Your Accomplishment Stories

As a counselor, I believe that writing can be a very beneficial activity for a number of reasons and situations. As a career Counselor, I encourage my clients to do writing as they consider their next career direction and as they prepare for job interviews. This blog entry addresses writing in preparation for job interviews.

I mentioned last week in the "Interview Questions" blog entry that I encourage my clients to think about their past and write five or six accomplishment stories. As they encounter various questions during job interviews, there will likely be opportunities to share at least pieces of some of those stories as answers.

Before you begin to write, you will want to think about the various accomplishments from your life - these may all come from work-related situations, but could also involve volunteer or community activities or personal/educational goals. So think of things from your past in which you take pride; preferably things you enjoyed or found challenging, but you learned something from the experience. They need to be situations that would be appropriate to share and you should have been the 'main character' in the story.

You will want to create five or six stories which demonstrate transferable skills that you enjoy using and/or personal traits which would be beneficial to a potential employer. The stories do not have to be very long, but should include specifics about what the situation or problem was, how you got involved, what you did, and some results or outcomes. You may need to mention other people who were also involved with you. It is a good idea to include something about why you are proud of that particular accomplishment or what about the story would be appealing to a potential employer.

Not only could those stories be ideas you may want to share during an interview, but they can also serve as a boost to your self-esteem. Sometimes during a job search your self-confidence may take a dip as you are unsuccessful in landing a job you really wanted or have contacted people and don't seem to see any real results yet. Remembering a time when you felt good about what you have done can work wonders for your mood and emotional health - no matter what the reason you remembered.


Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change or job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, grief work, coping with an empty nest, and other life planning issues. She is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information.

To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.