Crafting a compelling career story

After a three-month hiatus, The Skip returns with exciting news: April marked my departure from Meta, and I'm now fully focused on The Skip.

Though leaving was a difficult choice, the decision highlighted something important: effectively telling your career story matters more than ever in today’s job market. Companies are concerned that some people may have been spectators to growth rather than contributors. Or worse yet, compelling successes at work are ignored or misunderstood due to an articulation skill gap.

In today's episode, learn to craft a compelling two-minute career story you can use for interviews, personal assessments, networking events, and LinkedIn. Good stories ensure clarity, showcasing your achievements and authenticity. We dissect a typical PM career story and walk through how to make it compelling.

—

In today's episode we discuss the 6 steps of career storytelling:

1. Describe the project
2. Define your role
3. Frame the challenge
4. Outline what you built and why
5. Highlight what worked and what didn’t
6. Conclude

—

Referenced:

• Shedding perceptions: Moving from a lone wolf to a team player
• Is my next job at a startup or big tech?
• Coaching grit, patience, and tenure

Where to find Nikhyl:

• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Find The Skip:

• Website
• Substack
• YouTube
• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• TikTok

—

Don't forget to subscribe to The Skip to hear me coach you through timely career lessons. If you’re interested in joining me on a future call, send me a note on LinkedIn, Threads, or Twitter.

—

Timestamps

(00:00) Why your career story is more important than ever

(01:25) Leaving Meta

(04:09) Episode format

(11:38) The case study

(15:04) The 6 steps

(16:44) Step 1: Project context

(16:40) Nikhyl’s commentary

(18:09) Step 2: Role context

(18:43) Nikhyl’s commentary

(21:12) Step 3: Frame the challenge

(22:15) Nikhyl’s commentary

(25:14) Step 4: What you built and why

(25:19) Implementing step 4

(32:05) Step 5: What worked and what didn’t

(31:58) Nikhyl’s commentary

(37:08) Step 6: Conclusion

(37:30) Nikhyl’s commentary

(38:39) Key takeaways from today’s episode

(39:42) How to work on your career story with Nikhyl