About Us, About You, and Storytelling Beyond Integrity

The other day, I blogged about storytelling on About Us pages. Following on that discussion, Jim Randall of The Raconteur, describes a process he takes clients though to “create enterprise through stories.”  He writes:

To be successful we need to connect with, inform and engage those we serve and those who contribute to our success. Engage them in developing ideas and initiatives, building relationships and facilitating our progress.

An organization’s story, Randall contends, consists of:

  • Who you are
  • What you do
  • How you do it
  • What you want to be
  • Your value proposition
  • Your commitment

I would suggest that all the same points can apply to the job-seeker. Going through the bullets above and articulating your response to each will serve you well as a job candidate, especially in preparation for interviewing.

Randall goes on to explain that to become engaged in your enterprise, people want to know:

  • Why where we are today is not acceptable
  • Why were we are going is more promising
  • How are we going to get there
  • You know who they are
  • You know what they care
  • You care about them

Again, these points can be adapted to the job-seeker to a great extent. In researching an employer before you go into an interview, you can develop responses about taking the organization to a more promising place and how you will get there. You can also demonstrate your understanding of the organization’s constituents — employees and customers.

Randall’s site also contains his “story so far” and a section with “Stories that demonstrate operating beyond integrity,” although it contains only one story at this point.