Job Interviews are Story-Telling Sessions



Getting a job is a function of how good a storyteller you are. Sounds strange? 


The Job Interview is a platform and an opportunity for the job-seeker to tell STORIES. 


Stories where he/she is the main protagonist. The stories they tell are those of heroism and their achievements and possibilities. 


Over the past 2 decades, I have helped and coached many individuals prepare for their job interviews. With time, the seniority of the ones I am helping / coaching also increased and so did the role they were interviewing for. 


In the last 2-3 years; it's often about preparing for the top management/CXO levels.   


Most of these individuals have been pretty darn good at their job. They had an excellent track record and their achievements lineup was impressive. 


YET, when they first approached me for help, the common thread across all was that they had some unsuccessful attempts at cracking the interview. They knew in their heart that they hadn’t done well in the interview. Or, they hadn’t actually been at the receiving end of an interview for years (they had a great successful stint in the same organization for a decade plus). 


We would do a mock interview to begin and I would make my notes and observations; giving them an honest critique of how it went. 


The most common missing piece of the puzzle that I have encountered is the lack of good storytelling. 


The achievements, skills and capabilities, and credibility are there but remain un-expressed during the interview conversation. They wait for the right question to be asked and when asked, some were unable to articulate it well. 


The first 5 parts of this series focused on the mindset of a job seeker – while you are laid off and even while you are in a job seeking another one. 


Now onwards, the articles will focus on the preparation for the interview … before we enter the concluding phase of the series, where I will write about how to go about the actual interview. 


In between, I am thinking of doing a live session on zoom to cover most of this in a 90-minute session. 


So, the focus today is on getting into the storytelling mode. 


Here are some trigger questions to ponder on… 


Q1. Are you a storyteller? And how do you rate yourself on your story-telling skills – (rate yourself from 0 (boring) to 5(Bollywood and Hollywood level drama, suspense, and climax)?  


Q2. Do you love to talk about yourself? Your achievements? Your failure? 


Q3. Have you thought about lessons learned from your life events – at work, success, failures, personal life, hobbies, passions?


Q4. What are your favorite topics to talk about? What can you talk about for 15-30 minutes without any preparation? 


Q5. What are the ‘interesting’ aspects of your life … beyond work? It can encompass hobbies, sports, spirituality, fitness focus, contribution to society in any manner, etc. 


In answering the above questions, you will be collecting plot points for the story you will be crafting – Your Story. 


So go ahead. Be the HERO of your life. Let's make a movie out of YOU. 


#kmcc #takecharge #layoffs #coaching #jobinterview 


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This is the 6th article in the ‘Job Interview Coaching’ series that I am doing. 


I will be writing regularly on this subject (hopefully 4-5 times a week this month of Feb’2023). You can follow me to ensure you don’t miss out. 


Introduction - https://bit.ly/CJI00  - the inspiration behind the series 

1st Article - https://bit.ly/CJI01 - Learned Helplessness and Job Search is like dating 

2nd Article - https://bit.ly/CJI002 - Bears and Teddy Bears of Life

3rd Article - https://bit.ly/CJI003 - Career is a Box of Chocolates and You have a choice

4th Article - https://bit.ly/CJI004  - Don’t let too much time be a problem 

5th Article - https://bit.ly/CJI005  - Match-making happens in heaven and the Interview Room  


Feel free to like/share the post so that it reaches more people in your network who will find it useful for them. Feel free to share the link to the post with family, friends, colleagues, and anyone you care about who would find this useful. 


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