The Career Clinic Blog

“Everything is not an anecdote.”

Great storytelling advice, I think, from the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Maybe you remember the part early on, when Neal Page, the character played by Steve Martin, has already had it up to here with Del Griffith, played by John Candy. Neal gets more and more wound up until he rips into Del with this suggestion: “When you’re telling these little stories, here’s a good idea. Have a point! It makes it so much more interesting for the listener!”

“Have a point” isn’t bad advice for life, for that matter.

What’s your point?

Not just with what you’re saying, but with what you’re doing--and being.

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I used to host a talk show on a cable-access station, and the manager of a local department store let me borrow outfits to wear on television. One of the gals who worked for him was nice, but she never smiled at me. I saw her two or three times a week, and I started wondering what the deal was. Did she hate her job? Or did she just not like some of her customers? Maybe she didn't like me. Maybe she thought my show was lame.

It wasn't that I needed her approval. But not getting that…registered.

Then one day I saw her smile at someone. She flashed a mouthful of teeth so crooked it was disorienting, because everything else about her appearance was flawless. It reminded me how little we know about each other’s stories. I vowed to be gentler, from that point forward, when sizing anyone up--myself included.

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What’s your earliest memory of the world of work? Mine is listening to my dad tell my mom stories about his day at the office. I don’t remember a single one. I just remember how animated he was and how much I looked forward to the next installment.

I camped out on top of a portable dishwasher while Mom got dinner ready with my seven brothers and sisters underfoot. She seemed a little distracted by all the commotion, and I tried to make up for any inattentiveness by showing Dad I was riveted. Looking back I wonder why I didn’t help more with dinner myself, and let the two of them have a moment by themselves. Though in fairness to me, that isn’t how they remember it. They say I helped a lot.

Whatever distractions there were at home, my parents made me think there was a lot to relish about being a grownup. Would work be fun? I didn’t know. Would it make you financially secure? Probably. But interesting? Heck yeah. That much I knew for sure.

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The morning after I got my first assignment critiqued in a feature writing class, Vince, the instructor, called me with a question straight out of my wildest career dream: "Would you like to help me with a book?" He and a colleague had just sold a proposal for what would become Real Barbecue. I'd be doing telephone interviews, getting stories, and writing up anecdotes. It would involve nine to twelve hours a week, but no pay. "I was never in it for the money," I reassured Vince. "Good thing," he probably said.

A book. A book!

That's how my career change began, with an internship. I took on other projects as Vince came up with them, like writing a regular cover story for his Big Band News. I remember floating through the days, writing stories in my head, having people tell me how "obnoxiously happy" I seemed. I'll never forget one weekend afternoon, helping Vince at his newspaper office. I used the same computers real writers used to file real stories: heaven. I could work my whole life at a sales job, I told him, and never get the satisfaction I was getting from my tiny piece of his barbecue book.

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What stories get to you the most? The answer may tell you something about what you're meant to do with your life.

I read about a guy several years ago who was reflecting on musicians he'd seen in concert. They'd be able to look back on lives filled with one fun moment after another, he guessed. He, on the other hand, would leave behind a file cabinet full of contracts that helped a lot of other people go out and have that great time. He fell silent for a second. Then he straightened up, strapped on his headset, and punched out another call.

I dreamed up The Career Clinic with this person in mind. I still ache for him. Here's wishing him, and you, a great week...and a great life.

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Keeping a running list of your accomplishments will help you be more confident in job interviews. It will help you be ready when the employer suggests, “Tell me a little bit about yourself”--or asks the more pointed, “Why should we hire you?” You’ll be able to tell two or three quick stories about how you’ve made--or saved--someone money, and you’ll inspire the hope you’ll do the same for this employer.

Then what? What’s a good wrapup? Susan Geary from 1stRateResumes.com offered this tip on a recent edition of The Career Clinic. After you’ve made your case for the job, close with this question: “Now is there any reason why you wouldn’t want to hire me?” I’d love to hear from anyone who tries this. Please e-mail me what happened, and we’ll compare notes with other job hunters. Thanks!

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My first radio job was with the Minnesota News Network in St. Paul. When I was out with friends and they started talking about their work my first thought was always, "I don't work. I go to MNN." When those friends waxed dreamy about what they'd do if they won the lottery, I thought, "I'd still go to MNN." Back then my title was "intern" and my salary was "nothing." But I knew I was headed somewhere fun because I was already having fun.

I imagined myself on an airplane, wearing a suit, and sitting next to someone who was wearing a suit, too. "What's your business?" that person would ask me. I'd flash the biggest smile and say, "Stories."

What's your business? Do your eyes light up when you talk about it? I hope so. If not, I hope you'll join me for the next post--the last post--in this series about what I think are the eight simple rules for finding work you love.

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