How to connect with a potential employer during a job interview

Storytelling is a powerful tool to connect with a potential employer during a job interview. It's a way of communicating the events, statistics and data of your life and creating a shared experience between you and your listener. In order to stand out from other applicants, know how and when to tell a story reinforcing your accomplishments.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Think of questions that an interviewer might ask. Typical ones include:
   What is one of your greatest accomplishments?
   Why should I hire you?
   How do you handle tension?
   How well do you work with different levels within the company--from management to labor?
   How do you react when criticized?
   All the answers to these questions could involve a story showing you in the best possible light. The story should illustrate your best assets and talent.

2. Pick only those stories that relate to the skills needed for the job. A story should include a situation, task, action, and result. What was the situation you faced? What task did you accomplish? How did you do to accomplish the objective? What was the result?

3. Provide memorable details. For example, instead of using a vague term like "a lot," use specific numbers.

4. Use clear and concise statements. Get to your point as quickly as possible.

5. Before your interview, practice your story. Even the most experienced storytellers need to fine tune their skill.

6. You have to believe in your story in order to convince the listener. A story that is unbelievable to you will also ring false to the interviewer.