Your teens can do better in job interviews by telling stories
Even if your teen doesn't plan on pursuing the “creative art” of storytelling professionally (i.e., filmmaker, author, oral storyteller, etc.) storytelling isn't limited to the “creative arts.” Let me share a dose of the practical use of storytelling IRL.
When employers ask non-technical interview questions, specifically behavioral questions, they often expect a S.T.A.R. response from the job applicant. (S.T.A.R = Situation. Task. Action. Result.) Ladies and gentlemen, what the employer is really saying is, “Yo, tell me a story, bruh.”
Don’t believe me?
Look at how the S.T.A.R.s align (pun intended… I slay me) with the 3-Act structure of a story:
Act 1: What was the setting or the norm (i.e. SITUATION)? What was the triggering event (i.e. TASK)?
Act 2: What was the plan? What went wrong? What did you do? (i.e. ACTION, conflict, and rising tension)
Act 3: How did it end? Did you succeed? What was the resolution? (i.e. RESULT)
Using a simple story structure, like the 3 Acts, will give your teen a framework for expressing themselves and making their experiences understood so they nail that job interview.
If your teen is interested, ask them about a recent experience where they had to overcome a challenge then chart it out with them to see if it fits a 3-Act structure.
Also, the company Indeed (no affiliation) put out a fun video about how to answer behavioral job interview questions using a S.T.A.R response. Check out the video and pay attention to the good responses and how well they align with the 3-Act Structure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1IrwVZO8Bc
INTERRUPTION - Here's an ugly reminder of the 3-Act structure:
Let me just demonstrate how telling a story could work through an intentionally ridiculous mock job interview EXAMPLE:
- INTERVIEWER: Tell me about a time you took on a challenge that may not have gone the way you expected. What happened and how did you overcome it?
- TEENAGER JOB APPLICANT: (ACT 1) The first example that comes to mind happened to me just last week. I was doing pizza delivery with a 30 minute guarantee. Tuesday night we got a call from a customer 29 minutes away. Boss asked for volunteers. I hesitated, then I remembered my mother’s dying wish for me to go to college and how close I was to saving enough to pay for tuition, so I stepped forward, grabbed the pizza, and jumped into my recently washed and waxed 1998 Geo Metro.
- INTERVIEWER: Washed and waxed? Good to hear you take care of your equipment.
- TEENAGER: (ACT 2) After performing a pre-trip vehicle safety check, I put on my seat-belt and sped down the street while still adhering to all traffic laws. A truck full of angry American Ninja warriors pulled alongside me. Three of them immediately jumped on my car putting enormous strain on my beastly 3 cylinder stallion. Luckily, the traffic light in front of us turned red and I slammed on the brakes sending my would-be assailants flying through the air and onto the buttphalt.
- INTERVIEWER: You mean asphalt?
- TEENAGER: Yes, but I try to avoid all forms of profanity when in a professional setting, even when it is just the prefix for a word.
- INTERVIEWER: Impressive attention to detail, demonstration of grammatical terminology, and acute awareness to the potential sensitivities of others. Please go on.
- TEENAGER: I was still 3 minutes and 8 seconds away so when the light turned green I slammed on the gas, gradually, so as not to squeal my tires and disturb local citizens.
- INTERVIEWER: That’s very responsible of you.
- TEENAGER: I believe luck favors the law abiding.
- TEENAGER: (ACT 3) As I approached the customer’s residence my engine overheated. I illuminated my hazards and I hopped out of my car and noticed one problem…
Okay, I’m getting a little carried away with this job interview example thingy so I stopped before the climax and resolution of Act 3, but you get the idea. Right?
Two takeaways from that example:
- I actually wrote that job interview example without planning the end before I started so by the time I got to where the end should be I didn’t know how to end it with a clean conclusion and resolution. This is a perfect example of what can happen when you don't start with the end in mind. I’m sure I could think of one now, but having a great ending isn't the point of the example.
- Can you see how using a story to illustrate your experiences and abilities to a potential employer could be very powerful and help you stand out among other candidates? Stories can make you memorable. But, make sure you’re sharing stories that you want remembered (so probably not that time you illegally set off a flare next to an airport to impress your friend… just me?). Oh, and make sure you’re being truthful and not embellishing when you’re telling your stories to your future employer.
Now, your homework is to start thinking of experiences you've had and how you can tell a story about those experiences in a way that would make them relevant to your next job interview.
