Why Use a Success Story?
A success story isn’t about your personal success – that sounds like bragging.
It’s about success at work.
If a success story sounds like… “I did this” and “I did that” the listener will get turned off instantly.
A structured approach for creating a success story is the best way.
Use a Success Story in every telephone and face to face Interview
- Identify the problem, and the cost/risks of doing nothing
- What you did
- The results
- Be ready with more details
You need to frame up a success story around the problem that needed solving. Think about it. What was the problem? What needed to be fixed? What were the costs and risks of doing nothing about the problem? This captures the interest of the listener. The interest will probably not be in that particular problem, but rather in how you handled it.
You need to have humility when talking about yourself, to not appear boastful. So giving credit to others who did the work and praising the wisdom of a boss who gave the green light is important. This showcases how you will act under similar circumstances in the new job.
If you want a success story to work for you, you need to develop it carefully. That takes time and effort.
- Practice it & see how people respond to it.
- Edit it to find the perfect length.
- Develop more than one success story use the story that fits the moment.
- Keep your story a bit flexible, so it will always sound fresh and natural.
Where can you use a success story?
- Telephone Screening Interviews.
- Telephone Interviews with Hiring Manager.
- Face to Face Interviews.