Your Own Stories and Abilities
Most of us story-tell our careers with our resume and perhaps LinkedIn or a portfolio of work. How do we tell our stories to others if we haven’t clearly told it to ourselves?
We’re going to start way ahead of the resume.
Your resume should not be the first step in your job search story. Think of it as an easy-to-read story for strangers that will entice them to recommend you and talk with you. It should not be your story for yourself. It also will change based on the job you are discussing or the different directions you take.
Let’s start from the beginning. You can download PDF pages here or draw them based on the images below.
Part I: Journeys to Now
Let’s start by looking at your story to date in some creative ways.
Join us in the mapping exercises below.
Map #1: Your Past as a Timeline
You can start the timeline anywhere (not just when you were born or started high school). You can draw something linear, draw pictures, make arrows, or have parallel lines—all are your choice.
Map #2: Your Past as Pivots
On the second page, within 5-6 circles, take the major pivots of your life from the first page (or add new ones), and connect them with lines about how you got to today.
Map #3: Your Past as a Journey (optional)
On the third page, draw major elements (from the prior two or new ones) that may be on a “map,” like a travel map or even Lord of the Rings.
What did you journey through to get here?
You can add creative elements if you like. Do you need to add roads, forests, deserts, or villages? Boats? Dragons? Companions?