Crafting a Strategic, Compelling Career Story (MVIP part 1 of 4)

Learn the 4 high ROI activities that got 93% of my clients through their first-round interviews at top-tier companies like Apple, Airbnb, Uber, Stripe, and more.

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In today’s issue, I’ll introduce you to the Minimum Viable Interview Prep (MVIP) system for passing first-round interviews.

Then, I will teach you the first system in MVIP: Crafting a strategic, compelling career story. You can implement this system today and significantly improve your odds of passing your next interview.

Most of us don’t interview frequently enough to build a solid, repeatable process for interview prep. Every time we have an interview coming up, it feels like we're doing it for the first time.

Because we lack reliable systems for interview prep, most people end up either winging it or overdoing it and risking burnout.

With an effective system for interview prep, you’ll be able to

• prep efficiently

• avoid burnout

• gain confidence

• and significantly improve your chances of moving on to the next round

First-round interview prep should include the essential activities needed to move on to the next round. And nothing more.

The Minimum Viable Interview Prep system focuses on the 4 highest ROI activities needed to ace a first-round interview. That’s it.

With this approach, you’ll be:

• much less likely to burn out from interview prep.

• more confident (this system works for the 200+ candidates I’ve personally coached).

• more likely to ace your next first-round interview.

Over the next 4 issues, I’ll deep dive into the 4 systems that form MVIP:

1. Crafting a strategic, compelling career story

2. Walking down memory lane to bring major projects into accessible memory (in full detail)

3. Mastering behavioral interview questions (all 3 types)

4. Formulating high-signal questions for Interviewers (be invested, informed, and unforgettable)

Today, we’ll dive into System #1: Crafting a strategic, compelling career story

MVIP System #1: Crafting a strategic, compelling career story

Your career story is hands-down the highest ROI investment during interview prep.

Why?

The most common interview question of all time is “Tell me about yourself.” When you’re interviewing, you'll get this question at least 30 times. Your career story is the answer.

The 2nd most common interview question of all time is “Why do you want to work here?” And guess what — Your career story is the answer here too.

Coach Erika @ErikaCoaches

In the talent market, YOU are the product. (btw, you're also the head of sales & marketing) Sell "the product" by crafting a strategic, compelling career story. As a side bonus, it'll also be trivial to answer the 2 most common interview Qs of all time. 🧵 Here's how 👇

As a bonus:

• “Tell me about yourself” is usually the opening question in an interview. Making a strong impression at the top of the interview sets you off on the right foot.

• “Why do you want to work here” is often the last question. Closing strong can seal the deal on the interview and get you invited to the next round.

Craft one answer and you will use it 30+ times in a job search, including in the critical bookend moments in each interview.

Here's how you're going to do it:

First, Craft your Past Career Story

For each job you've had, establish:

• why you took the role (a strategic reason)

• what you gained (mapped to the skills or requirements for the job you're applying for)

• why you moved on (a strategic reason)

Here’s what mine looks like (written down):

screenshot from First Round Ready Workbook #2: Crafting a Strategic, Compelling Career Story

Next, craft your Future career story

For each job that you're interviewing for, establish:

• how your past experience sets you up for success (1-2 things)

• what you expect to learn or grow in this role (1-2 things)

• how this role furthers your Ultimate Career Goal (a Single Decisive Reason)

Now, pick one Single Decisive Reason. Pick the one that feels the most important to you. You only need one, trust me. Better yet, trust Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn:

“There needs to be one decisive reason. If I go for a blended reason, I’ll almost surely come back and feel like it was a waste of time.”

Reid Hoffman’s concept of the Single Decisive Reason is powerful in both decision-making and clear, compelling storytelling.

Here’s what mine looks like from my last job search (written down). The bold items are my Single Decisive Reason for each role.

from First Round Ready Workbook #2: Crafting a Strategic, Compelling Career Story

Step 2: Practice both, aloud.

You must prep for interviews as they are conducted: verbally and out loud.

Record yourself answering

• “Tell me About Yourself” (using your Past career story)

• “Why do you want to work here?” (using your Future career story)

Tips

• Use video recording to capture body language cues — Zoom, Loom, and Quicktime suffice.

• Assess yourself each time you record. Be systematic in identifying areas for improvement.

• Rework until satisfied, within reason. More than 20 reworks may lead to diminishing returns and run the risk you’ll sound bored (of your own story!) in front of the interviewer.

from First Round Ready Workbook #2: Crafting a Strategic, Compelling Career Story

Timing guidelines

For your Past career story

• keep it <2 minutes if your YOE <= 8 year

• keep it <=4 minutes if your YOE >8 years

Be patient with yourself. You likely won’t get the timing right at first. Focus on content first, then trim to the most powerful parts to get the timing dialed in.

For your Future career story

Keep it at <1.5 minutes. Shorter is better, more focused, more memorable. Remember, you only need one Single Decisive Reason.

Step 3: Practice with others

(once you’ve nailed timing and content)

Interviews are conducted with interactive, real humans. Your practice needs to include others. As a bonus, they may help you find ways to supercharge your story.

Ta-da!

You now have a strategic, compelling, and concise career story. And you can answer the two most common interview questions of all time:

“Tell me about yourself”

“Why do you want to work here?”

🎉 That’s a wrap!

If you want to support me and my writing, you now have the option to become a paid subscriber. I appreciate it!

You now know the 1st of the 4 systems for Minimum Viable Interview Prep:

• System #1: Crafting a Compelling, Strategic Career Story

• System #2: Walking Down Memory Lane

• System #3: Mastering Behavioral Questions

• System #4: Formulating High-Signal Questions for Interviewers

You’re well on your way to efficient, no-burnout interview prep!

I hope that this Minimum Viable Interview Prep series helps you gain focus, avoid burnout, increase your chances of passing your next first-round interview, and move on to the next stage of the hiring process. Good luck! 🍀

Note: If you're interested in this MVIP approach, I created a self-paced course (First Round Ready) and companion interview prep workbooks to streamline your job search and save you time.

The workbook for crafting a strategic, compelling career story is here and contains all the tools, frameworks, practice rituals, examples, and scorecards you need to translate this learning into action.

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Check out coacherika.co for free resources, resume help, and coaching options, including my very popular TUYJS Workshop. Follow me on Substack, YouTube, and LinkedIn to stay in touch. Subscribe to this newsletter to receive a steady stream of tech career advice and experimentation ideas 💛