Learn why and how you should craft a compelling career narrative so you can land the job that you love.

1. Crafting a Compelling Career
Narrative*
* If you want to quote from this presentation,
please give credit to 21st Century and our
upcoming book on “Emerging, Evolving and
Mature Occupations

2. What Is a Compelling Career
Narrative?
• Targeted statement of your contributions
• Consistent demonstration of your capabilities
• Vivid and believable summary of your
accomplishments
• Coherent story that makes sense to your targets

3. Why Bother?
• Minimizes confusion & unwanted questions
• Increases your chances for being screened in
• Addresses employers’ needs directly
• Helps make you memorable and compelling
• Places your skills in context
• Highlights a positive career trajectory

4. How Do You Create a Compelling
Narrative?
• Define your top 1-3 targets
• A target is:
– Position title (s)
– Industry
– Entity type or company size
– Geography
– 200 possible positions

5. How Do You Identify Your Targets?
• What is the position typically called?
• Importance of job titles & power of keywords
• Different job titles for same position; different
descriptions for same job title
• Analyze appealing ads online and in newspapers.
Do a Google search for the topic

6. Identifying Your Industries
What types of industries have you worked in?
What industries are you familiar with?
What industries are hiring?

7. Entity Type
• Large, usually multinationals
• Small and middle market companies
• Nonprofits—higher education, social services,
associations, volunteer
• Government

8. Geography
• Willing to relocate?
• Willing to go to NYC?
• Commute within a radius – mileage or time
• Helps you identify targeted companies

9. Examples of Targeted Companies
O
• Who are typical employers in your target? Consult
online and print directories- companies & associations
• What kinds of employees do they have?
• Who’s advertising on job aggregators or on their own
websites?
• What companies would someone recognize?

10. What Does a Compelling Narrative
Include?
• Job Analysis
• Success Stories & Accomplishment Statements
• Marketing Plan
• Resume, Linked In Profile, Info. Interviewing
• “Elevator” Pitch & Networking
• Interviewing

11. Job Analysis
• Find 3-5 appealing ads for your target. Summarize
• Job Requirements My Contributions
– Skills - Built consensus & led team to develop
new loan, increasing sales by 15%
- Fill in more after success stories
– Experience
– Certifications
– Education
– Other

12. Success Stories
• Can be work, volunteer, or personal activities
• Think of projects or assignments you have:
– Enjoyed
– Had a sense of achievement
– Felt you did reasonably well
– Are relevant to the job analysis for the target

13. Reality Check Stories
• Do you have vivid stories for at least 50-75%
of the job requirements for your target?
• Have you included all relevant experience?
(paid, volunteer, education, training)

14. Template fo Success Stories
• What was the context or situation that you faced?
• How did you get involved and what role did you play
• How did you get it done—motivated skills
• What difference did it make—quantitative & qualitative
measures

15. Salsa
• Manufacturing Plant Foreman
• High level marketing position
• Accomplishment statement about introducing
salsa to market

16. Weave Elements from Success Stories
into Accomplishment Statements
• Vivid succinct statement that includes the situation, actions
you took and the results.
• STAR (situation, task, actions, result) or PAR (problem,
action, result)
• Your skills, personality, expertise come to life through these
examples

17. Marketing Plan
• Promotional tool usually 1 page
• A target –position, industry, org type, geog.
• Key skills, attributes and experience
• At least 5-10 companies in your target

18. Sample Marketing Plan
• Target: Financial Analyst
Health Industry
Large Organizations (profit and nonprofit)
Within 45 minute commute
Key accomplishments:
Reviewed & improved revenue proposition for
product line extension…

19. Marketing Plan Cont’d
Hospitals Medical Practices Insurers
St. Barnabas Summit Med. Group United

20. Resume is a Marketing Document
• Present a brief consistent career profile
• Show how you can solve targets’ needs
through accomplishment statements
• Choose format & length that works for you
and your target

21. Resume
• NOT A JOB DESCRIPTION ----
• Credible, memorable picture of how your skills, experience, etc
enable you to significantly contribute to employer’s needs
• Highlights most salient accomplishments
• Emerging, evolving and mature occupations require different
approaches.
• It Depends: Chronological, functional or combo, 1 or 2 pages, dates,
title v objective or summary

22. Linked In Profile
• Match to main target in how you title yourself
• If using combo resume, build more skills &
accomplishments into summary
• Consider adding (volunteer) positions into
employment
• Use key words in title, summary, current and
past positions and in interests.

23. Elevator Pitch and Networking
• Reword Resume Summary
• Highlight a key accomplishment or 2 that reveals
relevant skills and experiences.
• End pitch with a brief description of your target
and an example
• Learn how you can help the other person

24. Correspondence
• Includes: cover letters, emails for networking,
thank you letters
• Revisit ad or interview questions for key issues
• Emphasize skills that meet employer needs
• Thank you letters – Highlight areas that
resume and/or interview may have omitted.

25. Interviewing
• Research company and competition
• So tell me about yourself – reworded elevator
• Behavioral - What are your weaknesses or
strengths?
• Case situations – how would you handle…
• Use accomplishment statements to answer
• Ask a pertinent question after you respond

26. Negotiating
• Try to get company to make first offer
• Research market rates for compensation
packages for position in your area- salary.com
• Summarize how your expertise enables you to
meet company objectives more quickly,
completely, etc.

27. Compelling Career Narrative
• Compelling accomplishment statements
• Targeting
• Marketing Plan
• Resume & Linked In
• Correspondence
• Networking and Interviewing
• Negotiating

28. To Learn More
• Please visit us at:
http://21stcenturycareer.com/