my clients, I stress that if you get your narrative right you have a tremendous competitive edge. Your story should include not only a strong elevator pitch that serves as a first intro for interviews and networking opportunities, but also a longer narrative that tells your fuller story, including your strengths and goals.
The first – and daunting - challenge in an interview is often the ubiquitous prompt: “Tell me about yourself.” Other versions include “What will I not see on your resume that I should know about you,” and “Tell me about your journey.” Here is where your elevator pitch comes in.
It’s important to understand what interviewers really want to know when they ask a candidate to “tell me about yourself,” as well as an appropriate way to answer that same question when you’re networking.
Beyond serving as an icebreaker, this introductory question helps recruiters and hiring managers accomplish one of their major goals in the hiring process: getting to know not only what you’ve done, but also what you are like. Your hard skills are, of course, key but are already spelled out on your resume. This question is fundamentally about suitability - about culture and fit - so how you answer it is going to help the interviewer understand if you are, indeed, a good fit.
It’s also great opportunity to demonstrate that you can communicate clearly and effectively, connect with other people, and present yourself professionally. If you answer it well, you’ll show interviewers that you are not only a good fit but also potentially the best fit for the job and it will lead to another conversation. Remember, that’s your primary goal – to pass this round and get to the next level and next conversation!
Creating a Compelling Elevator Pitch:
List - Describe your “destination.” Where do you want to go with your career and what kind of job are you looking for now? No one wants to hear an historical retelling: that’s on your resume! They want to be engaged and intrigued by who you are and where you’re heading. I always suggest starting with 10 points that cover all the most important things you want to convey about yourself: what you do and why, what you have already achieved, and what drives you. You can include what you are doing now - if that is relevant to the job you are interviewing for or your ultimate career goal - but aim for what’s not on your resume. Focus on the most interesting or memorable facts—the ones that really make you stand out.
Eliminate - Now edit what you’ve drafted with a critical eye. Eliminate any redundancies, unnecessary or unclear information, and business jargon. Refine and enhance what clearly works and remember to quantify wherever possible: ‘I am a great salesperson’ probably won’t grab anyone’s attention but ‘I have exceeded my sales goals every quarter for 5 years’ will.
Refine - Re-group your points and label them “Who I am”, “What I do,” “How I do it,” “Why I do it,” and “Who I do it for.” Once you have finished, you will ideally have 5 compelling sentences that describe your destination, the role you want, your key attributes, and your professional value proposition. Make sure that the order is logical and that the most important information – the kind of job you are looking for now and in the near future - is first. Remember: you only have a few minutes, so concentrate on the most important things you want that person to remember.
Here is an example from a client, a recent grad who was looking to launch a career in the Venture Capital world following a successful summer internship:
“I am excited about and focused on working in business development for a Venture Capital firm after I graduate. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work at a VC startup this summer and found it allowed me to use many of my strengths and skills: processing large amounts of data, prioritizing, and using that data to make informed decisions. Part of my success in previous internships and as an entrepreneur has been the result of my communication skills, my ability to read and connect with people, and asking the right questions when making decisions. I found these were also critical to my success in my role at [name of company].”
Expanding Your Pitch into a Compelling Narrative:
An effective narrative includes evidence-based examples of the skills you list in your elevator pitch - the “how & why” that explains their success and value. It’s one thing to say you have great problem-solving skills, it’s much better to demonstrate an example of when you used them. Those are the ‘nuggets’ that you prepare and synthesize for each interview. My client looking for a job in VC, for instance, crafted four examples: one around his data crunching prowess, two, how he used his interpersonal skills to bring stakeholders together and move deals forward, three, detailing the opportunity he identified to successfully launch a small street style company, and four, an example of when he showed great leadership skills to connect with and motivate others.
Tailoring your narrative to the person, role and company is the critical step that can lead to an “a-ha moment” when the hiring manager realizes that you are a good fit and wants to learn more. It’s an opportunity to show whoever you meet, right away, that you get it. While you might have a basic template, you use for your pitch and your narrative, make sure you tweak it to fit the company in question or the networking event. The most important points to emphasize are the ones that you believe are the most important to the person you are speaking to - based on your research and preparation -and on what their current needs are.
What will resonate the most with employers is seeing that your particular strengths and skills can help them solve the problem they have right now and are trying to address through that job role. If you have tailored your description of your goal and strengths effectively, in line with what they are seeking and offering, then your “offering” – i.e. your hard and soft skills - and what the prospective employer’s needs are, are aligned and will make you a very attractive candidate!
As long as you know - and have perfected - your elevator pitch and longer narrative, you can be flexible in an authentic way: if the interviewer is emphasizing company culture, weave that into your answer. Be sensitive to the direction the interview is taking and adapt to it - down to the key words they are using - in your answers, and in the questions, you ask them.
Practice
Being able to build a “natural” rapport does takes preparation. You need to rehearse your story out loud so that you can present it comfortably, naturally, and accurately. If you can, find someone who can be a sounding board and can offer constructive feedback on what works and what doesn’t. And I suggest to my clients that they record themselves when they practice – it’s a really effective way to evaluate and refine the end result.
Results
While this process may sound scripted - and daunting! - I have seen even the most cautious introverts run with it and shine! The preparation and practice will give you the confidence to embrace every opportunity without fear of that first, wide-open opener: “Tell me about yourself...”
Some Bonus Pro-tips:
Be Positive: 1st impressions matter, including your greeting, handshake, eye contact, and the first thing you say.
Be Professional: no hobbies or personal details, unless relevant to the role- see below!
Be Passionate: if you are really connected to mission of a company or a role, it’s okay let them know you love what you - or better they - do.
Be Personal: if - and only if - you’ve already nailed your elevator pitch and narrative, you may also want to add an interesting personal fact that connects you to that person or company, such as “Seeing you speak at my college my freshman year helped me understand why I wanted to be a data scientist," or “I've been following your research and included it in a presentation I did for my lab,” or "I spent a lot of time in [a location you have in common] growing up."