Remember elementary school, where life was easy and all you were concerned about was what crayon combinations you needed to use to get that one color you didn't have?  

Just like elementary school, this article is all about painting pictures and telling stories. But unlike your arts and crafts skills from 3rd grade, this is the foundation for you to craft your story and explain your roadmap in countless professional settings to get you just about anywhere.

Speaking of stories…

“Why the f*ck are you here?” – a direct quote of the third question in my interview with the Managing Director of an investment bank. He was referring to the fact I was in the College of Natural Resources, had worked for a nonprofit and a startup, but was now applying to a highly technical finance role. His question was well-merited; on paper, I wasn’t qualified at all.

Though (spoiler alert) I didn’t get the internship that summer, I clearly explained why I was qualified and wanted to work there. I was the first person he called back later to work for him in the fall. (I didn’t take the job, but I learned how far a good story can get you).

Verbally Painting the Mona Lisa

Painting with words is just as much fun as finger painting!

You need to clearly outline your story so that they see you as the perfect fit in the company just as much, if not more than you do.

Everyone else who applied to that job was more qualified/experienced than I was. I simply had the best story about why I was qualified and wanted the job and painted a clear picture of myself being a great fit so I was the first person the Director called back.

Your story should depict your ‘life roadmap’ and answer all of the key questions they want to know- your job is to make it easy for them to picture you fitting in. The better you depict yourself as the perfect fit, the more you'll stand out, be remembered, and get selected.

This is an incredibly useful skill no matter what field you’re in and you can apply it to just about anything.

Start by drawing a circle...

Don't worry, this is slightly easier than drawing a real circle

There are three key aspects to your story/verbal roadmap that you’ll want to highlight in interviews or other situations where you are introducing yourself. The main buckets are the Past, Present, and Future.

The Past

This section is a combination of your relevant knowledge, skills, and experience that highlight your capabilities matching the job you’re applying to. Even if you don’t have direct experience in a field, show how one skill you have prepares you for what you’d need on the job. (For the investment bank, I had no direct experience but highlighted technical projects I had done and my past finance/data experience in clubs and clearly explained how I could quickly transfer my skills to the job).

If you’re in an interview, don’t try to cram your whole resume in 1 question. Strategically highlight your experiences and give a quick overview of the cool things you’ve done. When giving your initial intro, pick the most crucial skills you have relevant to the position and talk about the impact your projects made. String these experiences into a story to make a "highlight reel" and have it lead up to-

The Present

This section is all about why you’re in the room interviewing. You need to clearly explain why you’re there and elegantly tie it into your story. Make it stupid obvious why the job is important/significant to your future and how it helps you reach your goals (next section). This is also the place to mention unique things about the company you’ve learned from networking with people who work there and genuine reasons you love the company.  

PRO TIP: Surprisingly, people often don’t mention why they want the job until they’re asked. Take initiative- briefly answer this question upfront in your initial intro story from the “tell me about yourself” question.

Once you mention your interest in the role, go on further and explain how it is the perfect stepping stone to- 

The Future

This section is all about what your goals are and what you want out of life. Don’t just say you want a more advanced job in the company as that often doesn’t come off as genuine (especially for entry level positions when our generation changes jobs so frequently). Instead, focus on something bigger/more generic that the job will prepare you for (whether in or outside of that company). For example, if you’re applying to a public health role in a government office, say how you want to understand more about how our public health system works (mention the present and how this company would give you the best exposure to what you want to learn) and one day be able to work on policies that impact people across the country.

Share your ambitions here as you’ll be viewed as someone who is driven and someone who will make the most of your time there.

That being said, make sure whatever you say is somehow connected to the company- if you say your dream is something completely unrelated then they’ll be less likely to hire you. 

But I really want this tech job to one day open my own alpaca farm...

Connect the Dots

The only type of art I could ever do well as a kid…

Unlike some of the crazy connect-the-dots out there, you only have to connect the three points we talked about before for this. Everything else that matters can fall into one of these buckets, making this an easy framework to apply in interviews to clearly explain why you're the perfect fit. 

They may seem overly simplified at first, but doing this well takes practice. The trick is to seamlessly blend them into a single story/pitch that’s unique, captivating, and relevant.

Unique – make your story personal and slightly different than everyone else, figure out what’s unique about you, and make it fun!

Captivating – figure out what’s most interesting or impressive about yourself. Tease them: mention something intriguing you’ve done that makes them want to learn more (this could be a side project or your impact at work/a club)

Relevant – connect your story to the job and why you’re there (remember, they need to see you as the perfect fit), highlight relevant experience/skills or your personality if you have a strong culture fit. 

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Notice how each component is highlighted and connected to create a single story in this answer to "Tell me about yourself":

"My name is Luke and I'm an East Coast surfer from NY who moved to California for an adventure." (Open with something fun and unique about yourself - show your personality)

"I went to Berkeley be surrounded by peers that would push me just as much as the professors so I could learn from everyone around me." (I like to mention a life philosophy next - in this case, constantly learning and surrounding yourself with the best)

"Once there, I hit the ground running and tried a bit of everything. I worked for a music software company, a nonprofit, built a company and placed in a pitch competition to investors, and consulted for multi million dollar startups." (The 'highlight reel' of your most relevant or interesting experience)

"My love for trying new things and being surrounded by people that inspire and challenge you is what brings me here today." (Say why you're there interviewing and tie it to your 'life philosophy' from before)

"After meeting ___, I realized this company has the atmosphere and culture I thrive in and find your work on ____ incredibly interesting." (Mention specifics of what you like about the company, past interactions you've had with people from the company)

"I think this position would teach me ___ much faster than other opportunities and be the perfect launch pad for me to dive into *what you want to do in the future*. I'm excited to be here and to learn more about how I can get involved and help your team!" (Tie how this job will help you advance you to your dreams and aspirations and again show your enthusiasm on being there)

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Figuring out what to fill each bucket with, reframing them for different scenarios, cleanly connecting the dots, and telling your story takes time. But you’ll be amazed at where you can go once you have this art down. The options are limitless.

Start by integrating this framework into answering the dreaded “tell me about yourself” interview question. As you get better, build your way up to comfortably telling your story this way throughout the entire interview, making sure your answers include information from at least one of the three buckets, preferably two.

Finally, this is a framework meant to tell stories through. You can state the components on their own in interviews but it won’t captivate your reader as much as stories will, so when outlining the skills you want to highlight in your past, or the aspirations you want to mention for your future, think of interesting experiences you have and turn them into stories.