Often as children we would love to hear stories of fiction, adventure and anything else possible. We were intrigued with all the details. I even remember my dad telling ghostly stories around the backyard fire pit and I loved to hear them even though I know what was happening.
Storytelling is getting lost in our society except at interviews as employers and hiring managers want to hear your story on how you have done things in the past. These are part of the behavioural questions that are asked at interviews.
Before you get to an interview, you need to have realistic facts and applicable skills for every different posting which means that you may need 2 or 3 different resumes styles depending on your career objectives or types of jobs you can perform. Older workers may be able to apply to different postings if they assess their past job responsibilities. If you are applying for a provincial government posting they want examples of how you demonstrate the skills necessary to do the job as they now are accepting up to a five-page application.
Basically, this is your opportunity to do storytelling about your experiences with the details to impress the hiring manager. Remember to get an interview you need to use keywords on your resume however your cover letter needs to be personal as how you can do the job. Last year, one of my clients told me that her cover letter I wrote was too emotionally she got the job interview and the job offer as she learned how to use examples both verbally and in written style.
Your documents (resume and cover letter) need to be personal, realistic and applicable to the job you are applying for in a concise but illustrative manner with results and accomplishments. Remember your cover letter and resume is to prove you can do the job with the technical skills and qualifications. From the information presented on your resume and cover letter, if it passes the ATS computer screening system and passes the initial screening from HR, you will get invited to an interview to further prove how you can solve the employers’ problems, save time, save money or improve on their processes.
In both your written documents and your verbal communications it is important to be personable as employers hire people who they trust with their responsibilities and can contribute to the success of their business going forward.
Resume writing is a skill and learning how to improve your interview answers comes with practise and understanding what is relevant to include on your resume and being prepared with your storytelling will assist you in your successful career search.
Mary Whitaker is the Founder and Career Consultant at Rite Careers. Mary has been providing career coaching services for 15 years assisting many individuals including new graduates, New Canadians and job changers to successfully find their next job in their career development to match their career goals. Visit our website for further information at www.ritecareer.ca
