How to Tell Stories on Your Resume

How to Tell Stories on Your ResumeHow to Tell Stories on Your Resume3Who doesnt love an engaging, well-told story? Instead of boring bullet points on your resume, try using the space to describe a real-life situation in which your talents made a difference. Youll bring your qualifications to life in a concrete, memorable way.Lessons from a story are remembered more accurately, and for far longer, than learning derived from facts, says Paul Smith, author of Lead with a Story A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire. According to one major study, facts are 20 times more likely to be remembered if they are part of a story.ConstructionBut resume space is limited, right? How can a job candidate get her katechese across without turning the document into a novel that will promptly be passed over by a busy hiring manager? With some thoughtful crafting, it can be done.I believe the basic structure of a business story is the same, regardless of length or if it will be delivered orally or in writing, Smith says. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end, which is more helpfully referred to as Context, Action, Result. Even on a resume where you need to tell several stories and can only afford space for a few sentences each, you should follow this structure. If you dont, its difficult for the person reading your resume to tell if what you did was impressive or relevant to them or not.ExamplesTo see this method in practice, consider this example Smith offers as an alternative to simply stating I developed a new type of plastic(Context) The last company I worked for almost went bankrupt because the plastics we used in our products were too weak and fell apart after a few months use. (Action) I was so frustrated that I developed a stronger plastic that was just as inexpensive. (Result) Now that plastic is used in every product we make, and the patent is considered best in class in our industry.In just three sentences, a wealth of informati on gets conveyed to the employer- the candidate is a problem-solver who is passionate about his work and has the skills necessary to produce valuable results.Smith notes that even weaknesses can be addressed on your resume in this structure when you make the lesson you learned the result of the story. For example(Context) When my last babo quit and took half the department with her, I was promoted to lead the strategy development team and assigned an entirely new staff. (Action) I tried using the same strategy development process my boss used in that role, (Result) but after six months we hadnt produced a single new workable strategy and half the team wanted to quit. I learned that leadership is both personal and situational. It needs to be adapted to the leader and those being led. Once I adapted my leadership style, our results improved and my team wanted to stay. This year I won an award for being one of the best leaders in the company under 30.Beyond the PaperA final thing that telling stories on your resume can do is mark you as personable- the kind of candidate a hiring manager would like to interview. When that meeting happens, keep the stories coming using the same construction people like to hear narratives as much as they enjoy reading themReaders, do you tell stories on your resume or do you use bullet points? Which do you prefer? Share with us below