Judy Rosemarin, one of the subjects of my Q&A series, suggests that folks (especially those in job-search mode) “may want to think seriously about next year and where your stories lie.”

She encourages folks to think about how they can find the right story for the right reasons at the right time.

Noting that employers are looking for many of the following qualities, she asks job-seekers:

Do you have a story* for each of the following?

1. Integrity and trustworthiness and holding fast to your values and ethics.
2. Dedication, to do what is necessary and dedication to your team.
3. Humility to inspire loyalty. If you don’t have the loyalty of the people who work for you, or with you, you have no cohesion.
4. Emotional Intelligence, which means possessing self-awareness, the ability to manage and monitor reactions and the ability to key into other’s feelings as well.
5. Openness and fairness to be receptive to new ideas and not think that your way is the only way to do things and to act non-discriminatingly.
6. Ability to listen to others in a receptive way.
7. Inspiring others to go beyond what is customary and usual.
8. Continual professional development where you are a continual learner.
9. Developing and mentoring others to build a more robust and resilient team.
10. Creativity, to foster new ideas, adaptation, flexibility.
11. Assertiveness as well as approachability which indicate your strength and receptivity.
12. Learning from mistakes, where you grew from a mishap, mistake, and miscommunication.
13. Customer dedication, where you honor the importance client/customer relationships.
14. Empowering others to sense mastery and meaning in their work.
15. Your MBAs = Your Many Business Accomplishments.

Judy uses the concept of the *Humaway™ Story in her workshops (for which folks can register here) in which “proof of a successful story [is] one that really sticks with your audience the way a catchy song leaves listeners humming away a tune.”