Layoff Lesson Four: Shape and Share Your Story

By Brenda L. Peterson, The Layoff Lady

​About The Seven Layoff Lessons

Through my seven layoffs and many conversations with others in post-layoff career transition, I have learned seven core lessons:
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• Lesson One: Experience your emotions and manage your mindset. 
• Lesson Two: Keep your mind on your money (and your money on your mind).
• Lesson Three: Ask yourself, “What do I want to be next?”
• Lesson Four: Shape and share your story.
• Lesson Five: Help people help you.
• Lesson Six: Examine your energy to take control of your time. 
• Lesson Seven: Assess, adapt, and rise above.

About Layoff Lesson Four: Shape and Share Your Story

Now that you’ve determined what you want in your next role, your new challenge is learning to tell your story. This includes telling the overall story of who you are professionally and the value you bring.

To this end, you'll use a few key documents to summarize what you do, highlight your core accomplishments, and persuade that employer that they should spend more time learning about you. 

Your Job Search Toolkit

Your job search toolkit is the collection of information you need to showcase your value to a potential employer. Each item in this list helps you share a part of your story during the hiring process.
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• Your job search messaging. These are the critical components of your story that you’ll share in many ways during your overall job search process.
• Your LinkedIn profile: LinkedIn is your professional billboard to the working world. Recruiters and hiring managers may contact you based on information included in your profile. 
• Your resume: Your resume is the main document employers want to see. This is also the stand-alone document that markets you as a desirable candidate for the available role. 
• Your cover letter: Your cover letter introduces you to an organization. While not always required, if a company requests a cover letter, consider including one as a part of your application.
• Your work samples: Your work samples, often called your portfolio, are a way to demonstrate your skills. Depending on the type of work you do, a portfolio may not be needed.
• Your references: Your references are three people who are willing to vouch for you and the quality of your work. 
• A tracking method: Keeping track of your job applications and monitoring your progress is valuable.

Your What I Want Statement

Based on what you learned during your Structured Soul Searching, the next step is writing a clear and concise “What I Want Statement." This statement can help you as you review job openings and prioritize your applications to those that most closely align with your goals. This statement can also be repurposed when letting other people know what jobs interest you the most.

Your Professional Summary

In addition to your “What I Want” statement, you also need to be able to tell your career story. Your professional summary is that paragraph of quick-hit information that starts to outline who you are, your qualifications, and what you bring to the table as a candidate. This statement can also be repurposed when letting other people know what jobs interest you the most.

Your Interview Answers

The same stories you use in your resume to showcase your skills and the results they generate can also become the answer to commonly asked interview questions. Instead of answering with no plan and hoping for the best, you can use a model, like CARL or STAR, to structure your answers and get to your point more quickly. 

For The Whole Story

For all the information on each of the seven lessons pick up a copy of my book  Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide. ​​

Learn More

• The Layoff Lady: About My Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs
• ​The Layoff Lady's Ultimate Guide To Answering The Question, "I Just Got Laid Off--Now What Do I Do?"​
• The Layoff Lady Book: Seven Lessons From Seven Layoffs: A Guide