Whether you know it or not, you do have a story. So then the question becomes, are you telling it or is someone else telling it from their perspective?
Your story
I often tell prospects … it’s not what you did or what you are doing that matters. If you’re a CFO, you’ve earned your technical stripes and, scope of responsibility aside, “most” of what you’ve done is a given. You don’t get hired as a CFO just because there is an empty corner office with a beautiful view, a CFO plaque on the door, the need of a body to sit in the empty chair … and you happen to hold the title of “Chief Financial Officer.”
You get hired to take away a company’s pain, problems, challenges, situations or issues. Therefore, your value story needs to be wrapped in your proven ability to solve problems and your measurable track record of success in solving those problems.
What were the company’s problems? How did you fix them? What did it mean to the bottom line? What was the longer-term strategic impact?
Those are the kinds of stories you need in order to stand out from among the fierce competition for the Chief Financial Officer job you want! And rest assured, no story is definitely “a” story – just not the kind you want to have.
You as the driver
Now that you have a story, who’s telling it? And to whom is it being told?
In today’s fiercely competitive market, it is critically important that you drive your story directly to the target audience who needs to hear it. That audience consists of the companies, and the recruiters hired by those companies, who are in the kind of pain you can resolve and who would pay handsomely to get that relief.
Driving your career by telling your story is much more than a job search strategy. It’s a smart career management habit.