A Career Story is the Decisive Success Factor During Professional Transitions — Even If You Still Don´t Know Where You Want to Go Next

Include these Five elements to walk your listeners through your career-shifting process so they can care and help you.

Chapter 1: Why bother creating stories about my life if I´m not supposed to care about what people think about me and my career?

Doing it used to make me feel uncomfortable and under judgment. Defensive sometimes.

But I learned that contextualizing my professional journey assures the message I transmit, arrives in the listener’s ears the way I see it — and with intention.

Today, I choose to not let the responsibility for connecting the dots of my professional life to the listener.

Back in 2015, time of my own experience on pivoting careers, an article came across my eyes and switched the manner I see career narratives.

This article, “What´s your story?”, from Herminia Ibarra — an authority on leadership and career development — explains how creating a good career story can make an enormous difference in how well we cope with change. And how to explain this change to others.

Over the years, after some career movements, one big career change, and a handful of organizational reshuffles experiences. I have another view on the value of telling the story of my career journey.

After doing it many times, I understood in real life the benefits of investing time in crafting a good story. Thinking about them helps me to retell my own story many times.

I´m sharing the benefits I observed here, and the 5 career facts to include. So, you can also experience the benefits of doing so too.

Benefit 1. | We do not always have control over the way we ‘React’, but we always have in the way we ‘Act.’

Here lies the 180 degrees of difference. Reframing.

We all like to think we don´t need to give explanations to people about our decisions. And we don´t NEED.

It should not be a need, a necessity, or a reaction. Otherwise, we do feel invaded. Everybody does.

We should WANT to welcome others to our world. So that becomes a decision. An action we wish to do as part of a larger purpose.

That is what not everybody does.

One thing that should interest anyone planning to or passing through a career pivoting:

The story we tell others is the unique factor we control in the whole process of exposing our values, experiences, and knowledge. Those that brought us to where we stand today.

It’s the decisive factor influencing our success during this transition moment.

Because that is the only way you can create a connection with who is listening to you. And might become (or not become), interested in what you can do professionally.

Benefit 2. | Yeah, we are not open enough to find the deepest reasons for our decisions.

The decisions we make are just the externally visible iceberg peak of our most rich and intimate wishes — and not having the curiosity to know them — may not just be laziness, fear, or shame.

We feel safe when we convince ourselves that doesn´t matter, what other people think. Particularly if we get extremely worried and paralyzed by thoughts of “what others will think and say about me?”.

However, two reasons for thinking differently:

• People don´t care that much about you. They´re too busy thinking and worrying about them.
• If you´re planning a career movement, you want people thinking about you and caring about the professional story you want to tell.

Life transformations are special moments in our lives. They mark a disruption in the status quo, we´re naturally prone to reflect on where we came from, how we arrived here, and where we´re going.

So, spending time understanding your career trajectory gives you awareness about why you make professional decisions.

It´s a window to your thinking process. And an opportunity to be honest with the most intimate part of you — that usually doesn´t dress up and sit around the dinner table.

Benefit 3. |We are machines of doing and living incoherencies.

… and we are even more eager and apt to detect those incoherencies in other people´s lives and stories than in ours.

Changing reflects a disruption. Meaning that at work, while constructing a new professional identity we´re getting rid of a previous one. One that doesn´t fit us anymore.

Despite the fact we all change continuously, we don´t do it coherently. Because changing in itself is an incoherency.

In addition, the human experience is printed in two alternated states of acting: an automatic, or unconscious state. Or very time-consuming, or thoughtful one. And we remember more the last state than the first. So, our memories are very coherent and rational when recording how we connect facts and decisions.

However, we spend most of our time doing the first. And sometimes there is a significant gap between what we recorded and what we did.

Put those two elements together (changing and bias on recording changes). That is how incoherencies are born. At least under other´s eyes.

A career story is important because it helps with both. Either working like a direction compass during unsettling changing moments or as a narrative connector thread to link disparate situations.

A well-crafted career trajectory story is our opportunity to give coherency to our professional facts, decisions, and turning points. And elicit trust in us and what we are saying.

Benefit 4. | There is another reason to dedicate some time to put together a meaningful story.

I mean by a meaningful story, one that truly resonates with you and your trajectory.

If we´re not feeling easy and confident with our own story, very hardly others will feel too.

Because the louder stories people hear are the ones we are not telling. So, we can´t leave space for them to complete eventual gaps in your story. Craft your narratives and craft them well.

If you do so, there is no way, first, you won´t get motivated with it. We all like stories.

And second, that others don’t feel compelled to support you and engage in having a stack in your trajectory of success. Everybody appreciates to say they helped an early star to reach its full potential.

But they need to see you as such.

Chapter 2: Then, what is the problem with stories of career transitions?

When we consider a career change, a larger or smaller one. Shifting a job or a company. Making a radical professional field pivot. Or just apply for a role in the same company, but in another department or function.

Doesn’t matter.

What they externally signal to the world is that a rupture happened. Or is about to. Or the desire for it is shaping its way through.

In a fictitious romance story, turbulence is key. In a streaming episode, ups and downs sound like a compelling idea. But still, in our work culture, all these signal warning issues.

Issues with you and your working self, style, and capacity of being stable.

At the workplace, everybody appreciates a good level of stability. People want to count on hiring you for a couple of reasons and criteria and be sure it will be there for the job you were hired for.

Which employer is satisfied anticipating that any time soon the working identity you created will be under disruption? And a career transition story is — very well, a story of disruption.

Fair enough. Except by the fact that we evolve and change, and many possible selves come into play when we simply, go to work.

The dissatisfaction with this disconnection between our jobs and our changes has received different names as time passes (search for meaning, work-life balance, great resignation, quiet quitting, side hustle, gig economy, etc.).

And while we observe all the crescent enthusiasm for the subject of changing careers today than we used to have in the past, is still theoretical.

Because our organizational processes, governance, and systems are not yet adapted to change so fast as our people are changing.

Chapter 3: But you can say: “Nice, but I don´t control what people will think or feel about my story!”

We don´t.

But we can certainly influence them in certain directions. And does not hurt to try to gain some empathy at this shaky moment.

Without context and a narrative that inspires confidence in our listeners, it´s very hard to raise trust. That is exactly the opposite direction we want people to go when we are under a career change.

Chapter 4: how do I connect my real-life incoherencies with a professional trajectory that makes sense?

You should learn how to comfortably give meaning to the paradoxical facts of your life.

It’s what life is about. Handling everyday opposing forces, desires, needs, and decisions.

Give context to your career journey. A good story that explains your need for change.

Context alleviates the perception of a nonsense disruption and the misconceived feeling that changing careers flags an unreliable person.

· 1st — As earlier you start, the better.

No mystery here. We don´t need to be considering a career change to intentionally train to connect our career facts compellingly.

Good stories requires practice. And practice demands time.

Thus, depending on:

- How convoluted is your professional trajectory?

- How massive is the change you are pondering over?

- How skilled are you in creating stories?

- And, how good are you at communicating with them.

As earlier you start, the more confident you´ll be in telling it. Doesn´t matter how unusual that looks.

· 2nd — Write down your professional journey story. Pen and paper, and your thinking process.

Why not on a computer?

There is a difference that I´m incapable of translating into words. I don’t know how to call it.

A text in a computer seems to exist only when the computer is on. Doesn´t look real — I know, it sounds contradictory to the fact I´m publishing online content, asking for using paper and pen, but that is life, a bunch of contractions.

And while we don´t feel it´s real, we don´t commit deeply to it. On the flip side, when you write it down, you materialize it. You do make it real.

If it´s there, you can like it or not, agree or not. You interact with it. And when you disagree, it is even better. Then you feel engaged with the task of making it right. Reflecting something meaningful or, at least creating something with a minimum sense of coherency to you.

· 3rd — But I don´t know yet where I want to go.

Another reason for Steps 1 and 2 to get started.

They train our thinking process to make sense of our professional trajectory and on gaining clarity on where to go next.

Even though our career shift story will be full of our past self, reframing it through different angles can point out directions, while it still cannot be filled with our future yet.

It´s a story of a trajectory. And trajectories are stories of not only changes but also of, discoveries and evolution.

Using this perspective, you can feel more confident to reveal what you learned along with your experiences, describing those difficulties or challenges that helped to shape who you are today.

And eventually, the places you see yourself in the future if you succeed at this transitory phase. Even though, you´re not sure of every step in between or the destiny yet.

Chapter 5 — Don´t forget to include these 5 elements in your career shift story.

1.| Mention the internal reasons anchoring your decisions

Not that we can´t leave a job or decide to turn a career upside down because of a rude boss, toxic environment, incompatible company culture, excessive workload, or insufficient financial and performance rewards. Of course, they are all justifiable reasons.

But usually, they´re connected to a major discordance with one of our basic internal character traits, our values, or both of them. And those are the aspects of our decision to change. This decision mirrors our unique perspective when relating the cause and effect of things.

- What is the core professional or personal value that motivated you to look for something else?

Use those external but common motifs, to demonstrate who you are and what you stand for. Reflecting a more proactive behavior, than a reaction to external factors.

Without knowing the origin of our decisions, it´s difficult to appreciate the result of our efforts. Finding the meaning of our effort is to identify the source of their existence.

- Well-told stories are about concepts people relate to. They are not about necessarily your past job, career, or company. Can you list some of those you would like your listener to relate to?

For example, The Marvelous Ms. Maisel is not only an Amazon Prime series about Midge Maisel.

It includes all the narrative turning points of every divorced woman who, for a moment, gets lost because of a divorce. And all the consequences of it — financial bankruptcy, family, and domestic infinite chores, and revisiting past frustrations and mistakes, included. Altogether happening at the same time.

In all these stories, the character needs to rescue her strengths and talents to reinvent herself professionally and, personally to command a brand-new life.

But the character of Midge in the story doesn’t matter. As much as the character of you, your professional story doesn’t. So, if you build a good story, it´ll make people identify with some of the concepts you´re describing.

That is how we talk about the truth: the way we see it — as a manner of registering our own experience of the world — but relating to atemporal concepts that can relate to others too.

- Why does it work?

It´s reassuring to hear that the rupture of our working identities is rooted in a major cause, revelation, or self-development context.

And it also demonstrates how we aggregate knowledge and learning into our constantly improving working identity.

It attracts supporters, mentors, and sponsors. A fresh new network of allies to our career transition.

2.| We are multiple selves, so list multiple reasons for your change, but connect them after.

We are trained to compartmentalize.

The Industrial Revolution framework taught us that fragmenting the whole into pieces makes the system work faster, more efficiently, and scalable. So, we have done with everything else since then. We divide to win.

During the new year resolution for instance. We define different goals for our multiple selves. Family goal, social goal, professional goal, educational goal, relationship goal, spiritual, health, etc…

When explaining an important career movement, you´ll fall short if you follow the same approach.

- Can you make a diverse list of interests to converge into your career change goal?

In general, we mention superficial, common-placed reasons and the risk of looking at an uninteresting individual in front of the listener.

Well better to look “normal” general one than to call attention to a bizarre story, right? And that is what happens, we pass unnoticed.

Better to think in advance about how to connect your multiple self-interests by using diverse reasons converging to what you want.

- How big is the magnitude of your career change?

We must deal explicitly with the magnitude of change our stories are communicating.

There is no other way than connecting multiple motifs. Our personal, professional, and perhaps, emotional life chain of facts.

Raising multiple reasons that culminate with the change decision supports exactly the magnitude of the transition you are aiming for.

So, your whole life is pointing in this direction.

- Why does it work?

Diverse angles give your story breadth and depth.

Certain angles will look contradictory if you don´t give them context and another — not so obvious — perspective. Anticipating these questions back up your story in a way that makes sense.

A burnout episode that translates into a turning point can transform your feeling from failure to resiliency. A sabbatical period surfaces as a reflective need for maturity elevation instead of being perceived as an inability to deal with pressure and stress.

To learn how to interpret conflicting ideas and feelings and explain those narratives to others, with openness and vulnerability, makes your story yours — and to settle.

3.| As rooted in your lifetime is your explanation more authentic than sounds

Explanations that return in time are undeniably sincere. They reflect our your personal story.

As connected to it your decision is, easier it’s, for others and you, to be confident you will succeed on the idea.

- Why does it work?

Motivation is important. That is what will keep you moving during change. And to have a good, connected core reason is what you´ll have when things get difficult.

Looks romantic. But maybe it´s what will keep your dream alive in times of frustration.

So, don´t overlook your past. That is the only thing we have at the end. As future is still quite uncertain during changing moments.

4.|Always come back to your past experiences and learnings to make sense of what happened, but using your new different lens

- Can I lie?

No, you can´t. And you don´t need to.

That should be clear as a rule number one.

Always direct your efforts starting from an honest place.

- Can I hide?

Neither I´m suggesting you cover or invent things that didn’t happen at all.

Use the optics of the change you’re aiming, to describe how specific turning points of your story, helped you to gain progressive clarity about where you want to go with your career.

Certain points of view are more relevant to certain audiences than others, so highlighting them in the right context gives intensity and purpose to your facts chain.

The idea here is to rethink, dissect, and reframe the same story. From the same person, with the same facts. But maybe landing into three different conclusions.

- Can you try it out? Describe one past event of your life that connects to who you are today. But doing it in three different ways?

Example:

“Well, I studied engineering because my father was an engineer. So, it was a familiar place for me. But I realized afterwards talking with a friend, that I appreciated more the creative side of the thing. So, I decided to come back to school and study architecture”.

“I´ve always been an artist. But I was not quite sure I would make a living from it. It sounded more like a hobby to me. I went to the engineering course as I could see the benefits of combining my talents into something very practical. But after a while, I started missing that side of me. So, learning painting became my weekend joy”.

“Cool. My career trajectory includes many progressive discoveries. First, I started a traditional career as an engineer. Buildings, planning, and following the drawing to come true. Then, I got promoted and began to manage larger contracts for construction and teams. Today I´m interested in discussing with the public authorities the urbanistic side of the whole construction impact. That is why I´m applying for this role”.

- Why does it work?

Dissecting your past experiences and choosing to spotlight the ones that compose the narrative you’re willing to convey is like observing a puzzle image to get clear.

Piece by piece everything starts to make sense.

Finding the pieces that relate to your current goals convinces your audience about your intentions.

5.| Chose a story form that lends itself to a reinvention conclusion

Okay, here fiction can help.

We don’t need to recreate the wheel. There are general checking boxes for story scripts. For instance, we´re very familiar with a romantic narrative arc: a couple, a barrier for their love, a turning climax point, and a happy or tragic ending.

Career changes fall into one of two general narrative arcs — internal or externally driven change.

• A progressive discovery of a natural calling — and the rest are specificities related to your trajectory.

Somehow your future self gets revealed through several trial and errors and lead to another career path.

Through a different educational learning, a surprising experience, or a side job, hobby interest. Progressively the new activity gains more space in your life.

Then there is a turning point in which a decision is taken. You don´t see yourself doing your current activities anymore and start planning what to do next to combine your new identity change.

• An abrupt disruption takes place — a physical or mental health condition happens, a familiar situation changes, a job is lost, etc.…

The causes vary, but the plot is also the same.

You find yourself all that sudden looking for something new to do.

Your options are much more directed by opportunities available that match your capabilities than properly any internal dissatisfaction or search for a renewed purpose.

While trying out you also stumble over new abilities and jobs considered or not before.

Both arcs pose their challenges when we try to connect the facts, but as described before, how you give your context and perspective to them is what will make them a good authentic career story.

Chapter 6 –Your next career move is on the way.

The decision to change a career isn´t easy. And it´s true we don´t control many of the factors related to the success of this shift.

But one fundamental element — from all of them — depends exclusively on us.

It´s having a good professional story to explain the reasons supporting a career shift.

Compelling stories illustrates how you got to be who you are — because of a handful of turning points — and can make your listeners care about your success.

These five elements included here will make your story resonate with you and help you to gain commitment from your listener.

Are you ready to narrate your story on stage?

“So, Tits UP!”

– extracted from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel series on Amazon Prime streaming.