Tell Me a Story

Who doesn't love to hear a good story? Appreciation for storytelling in its various forms is basic human nature and the reason we buy books, watch movies and TV, and read the newspaper. Someone who does it well can hold your rapt attention through every twist and turn to the ultimate payoff: laughter, tears, learning, motivation, and more.

It should come as no surprise that the people who can tell interesting and impressive career stories on their resumes and in interviews are the ones most likely to get the job. For example, the trend in interviewing these days is to ask candidates questions like, "Tell me about a time when you saved your company money." If you can tell a story that really captures their imagination and demonstrates your skills, you've aced it. (Needless to say, you've got to be armed with your stories ahead of time!)

Career expert and author Katharine Hansen writes about various forms of applied storytelling in her blog, A Storied Career. And here's where I get to brag: After years of admiring her work, I am happy to announce that I've just signed Kathy to write a book on career storytelling for JIST. Tell Me About Yourself, which is slated to be released in April 2009, enables readers to harness the power of storytelling to land jobs and advance their careers. Welcome aboard, Kathy!