Role: H e a d of Learning
Com pany: N A B
H i g h - l e v e l o b j e c t i v e s
E x p e r i e n c e g a i n e d a n d
a n d d e l i v e r a b l e s
c a p a b i l i t i e s d e v e l o p e d
Exam ples
Exam ples
• S o u r c e a p p r o p r ia t e
• S u p p lie r m a n a g e m e n t
s u p p lie r s f o r tr a in in g
• L ia is e w ith d e p a r t m e n t
• S t a k e h o l d e r
h e a d s to e n s u r e
m a n a g e m e n t
their o v e r a ll tra in in g
o u t c o m e s w e re a c h ie v e d
• M a n a g e a te a m o f fo u r
• T eam le a d e r s h ip
• M a n a g e c e n t r a l
• B u d g e t m a n a g e m e n t
t r a in in g b u d g e t
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Role:
Com pany:
N i g h - l e v e l o b j e c t i v e s
E x p e r i e n c e g a i n e d a n d
a n d d e l i v e r a b l e s
c a p a b i l i t i e s d e v e l o p e d
M E T H O D 2 - P E R S O N A L
The second method moves away from your professional roles
and gets a bit more personal so that you can find your lateral
and like stories. Some people find this step easier and even fun,
while others find it extr emely difficult because they are just not
used to disclosing information about their personal lives and
they struggle to see how it is relevant. Remember, as Brene
Brown says, this is about getting comfortable with being
uncomfortable.
E ith e r way, this is p rob ab ly best d one over a cup o f coffee or
tea. or a glass o f w ine, som e w h e re y o u can w o rk u n in te rru p te d
for at least 3 0 m in u te s. Y o u m a y also need to revisit so m e o f the
examples of literal stories to help you identify how personal stories can be tied in and linked to a professional context.
P ut into practice
1. Reflect on your life from your earliest memory to the
present day: whatever comes to mind. Record those
memories on the Personal worksheet. Jot down whatever
memories come to you. Don’t overanalyse them or wonder if they are relevant, just write them down. Sure, you’ll come up with memories that may not be appropriate for
job interviews but don’t worry about that now. Just because you note them doesn’t mean you’ll share them at the job interview. This is just brainstorming. See if you
can come up with 20 memories.
2. Struggling for inspiration? Flick through the photos currently on your phone. You will be amazed at the number of ideas you can add to your list - and that’s just things
that have happened over the last few months, let alone
years!
3. Go back and add one word to each memory that describes
what it represents for you.
V e H
o w t
o o w k t i k e e t
Experience
W ord
Exam ples
Exam ples
• 1 r a n 3 2 k m a c r o s s K in g
• C h a l l e n g e
Is la n d
• 1 s u r v iv e d tw o m o n t h s
• R e s ilie n c e
w ith o u t a k it c h e n d u r in g
a h o u s e r e n o v a t io n
• 1 s t a r t e d p la y in g th e
• L e a r n in g
flute a t th e a g e o f 4 0
V e H
o w t
o o w k t i k e e t
Experience
W ord
M E T H O D 3 - Q & .A
There are five questions to answer for Method 3. The questions
are designed to get you to dig a little deeper and come up with
more literal, learn, lateral and like stories. When we look for stories in our past, we usually skim across the surface and only see the most obvious memories, but there are often more stories to
find. It’s like looking for buried treasure. Don’t worry; this is
not a therapy session! This is about recalling experiences from
your past that you just haven’t thought of for years.
P ut into practice
Answer the following five questions. Each question may make
you think of several stories, so record them all. fust write one or
two sentences that summarise each memory you think of.
i. Think about a recent experience that made you feel
proud. It could be something that happened at work; perhaps something that happened to you or to a particular family member or a friend. What was it and why did it
make you proud? What did you learn from the experience?
2. Think about a time you felt truly fulfilled. What made
you so content and happy? What were you doing? How
did you feel? Why do you value this so much?
3.
D o yo u have so m e regret in y o u r life? I f so, w h a t is it and
w h y do y o u regret it? H o w h as it ch a n ge d the choices
yo u 'v e m ad e ? W h a t w o u ld y o u do differently if g iv e n the
chance?
4. Think about a time when you had conflicting values. Perhaps you wanted to do one thing, but you knew it would potentially have a negative impact on someone you loved.
What did you do, and why?
5. Think about a time you were really scared or
apprehensive about doing something, but you did it anyway. What was it and why did you do? How did you come to the decision to go ahead with it? What was the end result?
S te p 3: M a tc h
Now you’ve identified a lot of different stories that you can use
in a job interview. Next, you’re going to match those stories to
the capabilities and values that you identified in Step 1: Define.
This will help you align stories from your past with the particular capabilities and values that your interviewer is seeking.
It’s im p o rtan t to note, y o u w o n ’t be w ritin g out a n y stories
in fu ll just yet. (That w ill h a p p e n in Step 4; Construct.) Rather,
y o u ’ll need to com e u p w ith a sh o rt n a m e that s u m m a r is e s each
story so that y o u can re m e m b e r it. Fo r example: ‘B re a k in g m y
leg w hile s k iin g ’ or ‘Project m a n a g in g the payroll im p le m e n tation’. Keep it succinct, but m em orable. M a k e su re the n a m e is descriptive e n o u g h that w h e n y o u lo o k back o n this list in a few
m o n t h s ’ tim e (or even years later w h e n yo u are g o in g for a n other job), yo u can recall the story well.
You may feel that one story demonstrates more than one
capability or value, that’s OK. List the story for both. You will
also need to tick whether each story is an example of a literal,
learn, lateral or like story. This is just about taking your best
educated guess. You can always change it later.
After you have completed this step, you will be able to see
where your story ‘gaps’ are. Which capabilities or values that
the interviewer is seeking do you have stories for, and which
ones are you lacking? If there are gaps, perhaps you do not have
the capabilities or values the potential employer is looking for.
Or maybe you need to dig a little deeper. Try repeating Step 2:
Find. Not all stories have to be major life-changing moments.
You’ll be surprised how powerful day-to-day, ‘normal’ stories
can be, from washing the dishes to driving the car. These are
stories everyone can relate to because nearly everyone does
them. You do not need to have an equal number of stories for
each story type. just a variety.
P ut into practice
1. Write each capability you came up with in Step i: Define
on the Capability stones worksheet. (Copy the worksheet as
many times as you need.)
2. Write each value you came up with in Step i: Define on
the Values stories worksheet.
3. Name each story on your Professional worksheet (Method 1
from Step 2: Find) Write this name under the capability
it matches on the Capability stories worksheet. Tick what
type of story it is.
4. Name each story on your Personal worksheet (Method 2
from Step 2: Find). Write this name under the value it
matches on the Values stones worksheet. Tick what type of
story it is.
5. Name each story on the
worksheet (Method 3 from
Step 2: Find). Write this name under the capability or
value it matches on the Capability stones worksheet or the
worksheet. Tick what type of story it is.
6. Identify any story gaps on the Capability stories worksheet
and Values stones worksheet. Repeat Step 2: Find to address those gaps.
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Capability:
Strategic leadership
Exam ples
Literal
Learn
Like
• D r iv in g c u ltu ra l
c h a n g e p r o g r a m in
✓
2 0 1 2
• C o n d u c t in g
c o n t r o lle d b urn-
✓
✓
offs in th e b u s h
Capability:
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Capability:
Literal
Learn
Like
Value A 6 toriefi ooorkfikeet
Value:
Integrity
Exam ples
Literal
Learn
Like
• S t e a lin g a
c h o c o la t e b a r
✓
✓
w h e n 1 w a s a k id
a n d r e g r e t t in g it
• N o t a c c e p t in g
le a d e r s h ip r o le d u e
✓
to m y in n e r co n flict
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Value:
Literal
Learn
Like
S te p 4: C o n stru c t
Now that you’ve identified the memories and experiences that
will make good stories, and you’ve matched them to your capabilities and values, it’s time to start constructing your stories.
Remember our friend Aristotle? In addition to devising three
stages of influence, he also gave us the perfect three-step story
structure:
1. beginning
2. middle
3. end.
It’s a general rule that has withstood the test of time and is
still used in everything today from TV soaps to presentations
(well, ideally anyway).
T H E B E G I N N I N G
In a job interview, you will be asked to ‘Share a time when ...’
This is your cue to start your story, and the best way to do this is
to use time and place to set context quickly and draw the listener into your story immediately.
For example:
• T was once asked to lead a team of 80 people on a major
change project...’
• T have seven brothers and sisters, so in our family ...’
• ‘Ten years ago I took up karate ...’
This sort of start to your story is very efficient and can be
used to build a sense of intrigue. The start of your story must be
strong and confident. Don’t correct yourself mid-sentence: for
example. ‘Three years ago - oh actually, I think it might have
been four or five years ago ...’ Be very clear on the details of
your story, especially at the start.
To overcom e this problem , m a k e su re y o u w rite or type yo u r
stories out before y o u practise p re se n tin g them . T h is process
w ill h e lp y o u e n su re the stories are su ccin ct a n d relevant. It also
m e a n s that y o u ’ll have so m e th in g to refer back to tim e a n d tim e
a ga in - crucial in the first 9 0 days o f y o u r n e w job! (M o re on
that later.)
T H E M I D D L E
This is where the action happens! Follow these tips to make
your story effective, efficient and emotive.
N A M E Y O U R C H A R A C T E R
If you are talking about someone else, you should always name
that person. Naming your character humanises the story and
creates resonance in the other part)7. Telling a story about your
kids? Say ‘my son Steven’. Recalling an event about your partner? Say ‘my partner Eve’. Keep referring to them as Steven or Eve. Don’t continue to say, ‘mv daughter’ or ‘my wife’. Using
‘Mum’ or ‘Dad’ is also OK.
We can often be reluctant to use real names when sharing
stories because we feel it’s not appropriate or too informal and
personal. Sometimes this is justified, especially in a work or
business context. Referring to ‘mv manager’ or ‘my colleague’ is
one way to work it, especially if you’re going for an interview
with a new company and don’t want anyone to be identifiable.
You could also tell your interviewer that you’d be more comfortable not mentioning the name of the individual if they ask. This
shows professionalism and respect for others.
D E T E R M I N E T H E D E T A I L
Your stories need to be short, snappy and on point. Don't be a
politician - someone who never really answers the question.
You never want your interviewer to be sitting there thinking, T
wish they'd just get to the point’.
Be ruthless. Determine what detail you leave in and what
detail you omit. This is why preparation is important. How
much detail is the right amount? Always err on the side of less.
Your interviewer will always prompt you for more, asking follow-up questions when they’re interested. This is the art of good storytelling!
When it comes to the actual job interview, you may have to
be flexible. You might need to tailor your story slightly and
shorten some details, depending on the questions asked and
the time you have. Being flexible is OK but try to ensure that
you don’t go off track so much that the point of your story is
lost. That's why it helps to write it down and practise it again
and again before the day of the interview. (Remember how
cricketer Don Bradman practised hitting a golf ball against a
wall over and over again?)
U S E E M O T I O N
Maya Angelou. the American poet, once said. Tve learned that
people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ This is
the essence of good storytelling.
Your aim is to walk out of an interview and feel like you
have connected with your interviewers and made an impression
on them. It’s all about building rapport. When faced with a
difficult choic
e between two highly qualified, ‘brilliant’ candidates, would you choose the one who looks good on paper or the one who fits the organisation’s culture and was engaging
and memorable like a Bradman?
Sensory data also helps set up scenes and visualise what
you’re talking about. You could do a mime or interpretive dance
to paint the picture, but that would probably not be the best way
to impress a potential employer in a job interview - unless of
course you were applying for a job as a mime or interpretive
dancer. Instead, you’ll need to focus on choosing the right
words.
If you’re sharing stories to demonstrate your values, especially lateral stories of a personal nature, avoid any corporate jargon. If you’re sharing a lateral or like story about a valuable lesson you learned as a child, the words you use to describe your feelings or thoughts or what you said as a child should reflect
that. For example, saying that your ‘objectives were not met’
when you were eight and you didn’t get the bike you’d asked
Santa for does nothing to engage your interviewer.
To help you overcome this, when you follow the next steps
and write out some stories, try to write them the way you would
actually say them out loud.
Is it ever OK to use corporate jargon? If you’re trying to
build rapport with someone who uses a lot of jargon, you might
feel it’s appropriate to mirror that language. Look out for cues
from your interviewers and the way they talk. If they use a lot of
corporate jargon, you can match that. This can indicate that you
know exactly what they are talking about and demonstrate that
you have experience in that industry7 (sad but tine).
T H E E N D
A good ending is crucial for leaving the interviewer with the
best impression of the real you. Make the story7 you have just
told relevant. Your final sentence must always connect to the
question the interviewer has asked you and the point you are
trying to make. Otherwise, you've just told a story7, but it has
absolutely no relevance to why this person should hire you!
Some suggested ways to finish your story7 include:
• ‘What I learned from this is the importance o f ...’
• T often draw on that experience when faced with ...’
• ‘I believe this demonstrates my ability7 to ...’
Storytelling for Job Interviews Page 4
