Improve Your Job Hunt Success Using Storytelling
I recently gave a talk titled “Landing Remote Jobs Through The Art Of Storytelling” at DevFest Uyo. The event was great and the organizers did a great job putting things together. Due to time constraints, there were things I couldn’t cover or go into more detail on while giving the talk. Which brings us to the purpose of this article. I would go over the various sections of the talk and add more context and colour where necessary.
The Job Market in 2023
Getting a job, not just a remote job, is quite challenging. This is due to several factors: inflation, a high unemployment rate, wars and rumours of wars, a lot is going on in the world at the moment. In addition to this, we’ve seen massive layoffs in the last few years since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to TechCrunch, 240,000 jobs have been lost in 2023 alone. If you combine that number with layoffs in recent years, plus the number of people trying to break into the labour market, you have a large pool of candidates which results in stiffer competition. So getting a job, and keeping it, is much harder than ever.
But then, you have to get a job to keep a job right? So let’s focus on the getting-a-job part. I’ve been working remotely since 2019. In that time, I’ve worked with startups and companies in various parts of Nigeria as well as internationally in countries like the US, Canada, Ukraine, etc. I’ve been through many job application processes, most of them with unfavourable responses but I’ve gotten a few wins. One thing that significantly improved my chances of landing jobs was realizing that there was a need for me to stand out from other applicants. And the way I did this was through storytelling.
Why Storytelling?
It’s simple: everyone loves a good story. We bond with the hero or sometimes villains of the story. We unconsciously form emotional attachments and secretly root for the underdog. We often want a happy ending so we will them on to reach their goal. That is why, beyond all the formalities, the recruiter is human and would connect with a good story. Especially if it’s a true story.
Common Themes of The Job Application Process
There are common themes that can be found in most job application processes:
- A cover letter
- A Resume
- Interview(s)
You would often do these things when applying for a job so let’s briefly look at each one to see how you can apply storytelling to make them even better. Before that, I should mention this is not going to teach you how to write a CV or give you interview tips. Many great resources on the web already cover those things. The things I’m going over here are tweaks you can make with the help of storytelling to your job applications that will improve your chances.
Cover Letter
This is usually the first thing a potential employer would see from you. And you know what they say about first impressions. You can think of a cover letter as a pitch but the product you’re pitching is yourself. The goal of the cover letter is to get the employer/recruiter interested enough to look at your CV/Resume. You want to keep your cover letter short but also highlight the skills that are relevant to the job and your unique advantage. Below are snippets from two cover letters:
This is a snippet of a cover letter that I found online. It reads well and communicates the skills of the applicant. The only problem is that it’s very generic and the employer has probably seen similar wording several times. There’s nothing to get the employer interested or excited. We can rewrite this same section to read like so:
This version touched on previous experience from a job (Customer Service) that is not the same job (Marketing) that is being applied for but has transferrable skills. We also see how the employer can benefit from the experience and skills acquired by the candidate. While this is a small snippet of a cover letter, it’s something different and unique that would pique the interest of a potential employer.
CV/Resume
In your CV/Resume, you have your skills and experience. There are two things you want to do in addition to this: point out key metrics and have a section for projects that you can link to.
One important thing to do in your Resume is add metrics i.e. highlighting quantifiable numbers as a result of the work you did. Your skills and experience are great but at the end of the day, employers run businesses so if you can show that your skills directly affect the business, it gives you an even better chance.
The other thing you should do is to add project links to your Resume. Since most job applications are done digitally, you can take advantage of this medium and add links directly to your Resume. This way, an employer can already see some of your work before even meeting you. Here’s an example:
Interview
This is the first time the employer/recruiter gets to hear from you directly. You have more freedom in the way you express your thoughts and opinions so this is the best time to put everything together and tell your unique story. You also want to make sure as you tell your story, you highlight the skills that are relevant for the job. A common question that is asked during interviews is “Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?” Here are a few things to cover when answering that question:
- Explain how you got started in your career path
- Talk about your motivations
- Highlight challenges you’ve faced
- List the skills you’ve picked up
Let’s say I was applying for a Vue.js developer role and during the interview, I was asked the question “Can you tell me about yourself briefly?” Using the points above, I would answer like so:
Hello, my name is Kelvin. I’m a frontend developer. I started my programming journey about 4 years ago. I was first introduced to Java programming by one of my former school teachers. This is where I learnt my programming fundamentals. From there, I heard about Android programming while attending a Google Developers Group event. Since Java was one of the languages used for Android programming, it was easy to pick up. But I ran into a challenge: my laptop at the time struggled to run Android studio so it would always slow down dramatically, making it challenging to do any meaningful work. As a result, I started looking for alternatives and that’s how I heard about a web framework called Polymer. I learned the fundamentals of web (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, HTTP) and then started learning about Polymer. From there, I picked up other frameworks like Angular, React and finally Vue. I’ve mainly stuck with Vue for most of that time because of it’s ease of use and intuitive nature. And that’s how I a brief about my career.
The cool thing is this is MY story so it’s a story I tell with conviction. It’s believable when it comes from me because I experienced those things. However, as I told the story, note that I touched on my motivation, and challenges and ended with the skills that are relevant to the job. It’s simple but very effective.
But you don’t get a story by being indoors doing nothing. There are things you have to do so what are they?
To have a story to tell, you have to:
- Learn an in-demand skill
- Work on personal projects while you learn
- Put yourself out there (share what you learn online)
- Join and be an active member of a growing community
- Take up volunteer opportunities
- When the opportunity comes, tell your story
You have to put yourself out there, whether you are sharing what you are learning or you are volunteering in communities/NGOs/schools. It’s the way people will know what you do and keep you in mind for opportunities. It’s also the way you gain experience, learn from other people, see new perspectives, hear different opinions and become a well-rounded person. All these things are the ingredients you need for a good story. And when the opportunity comes, trust me it will, make sure you tell your story.
