ARTICULATING YOURSELF
AS THE CORE
OF CAREER READINESSIf you’ve ever froze, stumbled, or rambled when someone asked you to “tell me about yourself,” you’re not alone! What do you focus on? What should you share or not? Articulating yourself to others is a practice and isn’t as easy as one might think! However, we at CPD believe that mastering this skill is the core of what it means to be career ready as learning how to articulate your story and who you are will serve as a foundation for many other skills needed throughout your career journey. Continue on for some quick guidance on how to develop this ability in various settings as well as for resources to practice with!
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| Structured Settings
Settings may include career fairs, interviews, formal networking events, etc.
- How much do I share?
Knowing how much to share about yourself can be a tough internal battle. But when in doubt, it’s usually better to share less than to regret sharing more than you intended to. Therefore, try to keep it brief and let the other person lead by letting them ask questions if they want to know more. Or if unsure in an interview for example, you can always ask “did I answer your question?” - What do I share?
Related to knowing how much to share about yourself, it also may be difficult to know what is appropriate to share about yourself at times. Be prepared, when possible, by asking yourself these questions before disclosing something to someone about yourself:
What are my motives and/or goals for disclosing this information?
What are the risks or impacts of disclosing this information with this person?
Is disclosing this information relevant to the situation?
Resources:
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| Unstructured SettingsSettings may include casual conversations, social media platforms, etc.
Do the internal work
If you haven’t processed your values, skills, strengths, interests, motivations, and how all of these pieces connect for yourself, it’s going to be that much more difficult to articulate these things to someone else! Make the time and space to reflect so that you don’t freeze up and can express your story with confidence the next time someone asks “tell me about yourself.”
- Trial and error
Create opportunities to tell your story to as many different people in as many different contexts as you can and based on people’s reactions, questions, and comments, you will be able to hone what does and doesn’t work and what feels comfortable for you. Over time and with practice, you will feel more prepared and authentic about articulating yourself in any situation!
Resources:
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| Written SettingsSettings may include resumes, cover letters, etc.
Get comfortable with articulating yourself in this way
While sharing about yourself verbally may feel a little more organic, writing a cover letter or resume may feel a little more unnatural as we’re not used to expressing ourselves in this context on a more consistent basis. Keep in mind that articulating yourself verbally and in writing are two different skills, and that expressing yourself in a resume or cover letter will require practicing different mechanics, structure, and tone. However, whether verbal or written, remember that articulating yourself always has the same goal, which is to represent yourself in a way that highlights your unique strengths and story.
- Know your audience
Again, it’s difficult to know what’s best to share and what’s best to leave out when writing your resume or cover letter. Instead of thinking about trying to include every single one of your achievements, center your audience by tailoring your materials and highlight the accomplishments and strengths that are going to be most relevant to them. Balance giving enough context for the reader to be intrigued by your work, but remember that you can save details for further conversation during the interview process.
Resources:
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PROGRAMS & EVENTSWasserman@Silver: Resumes and Cover Letters for Social Work
Changemaking in Social Work: Upstander 101
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