The Recent and The Arc: Creating Your Short Story
Now and again, something saturates the market and loses its potency.
Stories.
From branding, telling, or owning them… there seems to be an abundance of discussion around storytelling in careers.
This isn’t the problem.
It’s the overuse of the word that is.
But let’s not allow a hyped-up marketing trend to deter us from actually working with our own.
Our lives have a beginning and an end, just like a story.
The milestones along the years become chapters. Some we are glad to end and others we can’t wait to start.
Since reading a novel on your life isn’t viable for most interactions, you need a succinct way to tell your story.
While I can wish away the overused “Tell me about yourself” interview question, it’s definitely here to stay. When you are about to give a talk, you typically give a brief introduction about yourself. At a networking happy hour, you’ll be asked, “What do you do?”
These are applications where the need for your “Short Story” is required.
The best way to pull yours together is to do so from The Recent or The Arc.
The Recent — quick soundbites of important facts from Right Now.
The Arc — the overarching theme of your career that has led to Right Now.
I’ll walk you through both of these so you can swiftly tell your short story in the next interview, sales pitch intro, or happy hour extravaganza!
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The Recent information from your life is the easiest memory bank to pull from. But to do this effectively, it’s critical to organize some data.
If you had to jot down five highlights of recent “wins” professionally, what would those be?
(Write them down).
Now look at those five and see if you can find a theme.
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For example… my own:
Relocated to Florida
Restructuring business
Coached clients to their next opportunity in a difficult talent market
Supported Female Career Coaches
Started a weekly newsletter
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As you just read that list, you probably can’t see the theme, but I can. Adversity + Perseverance are evident there for me. Based on that theme, if I was introducing myself for a talk, I could say:
Last Summer I made the journey South to the flourishing land of Florida! This has afforded me the opportunity to open doors for B2B that otherwise I couldn’t do, and I still have the privilege of coaching clients in their careers to land in their next opportunity. I am a fan of supporting other female Career Coaches because we accomplish more together. If you want relevant and practical weekly advice for your careers, you can subscribe to my newsletter through LinkedIn.
If I was asked at a happy hour event, “What do you do?” I could say:
I recently relocated my business to Florida. I’m a Career Coach who breaks through the difficult talent market to help individuals land in their next role, and I help businesses retain their talent to avoid the pitfalls of the Great Resignation.
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Having five key highlights doesn’t mean you will use all five in every interaction where you can share your Short Story.
For the sake of keeping this an article and not making it into a novel, let’s pivot to The Arc.
What does someone say about you typically? What is the word that represents you?
(Think positively and write it down).
Now with that word, write down five examples of how this has shown up in your professional life.
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For example:
My Word: Connector
Project Architect for commercial interior spaces
Mentoring Program Coordinator
Executive Recruiter
Career Coach
Introducer of people
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Ironically, when I typed out my examples, they are the arc of what I have done in my career. If applicable, you might try writing down the examples first and see what word comes to mind.
The theme that emerges out of your word and supporting examples produces sound-bites you can use in various interview or networking settings.
Based on my word “Connector,” if I was asked in an interview, “Tell me about yourself…,” I could say:
There is a thread that pulls through my career: being a Connector. In my early career, I designed and drew plans to create space that would allow people to connect in their work. I was a Project Architect for commercial interior spaces. Additionally, I was the Coordinator for the BRIDGE Mentoring Program where I saw the beautiful connection of old and young professionals coming together to bring about positive change. I pivoted into Executive Recruiting. I am a natural connector of people and opportunities. This led me into Career Coaching full-time to help more professionals align to their career lane and connect to their purpose vocationally. I still enjoy making connections for people whether that is through new business development or peer mentoring opportunities.
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Application of The Arc is more likely to come through a way where someone needs the backstory, but notice it is still quite short. Attention spans are shockingly limited these days, so learning to master your own Short Story is quite important.
At first, this may seem a tall order to create, but it only took about 15 minutes for me to put together The Recent version and The Arc version of my Short Story.
Know your narrative and tell it so that the audience listens and leaves with something memorable that could be mutually beneficial.