Threshold Consulting: It's Your Life, Own It!

The Gift of Story

Last week, while sitting in Starbucks, I was struck by the simple message on the cup: Stories Are Gifts * SHARE

Frankly, this is no small statement. And this message is a once timely, and profound. Quite simply, STORY seems to be taking on increasing significance in our culture. People are more attuned to the benefits of sharing stories. First, to foster understanding. Second, to facilitate connection.

In career coaching, personal branding, and social media, the new mantra (well, one of them) is: “Tell your story.” Yet, while stories may be gifts, for most of us, the ability to tell our story is not.  Ultimately, it’s something that you need to work at. But where do you turn for guidance?

Well, you could invest hours, and many dollars, in training or coaching. Or you could do it yourself. Yet, while the DIY route can save you dollars, it could leave you spinning your wheels.  But there is an alternate. And it’s proven proven – especially in guding people to create a more compelling presence on LinkedIn.

Carol Ross and I have created and tested a unique product, our Remarkable Online Profile kit; and as our gift to you we're offering this kit for just $27 – but only for the next four days, from December 27-30. That's more than a 40% savings over the regular price of $47. With it, you get our expertise, distilled into a self-guided coaching process to help you tell your story. All at a fraction of the cost of our coaching fees.

You could think of it as a deal. Yet, it’s way more. It’s the gift of story. Your story.

Superstars Need Not Apply

This month’s Career Collective topic is common HR/job search misconceptions; for example, HR's primary function is hiring, the person doing the hiring does the screening, every word of every resume is read, the reader "cares" about what you want, the reader will take the time to figure out where you fit in their organization, the hiring authority will only check the references you provide, etc.

Recently, a LinkedIn Group I belong to posed a question regarding Holiday advice for job seekers.  There was lots of good advice about networking, and that’s a good thing, provided it’s done well. And done well, means abandoning the job-seeking mode in order to truly get to know others, share career stories, and build meaningful relationships. Especially with people in one’s professional community. And not just at the Holidays.

Yet, in that same discussion thread, there was also advice that was dominated by the traditional notion of “applying for a job” and using a strategy built around seeking openings that need to be filled. The advice included things like the impact of budget cycles on hiring, Human Resources having more time to look at resumes and schedule interviews during this slow period, less competition for openings, and decision makers planning to fill spots in the New Year. Advice like that always makes me cringe. Not only for the misconceptions it fosters, but also for the way it limits the job seeker's ability to step outside the traditional “pick me, pick me” job-seeking model.

Face it, we live in a time when “plug and play” positions are increasingly fading away. Few companies want to look at candidates who are merely well qualified. They want superstars. They want people with strong personal brands who stand out from the pack in offering value that's distinctive from everyone else. Perhaps that’s why the average job posting is often comprised of what seems to be an unrealistically long list of requirements and qualifications. Such positions seem to be impossible to fill. Who knows? Maybe it’s a misconception that complex postings represent what the company is really looking for.

Frankly, I think it’s possible that many hiring managers take an “I’ll-know-it-when-I see-it” approach, and entertain the hope that the candidate who has some “secret sauce” will show up. Managers looking for that special something might, in fact, be doing candidates a favor. While this may seem unfair, opening the possibility of discovering that kind of resonance can lead to a win-win for the hiring manager and for the candidate. So, how to make these discoveries? Well, it’s back to networking done well – including sharing stories. As I’ve previously suggested that shared narrative connects people in job interviews and in networking. The value of trading stories, in fact, is something that science increasingly seems to back, as Kathy Hansen points out in a recent post.

So, what’s the lesson?

It’s time to step outside the misconception built on “applying for a job” and raise your visibility and credibility with hiring managers. By connecting via networking that’s driven by shared career stories, you may discover you’ve become the superstar in some decision maker’s eyes. And that can lead to discussions of opportunities you could never have “applied for.”