Career Narratives

I recently came across the term "career narrative." Reading about it, a huge light bulb went off: it provides an important perspective about how we present ourselves.

Too often we view each job as it a separate talking point - but when you see them as a narrative, you connect dots. Jobs aren't distinct events with no interconnection - and while there are a lot of important things to cover with each job, the real story is between them.

The story isn't just why you left a certain job. It's also:

  • Why did you pick the new place?
  • What did you do to make the transition successful?
  • What would you have done differently?
  • What did you learn?
  • If you changed roles, industries, or even career paths, why?

And most importantly: How does this all fit into your larger narrative?

Long gone are the days of career jobs where we spend 45 years with the same company. But that doesn't mean there's no arc to career. It's important to see your whole career as a narrative: beginning, middle, end - and all the messiness, happiness, and changes through it all.

Next time an interviewer asks you about yourself and your career, don't restate your resume as discrete events.

Tell a story. Tell your story.


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