Position Your Career Narrative

Your Professional Hero's Journey

Today

 

  • How to Introduce Yourself
  • Self-Aggrandizement for Fun and Profit
  • Telling Your Story In A Talk
  • "Keep your Cool" (a secret, in some cases)
  • Power Signaling

Pitch

Brand Name Role(s)
Accomplishments
Passion Narrative

Example

I'm Liz Howard, I founded several engineering education programs and startups. I'm trying to improve the ratio of under-represented groups in technology, to ensure a more equitable future.

Name Your Role

I'm Liz Howard, I founded several engineering education programs and startups. I'm trying to improve the ratio of under-represented groups in technology, to ensure a more equitable future.

Still sounds cool:

  • Worked on
  • Was involved in
  • Just learned from
  • Did an internship at
  • Volunteered at

The Scope Of Your Impact

I'm Liz Howard, I worked on several engineering education programs and startups. I'm trying to improve the ratio of under-represented groups in technology, to ensure a more equitable future.

Still sounds cool:

  • several small eCommerce Brands
  • Projects for The City of X
  • industrial engineering projects
  • internal tools for SquareSpace
  • Did an internship through a program called X, where we studied Y and Z

Your Career Narrative

I'm Liz Howard, I'm an engineering intern working on internal tools for SquareSpace. I'm trying to improve the ratio of under-represented groups in technology, to ensure a more equitable future.

Still sounds cool:

  • Learn more about Python and Machine Learning
  • eventually work on AI alignment problems
  • start a startup one day
  • be the first person in my family to do better than a living wage

Luck Surface Area

I'm Liz Howard, I'm an engineering intern working on internal tools for SquareSpace. I'm trying to learn more about Python and Machine Learning so that I can eventually work on AI Alignment problems.

How do we help this person?
(suggest ways we could help this person in chat)

What information in the introduction cues us on how to help this person?
(write in chat)

Your Career Narrative

Which Mountain?

Self-Aggrandizement (is fine)

Luck Surface Area = # of Details People Might Latch On To

  • Problems Facing Society you want to work on whose scope is enormous
  • Hyperobjects you want to involve your personal narrative in
  • Tools and Technologies you want to know / use
  • Tied to your Personal Narrative
  • Valued by your Audience

The TED Talk Formula

I'm X, Here are Details About Me You Can Connect With

I have a Problem that I Face Personally

Here's Why I am Uniquely Qualified to Solve It

Here is What I Took Into Account

Here's how I Solved It (and proof!)

Know Your Audience when Choosing Details

  • Focus on features you share with the audience
  • Pick one or two that make you stand out
  • Focus your messaging on communicating to your audience, not how it makes you feel to include or not include something (be an infiltrator)
  • If masking something for your audience is expensive for you, include it in your pricing

Keep Your Cool (a secret, sometimes)

A guide for experienced nerds to Still Get Jobs

  • 'mo experience, 'mo problems (max 10 years on your resume, everything on linkedin)
  • Slice: Put start years on resume, don't put ending years
  • Learn to look like someone who hasn't grown bored by cutting off the early part of your resume
  • People often expect you to consult at 10 < years

Power Signaling Balance

All these statements must seem true, somehow:

  • I would value your help
  • I have room to grow in my career
  • I can learn on my own
  • I could learn from you and value your expertise
  • I have my own expertise that you could value from
  • Your network connections could make a world of difference to me
  • I have a network that you should value