Author: Paul Freed

You’re looking for a new job. You’ve unpacked your career and made some progress researching target companies. Once you determine where you might like to work, connecting with someone on the inside can give you a huge advantage.

How do you figure out who works where you want to work?

At this point, you can assume that most professional people are on LinkedIn, it’s just a matter of knowing how to find them. Try these LinkedIn hacks to get an inside track.

Hack #1: Use LinkedIn Advanced Search

1) Find the search bar. Set it to search for “People.”

2) Click on the “Advanced” tab on the right side. This will open up several new search boxes that will focus the results you want. We’re going to focus on the fields in the left column.

 3) Company field: Enter the name of your target company.

 4) Select “Current” from the dropdown menu that appears below the Company field. People who used to work there might not be as helpful.

 5) Location field: Choose “Located in or near” and enter the zip code of the company’s location. Limit your search to within 50 miles so that you only see local employees. Larger companies have people nationwide, or even around the world, too distant for you to make a meaningful connection.

 6) Keywords field: Enter a job title term that relates to the type of work you’re looking for, such as marketing, accounting, or engineering (LinkedIn is not case sensitive). If it’s a smaller company—under 100 people—you might want just want to click “Search” and browse through everyone.

Use typical search conventions to hone your results. Quotation marks allow you to search for multiple words together (such as: “engineering manager” or “financial audit”). The word OR allows you to look for two different options (such as: “engineering OR development”).

• Click the magic button and peruse your potential contacts.

 

Hack #2: Use Google to scrape LinkedIn

Google indexes all of LinkedIn. This means you can find everyone on the site, whether you are connected to them or not. This method can be helpful especially if you find LinkedIn results limited due to lack of connections. Results on Google will not be as specific, but it should still turn up many helpful leads for you.

For this example, let’s say I’m interested in seeing who works in marketing at Expedia HQ in the Seattle area:

1) In the Google search bar, type intitle:linkedin (no spaces). This limits results to pages with “linkedin” in the title, pages from LinkedIn.

2) Add the company name, in this case Expedia.

3) Add a location. Type Seattle. Whether or not people work in the city proper, LinkedIn encompasses the region under “Greater Seattle” for simplicity, so anyone nearby will have this in their profile.

4) Add a job keyword. For example, type marketing to try and find people in the marketing department.

5) Focus search results on people, not other pages. In other words, you don’t want to see a list of job openings or random articles, you just want LinkedIn people profiles. Type profile NOT qualification as the last term. All LinkedIn profile pages will include the word “profile,” and all job openings will have a section listing qualifications (which is not a term people typically put on their own profiles). Using the word NOT tells Google you don’t want any result that has the word “qualification” in it.

Hack #2 is a little extra work, but taking the time to create a good search query should yield some interesting target people. 

Then what?

Once you find some contacts, what do you do with them? It depends on why you wanted to look them up in the first place.

If you’re trying to set up an information interview to learn about the company, send a direct message through LinkedIn or use other job search hacks to figure out the company’s email addresses (more on that in a future post).

If you’re applying for a job, connecting directly with a hiring manager or people on the team can be a great way to get past the black hole of recruiting and human resources, since both teams are likely overwhelmed by resumes.

Or maybe you’re just curious to see who is on the team you might be interviewing with to discover any potential connections or insight. You can learn a lot by reading their profiles—what they do, how they describe the organization and their role, and career progression. Once you find someone on a target team, LinkedIn will often recommend similar profiles of other people on that same team, which helps you map out the organization.

Bonus download: Top 8 LinkedIn Tips PDF to help you upgrade your profile.

Happy hacking!

For more helpful job search tips: Ultimate Job Search Guide: Recruiter Insider Tips

Hold your breath and slowly count to six in your head.

Six to seven seconds. That is the average time most resumes get reviewed before a recruiter makes a decision whether the candidate could be a fit for a role or not.

After reviewing at least 50,000 resumes in my career, I would agree with the six-second rule. It’s not that recruiters aren’t thoughtful, but they are reviewing hundreds of resumes. Hiring managers are equally quick to make a decision on resumes. 

Does your resume pass this test?

Would your resume make an impression in six seconds? Let’s find out.

Print out a copy of your resume, grab some scissors, and cut off the top third of the page. Imagine handing this “mini resume” to people you don’t know you. Could they find clear answers to these three questions?:

1. 1) What do you want to do? It needs to be easy for the reader to quickly know the specific role you are looking for.

 

1. 2) What makes you qualified to do this? The target role should make sense based on relevant experience.

 

1. 3) Is it compelling? The top third should be enough to inspire a hiring manager to schedule an initial interview. The resume content is the most important, but the resume layout can also make a positive different.

 

“The Top Third Rule”

Recruiters scan the top third of each resume and decide almost instantly whether the applicant could be a potential fit. If the top third shows promise, the recruiter will invest more time with the rest of the resume’s details. If the top third doesn’t jump out, however, the recruiter moves on.

I call this the Top Third Rule.

It’s the same way most of us filter high-volume content. If the headline and first paragraph of an article doesn’t grab your attention, you’re not going to read the rest. Six seconds, remember?

Recruiters are not your career counselor. Their job is to quickly assess potential talent from huge stacks of resumes, not decipher your life story in order to help you figure out what you want to do with your life. 

What to include in the top third

As a recruiter, a resume has six seconds to get my attention. As a friend, however, I’ve spent considerably more time helping hundreds of people hone their presentation to take advantage of the Top Third Rule.

In fact, I’ve done this enough times to develop a proven system. Follow these steps and you’ll greatly increase your potential to land an interview. Most people don’t get this concept, which is their loss and your gain. 

Very few things will fit in the top third of a resume. Here are the only three that matter:

1. Name and contact info

No surprises here, as this identifying is typically at the top. But be sure to keep it simple: name, address, cell phone, and email. List your personal website or social media links only if these add to your story and include relevant information that can’t be shown in the resume. For example, a graphic design portfolio or media coverage.

2. Objective

Most resume advice out there will tell you not to include an Objective. Perhaps this is because most Objectives are poorly written. In any case, I believe that your Objective is essential information. When properly used, this single sentence has the power to set you apart from 90 percent of resumes. Trust me. It works.

Here’s an actual example of an Objective line I read off a resume recently:

Objective: An exciting role with a game-changing company that will help me utilize my skills, make an impact, and be part of an engaged culture.

Really? As a recruiter, all this tells me is that the person can use a few business buzzwords. Remember how you only get six seconds? This applicant just wasted three of them!

An effective Objective answers one key question: What specific role/title interests you?

Make it easy for the overloaded recruiter. State the job title that best fits your experience. Do you want a job as an Audit Manager, Software Development, Sales Account Manager, or VP of Marketing?

Bonus points if you can state your level/years of experience, and link specific details or company names to round out that one-sentence hook.

Here’s an example of a well-written Objective:

Objective: Senior Product Manager role utilizing my 7+ years of product management experience with top consumer brands such as Starbucks and Disney. 

As a recruiter, I read this objective and quickly learn a few key facts:

• * “Senior Product manager role” – This focus helps me know which “bucket” of jobs to consider this person.

 

• * “7+ years of product management experience” – This person’s Objective is based on relevant experience and a general “mid-level” of experience. Seven years of experience (versus one or 15 years) validates the “senior” product manager description as appropriate
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  * “Top consumer brands” – This demonstrates a track record in the consumer industry (versus enterprise or business-to-business) and suggests that this person can be expected to understand brand concepts in that context.

 

• * “Starbucks and Disney” – Listing recognizable employers in the Objective is a great way to quickly grab attention. If you have worked with a well-known company, or an industry competitor, name-dropping in the top third can give you an early advantage.

 

OK, now it’s your turn. Here is the template to complete your Objective line:

Objective:    JOB TITLE    role utilizing my   #    years experience with/delivering    [List 1–2 things, such as industry/target customers/problems solved/past company name to hook the reader]   .

3. Skill Summary

Below the Objective, list five or six bullet points to summarize your key talking points or “elevator pitch.” Focus on clear, measurable areas. 

Like the Objective, your Skill Summary should make the recruiter or hiring team’s job easier. If your list of skills aligns with their list of qualifications for the position, they can see the connection faster.

A succinct Skill Summary can be difficult, but take a close look at every single word and ask: Is it necessary? Limiting yourself to just a few bullet points not only saves precious space and time, it also shows that you can communicate efficiently and produce “executive summaries,” an ability that’s likely applicable to work situations you might encounter later.

It’s much easier to have this section be too long and wordy. As Mark Twain once said, “I did not have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one.”

Here’s a shortcut tip for writing a Skills Summary that piques the right interest.

Look at the “Qualifications” section of a job description for a role that interests you. Collect these bullet points as a starting point, and look for key terms and phrases to incorporate with your own list. Don’t copy and paste directly, but pay attention to insider language or keywords and then describe your skills accordingly. If done well, the recruiter will see your summary think, “Check…check…check…OK, I should put this person in the follow-up list.”

Don’t be a hero

What about listing “Boy Scout traits”? I’m often asked if it is important to list positive characteristics in the Skill Summary section, such as “hard working,” “dependable,” “smart,” “team player,” “good customer service skills,” and “loyal.”

In 20 years of recruiting, I’ve never run across a resume that did not advertise these kinds of traits! You can list them if you want, but their impact is neutral, which is not the best use of valuable space.

A better approach is to integrate these concepts below the Top Third, in the work experience section where you describe how you solved specific problems.

In case you’re curious, the 12 Boy Scout traits are:

• Trustworthy
• Loyal
• Helpful
• Friendly
• Courteous
• Kind
• Obedient
• Cheerful
• Thrifty
• Brave
• Clean
• Reverent

 

These are great attributes most employers would like to see, but a company will want to assess your character for themselves, rather than simply take your word for it, and this culture fit screening is more likely to happen during the interview phase, not as part of your resume review.

4 qualities of a strong resume

In summary, your resume needs to meet four key criteria, in order of importance:

1. 1) Focused: What do you want to do?

 

1. 2) Credible: Does what you’re looking for make sense?

 

1. 3) Compelling: What makes you better or more unique than other candidates?

 

1. 4) Likeable: Do you have a personality and potential culture fit?

 

The Top Third Rule will enable you to nail the first three and stand out from the pack. The content that follows, namely the Experience section, can add more Compelling information.

As I mentioned, the interview is your opportunity to prove that you’re a likeable culture fit, but there’s a way to suggest this on your resume as well with a brief section on Interests, Hobbies, or Volunteer work.

 

For more helpful job search tips: Ultimate Job Search Guide: Recruiter Insider Tips

Your friends want to help you find a job, but most don’t know how. They’ll meet you for coffee, give you some encouragement, and maybe even connect you with a company or colleague. Here are three things you can do to explain to your friends how they can help you.

—

Can you spot what’s wrong with this email?

Hey guys, as you know I recently left my job at MegaCorp this week. I liked the people, but I’m honestly glad for the change. I wasn’t really happy the last year.

Please keep me in your thoughts as I find something to do next. I’m not sure what will come up but hopeful something will be a fit soon to help pay bills.

So, if you hear of anything good, let me know!

–Steve

I get many emails like this from friends entering the job market. Here’s what it tells me:

• * You left your job.
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• * You were not happy in it anyway.
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• * You are feeling financial stress, which impacts your family.
•  
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• * You seem open to “anything,” which is pretty broad.
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• * You left me unclear about what you’d like me to do as an action step to be a good friend. Should I call you right now? Should we schedule some time to meet? Do you prefer not to be bothered?
•  
•  

 

In other words, you haven’t given me much to work with, and it will be difficult to help in any practical way. As Jerry Maguire said, “Help me help you!”

When you ask your friends to help you in your job search, be sure to include these three pieces of information.

1. Tell your friends what you’re looking for.

Write a bullet list describing what you’re looking for in your ideal next job. If you don’t know what you are looking, take some time to figure that out before asking for help.

Remind your friends of your career experience. What makes you a viable candidate for the sort of work you want to do? Attach your resume and include a link to your LinkedIn profile.

 

2) Tell your friends where you’d like to work.

Give practical examples of real companies that would fit your criteria. Not everyone is an expert in your industry, but certain company names can trigger a connection or an idea of someone they may know. Include about ten, which gives plenty of opportunity to make a connection without overwhelming your readers.

Everyone’s network is bigger than you might realize when you begin thinking about friends, neighbors, church, activity clubs, past coworkers, and college alumni buddies. On average, people have about 200 LinkedIn connections or Facebook friends. Send your email to 20 friends, and you could have access to 4,000 people, which greatly increases your odds of finding someone at a target company!

3. Tell your friends specifically what they can do for you.

Of all the ways your friends could help you, what specifically would you like them to do? If you don’t ask, you shall not receive. 

I’m a fan of having a short list of 3 things. Anything more than a small menu and you run the risk of overwhelming people, or coming across as demanding. Make the options simple and practical. For example, offer to buy them coffee, search their LinkedIn network for connections in your field, or ask if you can join them at a networking event.

So let’s take a look at another example, this time of an email that applies the above advice (use bold and other formatting techniques to highlight key statements):   

Hey friends, I wanted to bring you up to speed as I look for that great next job. Quick request: Could you please take 2 minutes to read this email? Your unique insight or ideas could make a big difference. It’s a small world, and I’d be happy to return the favor in the future. 

[Tell them what you’re looking for]

After taking time to reflect on my career, skills, and interests, I’ve decided that my ideal next role would be:

• Sr. sales/account executive role utilizing my 10+ years of sales experience selling complex enterprise software services.
• • * In the tech industry, as that’s been my focus area and passion, though I would consider a company in the Travel or Wine industries.
  •  
  • * Big data/SaaS/analytics area preferred, but I’m open to other products and services.
  •  
  • * Regional/NW territory focus to take advantage of my relationships and connections with these companies (and to limit travel and maintain family balance).
  •  
  • * A company in the startup/entrepreneurial stage, going through fast growth and likely venture-backed. I would also be interested in a larger company that still has the startup culture and growth potential.
  •  
  • * Company HQ in Seattle, as I’d like the opportunity for future promotion (versus a sales field office), and I’d enjoy the energy of working with the full team. I live near downtown, so ideally I’d like to find something downtown or with a short commute.
  •  

[Tell them where you’d like to work]

A few companies that I’d like to target include: Tableau, Zillow, Porch, SmartSheet, OfferUp, Avalara, Winebid, Rover, Moz, and Amplero. [Bonus: Create a hyperlink to each company to save the reader time if they’re unfamiliar with any on the list.]

[Tell them how they can help]

If you’re interested, here are a few practical ways you can help:

1. 1) Meet at your office and let me buy you coffee or lunch. It’s great to get out of the house, and I like to learn about various companies, roles, and the local market. Most importantly, I want to take advantage of my flexible schedule to reconnect as a friend. My goal is to meet 5 people a week, so let’s save your spot on the calendar and email/text me a couple day/time options that could work in next few weeks.

 

• 2) Quick LinkedIn/Facebook lookup. The #1 way people get jobs are through internal referrals. Can you do a quick search in your network on the companies listed above to see if you know anyone working there that I could connect with?

 

• 3) Let me be your wingman. If you have any upcoming professional breakfasts, lunches, dinners, or speaking events where you can bring a guest (or I can pay for a ticket), please keep me in mind. It’s always more fun to go to these events with a buddy anyway, right?

 

If you can take me up on any or all of these requests, I’d greatly appreciate it. I’ve attached my updated resume, and my LinkedIn profile is up to date. [add hyperlink] Thank you!

Make your email as brief as possible to ensure people read the whole thing. Make it forwardable—don’t include anything that you wouldn’t want a potential employer to read, and don’t say negative things about past employer or boss! Keep it positive and focused on the future.  

Don’t let pride stand in the way

I think many of us can feel embarrassed or frustrated in a job search because we like to be viewed as self-sufficient. Some feel that asking for help is a sign of weakness, and others don’t want to bother busy friends. Don’t believe these lies.

Your true friends would love to help you out and be of value in your time of need.  Relying on others is good for the heart, and a great excuse to reconnect with people. Be authentic, and share the hard stuff of life. You may fear this will push people away, but I expect you’ll find that it actually brings you closer together.

 

For more helpful job search tips: Ultimate Job Search Guide: Recruiter Insider Tips

We’d like to invite you to meet the team to talk about the role. 

It’s great to hear those words! Most companies won’t take the time to bring someone in for an in-person interview unless there is genuine interest. This article will help you maximize the opportunity.

As a reminder, the in-person interview is like speed dating. Both sides are trying to look for a good potential fit. Like dating: It’s not totally a scientific process. After prepping hundreds of people for interviews over 20 years, here are my Top 10 tips to help you ace your in-person job interview and find a match.

First, here’s a recruiter insider secret: The internal recruiters at a company should be interview pros, but most hiring managers and team members you meet are not. Most company hiring managers have not been formally trained in interviewing, and which means they’re often just as nervous as you.

As a result, the inexperienced people fall into “interviewer bias.” They respond more to first impressions and look for people like them. With that in mind, use these 10 quick tips to give yourself a competitive edge.

1. Do your research

Come prepared knowing everything you can about the company’s basic facts, industry, news, competition, competitive trends, insight from friends who work there, and reviews. This helps you ask better questions, and they will be impressed by your prep. It’s OK to bring your notes.

2. Be a secret shopper

Consider “secret shopping” at the company to give firsthand feedback on your experience as a customer (or prospect). This quickly changes the conversation to engaging questions like, “What did you think? What did you like? What ideas do you have for how we could improve?”

3. Practice the Top 2 questions

In every interview you will always get asked these two questions in some form: 1) What are you looking for?, and 2) Why are you interested in us?

 

These are the most important questions to prepare for, and strong responses can make a hugely positive first impression. Learn why these questions are so important, and how to answer them well.

4. Prepare your case studies

Facts tell, but stories sell. A good interview answer recites relevant facts and details. A great interview answer adds context with a compelling 3-4 narrative with you as the hero. Prepare personal case studies to share.

5. Dress one level above

In today’s business casual world and startup culture, the decision on what to wear to an interview can be confusing. If you haven’t seen the office in person, it’s OK to ask the recruiter at the company about the typical attire, in order to prevent surprises. Whatever the recruiter says, I recommend dressing one level above, but not two. For example, if people wear jeans and a dress shirt at the office, wear the same plus a casual sports coat, or a nice black sweater over the dress shirt, but not a tie.

6. Get there early

Give yourself enough travel time to arrive without feeling rushed so you can remain in a focused state of mind. Getting there a few minutes early also gives you a chance to observe the lobby area, people in the office, and decorations on the wall, all of which can provide good insight and conversation starters.

7. Come with a “first day of work” mindset

Imagine how you would talk and interact with team members on your first day of work. Professional, but not stuffy. Confident, but respectful. Inquisitive and curious, with questions on how things work and ready to brainstorm ideas. Visualize yourself already working there, and out of that confidence you can laugh at yourself and be at peace.

If you can do this well, the company will also start to visualize you on the team. They might even say things like, “Wow, it feels like you are already working for us. You fit right in!” That is an interview win.

8. Lean forward

People tend to mirror each other in social situations. When you lean back, they will lean back. When you lean forward, they will lean forward. Smile and they will smile. Go ahead, test this theory next time you chat with a friend over coffee. Very entertaining. In an interview, if you lean forward when making a point or telling key story, you’ll naturally increase engagement and attention with the listener.

9. Get them talking—ask questions

The more you can get your interviewer to talk, the better your interview will be perceived. People like to talk about themselves, so give them a chance and they will like you for it, strange as that may sound.

Questions also show a level of engagement, and you gain insights to help fine-tune your answers. Here are a few sample questions you could ask:

• * What brought you to this company, and why do you like it here?

 

• * What is the history of this role?

 

• * What key problems does this role solve for you?

 

• * If we mutually decided this is a good fit, what key success metrics would make you say, “Great job,” after my first year?

 

• * What are the key goals for your role in the next year and how could I help you succeed?

 

• * From your experience, how would you describe what makes a good culture fit here?

 

• * What does a “typical” day look like?

 

• * From my research, it seems you compete with _____, right? What gives you the competitive edge and winning deals over them?

 

• * What key things are you looking for to make your decision about whom to hire for this role? What does the process look like going forward from here?

 

10. Be yourself

When studying a company and reading interview advice, it’s easy to psych yourself out and start talking and acting like someone you think they want to see. Be professional, but relax and be yourself. If the company feels your natural self isn’t the right fit, you probably wouldn’t like the job either. People can smell a fake. Take a deep breath, and be at peace and confident with what you uniquely can offer.

Have fun, and good luck!

 

For more helpful job search tips: Ultimate Job Search Guide: Recruiter Insider Tips

All job interviews include two particular questions. Every time. Crafting great answers to these two questions is the best interview prep you can do. If you can answer the questions with crisp, focused responses, you will definitely stand out from the pack. Don’t be surprised. Be ready.

When helping friends prep for interviews, I’m amazed at how easy it is to get caught up preparing for dozens of possible interview questions—and totally miss the two biggest and most important interview questions everyone is sure to hear. These questions are typically asked early on in the interview, which makes them all the more important as a strategic opportunity to set a great first impression.

As a recruiter, I hear company feedback on the candidate interviews. When candidates come prepared for these questions, I hear things like, “Wow! She really had a clear focus, presented ideas well. She definitely did her homework on us.” Or, “It seems like this job is a great mutual fit. She shared what she was looking for and it lines up well.”

That is an interview win by focusing and preparing for the two big questions you will get asked all the time.

Question #1: “What are you looking for?”

When this question comes up, many people give wandering, unfocused, vague answers to this basic question.

How to answer: Start your response with, “I’m looking for five things.” Then list them off,  “First…Second…Third,” and so on. Give a one-sentence answer for each one item, based on what you developed for your target criteria.

For example:

As I reflect back on my career and where I want to go next, I’m looking for 5 things:

1. 1) A Marketing Manager role, which tracks with prior positions and level of responsibility.

 

1. 2) The Consumer space. I’ve done both Enterprise and Consumer marketing, but found I’m more passionate about the Consumer space.

 

1. 3) Team leadership. I’ve overseen teams between 3–7 people in prior roles, and I enjoy mentoring and developing people.

 

1. 4) The gaming industry. After working with Xbox and Big Fish Games, I know this space well and want to stay, if possible.

 

1. 5) A product I can believe in. In reading about your company, I am inspired to market your products and I already have some ideas of how I can make an impact.

 

This response tells the interviewer a few things:

• * You know what you want. A majority of people can’t answer this question well, so you already stand out from the pack.

 

• * You can effectively communicate ideas. Creating a Top 5 list shows you can speak in a focused and professional manner. This indicates how you might communicate on the team. 

 

• * You will engage the interviewer. I’ve found this approach gets the interviewer leaning forward with interest. They may even write down the list point by point.

 

Question #2: “Why are you interested in this role?”

A company recruiter wants to feel like you have done your homework on the role and the company, and that you’re not just looking for employment.

How to answer: Share your excitement about their product or service and industry. Explain why this role aligns well with what you are looking to do long-term. Mention company values and culture. Mention any employee referrals for added credibility.  

Also, physically lean forward when giving your answer and show excitement to engage your audience. You will see the interviewer lean forward as well, a natural response called “mirroring.”   

Here’s an example:

[Leaning forward] I’m very excited about the potential fit of this role and company. I really like the startup stage you are at. You have an impressive list of initial customers and a product that I can believe in—I use it myself as a customer! The executive team seems to have a strong background, and your investors have had good success with other companies in this area. 

I think your positioning against your competitors with the pricing strategy and distribution is a real win. I’d have a short commute as a bonus—15 minutes. Your company values align well with the type of culture I’m looking for and seem to fit in. Lastly, I got to have coffee with David in finance last week, and he shared how much he loves working here and feels you have an exciting future ahead.

If you were the interviewer and heard an answer like this, what would be your initial impression? Assuming a company will interview five people with similar skills and experience, they will typically lean toward the person who demonstrated focused and good communication skills (question #1) and showed excitement and knowledge of the company (question #2).

Now that you know, time to prepare

OK, now it’s your turn. Take time to develop written answers to these questions. Then practice saying them out loud to yourself, because sometimes things look good on paper but sound odd or lack flow when you hear it. When ready, practice with a friend for live feedback.

These two questions may show up in a different order, or worded in a different way, but I can promise you that you’ll hear them in some shape or form. If you have limited time to prepare for your interview, focus on these two questions to make the biggest impact.  Solid answers will give you added confidence and help you feel ready for the conversation.

 

For more helpful job search tips: Ultimate Job Search Guide: Recruiter Insider Tips

“Facts tell, but stories sell.” This saying is especially true in a job search if you want to catch the attention of a company.

You want the interviewer to think, “Wow. I love that story and what you accomplished. That is the kind of thing we need someone to do for us too!

Good resumes and interview answers incorporate helpful facts and figures that show relevant qualifications and key data. Great resumes and interview answers incorporate mini-stories that show impact. These stories will be memorable, and they’ll get repeated to others as examples of what you have done in the past. 

The grand narrative

People love stories, even though many plots follow the same trajectory. Dramatic tension builds when things are not as they should be. The hero rises to the occasion and overcomes challenges to achieve victory.

Most great movies and books follow this storyline, and we are hardwired to look for this narrative in life. Stories stick with us in a way that facts and numbers do not.  Perhaps that’s why Jesus often used stories in his teachings, stories that are retold to this day, like the Good Samaritan or the Prodigal Son.

When telling the story of your past job, put on your storyteller hat and cast yourself in the role of “hero” solving company issues for a big impact.

Telling your story doesn’t require grand language or exaggeration. You don’t have to be Tolkien or Spielberg. It can be as simple as stating the context, the problem, and the solution.

For example, this would be fact-telling: “Oversaw a team of five people and accounting processes and reporting.”

On the other hand, this would be storytelling: “I led a five-person accounting team and developed a real-time financial dashboard leading to annual estimated savings of $2 million.”

3 kinds of stories

The stories you tell don’t need to be high profile. Simply use examples from your past to demonstrate how you made a positive impact on a project, client situation, or problem area. You want to show that your approach is unique from your peers. The work you accomplished for your last company is an example of what you can deliver for a new company as well.

To help you identify impactful stories from your experience, think in terms of these three categories:

1. How did you impact the company to generate new money? For example:

• * Increased online sales 15% through new personalization strategy.

 

• * Exceeded $2M direct sales quota in last year.

 

• * Led new innovation from concept to market launch, leading to $10M in sales in the first year.

 

• * Launched new online demand generation strategy increased monthly quality leads to the inside sales team from 1,000 to 2,500.

 

• * Through proactive communication and marketing, increased annual customer renewal rate from 55% to 71%.

 

• * Opened up a new market territory leading to 5% increase in overall revenue.

 

• * Launched new iOS app leading to 50,000 downloads in first year and $100K in new revenue.

 

2. How did you impact the company to save money or increase efficiencies? For example:

• * Decreased cycle time on processing claims from five days to two days.

 

• * Launched new expense reimbursement system and technology leading to $150K in annual savings.

 

• * Developed customer care playbooks for the customer service department, leading to a decrease in average call time from 8 minutes to 5 minutes.

 

• * Created new retail store closing checklist, enabling store employees to complete their tasks 15 minutes faster with the same cleanliness quality scores.

 

• * Reviewed HR handbooks and policies and streamlined from 240 pages to 80 pages and posted the document in employee online portal for easy access.

 

• * Negotiated better vendor terms, saving the company $250K annually while maintaining the same internal team satisfaction scores.

 

3. How did you impact the company by delighting the customer? For example:

• * Led new customer care training and internal reviews led to increased positive rating of customer care survey feedback from 65% to 85%.

 

• * Achieved turnaround with a key corporate client on the verge of leaving by bringing in new client support contact and developing customized templates and VIP service standards.

 

• * Updated next-generation customer product based on features from client meetings and focus groups.

 

• * Served as the “voice of the customer” in developing a great user experience for new mobile applications.

 

• * Developed new service level agreements (SLAs) for all customers to showcase our commitment to quality and fast turnaround.

 

• * Improved employee culture by delivering a new servant leadership approach, making new team hires, and increasing internal quality systems.  Department leader satisfaction scores on internal team reviews increased from 45% to 91%.

 

These examples represent resume answers, but a similar approach works well for interviews, too. During interviews, these mini-stories listed on a resume can be great conversation starters. Be ready to expand each example into a three- to four-sentence “case study” answer that covers:

1. 1) The problem: What was impacting revenues/people/customers?

 

1. 2) Your role: What was the context of your role in developing the solution and influencing the team?

 

1. 3) The results: What was the measurable end result?  

Short stories are best. The interviewer will either be satisfied with your answer and move on, or the interviewer will ask for more details, at which point you can dive in further. Be prepared with more details for each story, but only use them if you have to.

 

When in doubt about how much to share, you can ask, “Did that story answer your question, or would you like more details?” 

 

For more helpful job search tips: Ultimate Job Search Guide: Recruiter Insider Tips