“I am in a transition, and I see myself as a weak candidate.”
That is how one of my clients began a recent career transition conversation with me. “My background is eclectic. I have held a lot of different professional positions. I liked to move into new and different roles.”
Since her career did not follow a traditional path, her concerns are understandable. Now, as she searches for her next opportunity, what she once saw as an advantage she sees as a liability.
My response: “I disagree.” The problem was not her experience. It was the story she was telling about her experience. A nonlinear career is not a problem. The problem is a nonlinear career without a compelling narrative.
That conversation spurred my client to work on her story and built it around three elements: breadth of experience, adaptability, and her professional evolution.
The dilemma: We have been conditioned to think a strong career should follow a predictable trajectory. Work in one industry, in one function, continuously increasing responsibility, and earning bigger titles. Depth in one area is not the only competitive candidate.
This frequently occurs with military members and their spouses. But it is not limited to them. Professionals who have moved between industries, functions, organizations, or geographic locations often underestimate what those experiences have taught them.
On paper, a career can look disjointed. In reality, the revelation may be a professional has learned to adapt, navigate disparate organizational cultures, see problems from multiple perspectives, and draw on a wide range of knowledge.
An eclectic background is a strength. Communicating that strength through the right story is the challenge.
Geoff Smart and Randy Street, authors of Who: The A Method for Hiring, reduce the question of whether someone is a strong candidate to two fundamental considerations: can they do the job and are they a fit for the organization?
Therefore, use your story to show you can capably do the job and are a fit.
Build Your Story
Now, build your story using the three elements: the breadth of your professional experience, your adaptability, and your professional evolution.
Breadth of Experience
What have you done?
Examine every position you held and write down 1) what you were hired for and 2) what you accomplished. As you work through each position, you will begin to recognize trends and themes. Your story is starting to emerge.
Adaptability
How did you adjust and succeed?
Document how you adapted to be successful in each role. This highlights how you were a fit for the organization. Pay close attention to how quicky you adapted. What was the timeline, how different was the culture from your previous role, and the impact you made.
Additional themes will continue to emerge. You now have the building blocks of your story.
The Story of Your Professional Journey
How did those experiences shape who you are today?
Let’s connect some dots. Suppose you are an artist in an interview. You would not bring a list of every piece of artwork you created. You would bring your portfolio.
Why? Because the portfolio tells the story of your professional journey as an artist. Where you started, what you experimented with, what you learned, how you evolved, and what you are capable of creating today.
Your career is much the same. Your resume is the chronology; your professional story is the portfolio.
Now create your story. Here are some questions to help you.
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- What patterns are visible across my experiences?
- What have I repeatedly been trusted to do?
- What skills have followed me from role to role?
- How have I adapted to different environments?
- What have those experiences taught me about how I lead?
- Who am I as a professional today?
Write Your Story
Now it is time to write your story. Write a big-picture summary and longer story with more details. Use your story to capture and communicate how you have grown into the capable professional you are today.
Every role, transition, setback, success, and change has added something to your professional portfolio. Use your story to capture and communicate how you grew to be the capable professional you are today.
Your career is your story. Own it and make it a strength.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’re navigating a career transition or trying to determine what’s next in your professional journey, I can help you step back, connect the dots, and develop a strategy for what’s ahead.
Learn more about Great Transitions Strategies.
