How to Crack Any Interview: Master Personal Storytelling for Success

Remember your first interview. You were asked to answer questions like “What are your three weaknesses and strengths?” Or “Tell me about yourself.”

Now, for you to answer these questions as a first-time interviewee would be pretty straightforward. You might tell just state the three weaknesses and strengths or 

share a brief history about yourself. Will this, however, help you crack the interview?  

In comes the art of personal storytelling – the recipe on how to crack interviews and get the job you want!

Key Takeaways from the Blog: 

This blog is for anyone who dreads interviews. Chances are, you think it’s an exam and you have to mug up answers. So, Indranil Chakraborty, Founder of Storyworks, who has worked with thousands of students and high executives has advice for you on how to crack interviews using personal storytelling. 

What you’ll find in this blog: 

• Understanding the importance of personal storytelling
• Using personal storytelling to differentiate yourself from the competition using examples
• What kind of stories you should tell in an interview
• How to tell powerful stories that can get you the job.

How to Crack Interviews Using Personal Storytelling?

1. Understand the Importance of Personal Storytelling

While preparing for interviews, for candidates to stand out amongst the rest can be tough. 

Now think about the interviewer who has been taking these interviews with numerous people and how challenging it would be for them to remember candidates from that large pool. And to find suitable candidates from that pool. 

To make this easier for candidates to stand out, and make an interview experience worth remembering, Indranil Chakraborty, Founder, Storyworks, in the video below teaches you how to master the art of Storytelling while engaging in any conversation and how it should be used in interviews to exhibit your qualities.

We have summed up the important points discussed by Idranil in this video here.

2. Use Personal Storytelling to Differentiate Yourself from the Crowd in an Interview

Not many know, but there’s a simple trick that can help you crack any interview: the ability to tell stories. 

They not only help you do a better job in the interview but your unique experiences through your stories help you leave a mark in the interviewer’s mind. It ensures that the interviewer remembers you and your story long after the interview is over.

Let’s learn the art of storytelling through this simple, yet golden question: Tell me about yourself.

Now, the rookie route to answering this question would be laying out the chronological sequence of events. 

A Bad Example of Answering “Tell me about yourself”: 

I was born in a small town in Maharashtra and grew up with a pretty average life. I went to XYZ school, got decent grades, and then went to college to do my B.Com. I graduated with a degree in business and am working at the Tata Consultancy Services now. I’ve taken up a few projects here and there, but nothing too exciting. Now I’m looking forward to this opportunity at your company. So yeah, that’s pretty much it.”

While there’s nothing too bad with this approach, ask yourself, will this answer leave a mark to the interviewer? 

There are some misses in this answer: 

• It lacks focus
• It doesn’t highlight relevant skills or experiences 
• The answer comes across as unenthusiastic
• It doesn’t tell a story

The Right Way to Answer “Tell me about yourself”

Follow the age-old principle in Marketing – Differentiation to set yourself apart. 

What makes you unique? Your experiences, your stories! Include them to differentiate yourself and crack interviews.

A compelling story woven in the correct sequence helps create a connection with the interviewers.

A good example would be: 

I’m 23 years old, with a passion for both science and marketing. After graduating with a BSc in Biotechnology, I decided to pursue my interest in marketing and upskilled myself by completing a digital marketing course. 

Currently, I’m working as a content marketer at a company where I thrive in strategizing content, writing engaging blogs, creating captivating social media content, and ensuring an exceptional website UI/UX.  

I’ve always been curious about knowing how customers click. So much so that I’ve spent hours looking at heatmaps of a website. One time, I spent five hours on Spotify to only look at their music recommendations, trying to experiment which songs would attract what other kind of songs, ended up creating 10 different playlists for this. Guilty as charged! 

Now, I’m seeking an exciting opportunity that allows me to further excel and contribute my diverse skill set to make a significant impact to bring in business through content for you.

This answer is the right way to leave a mark because of the following reasons: 

1. It demonstrates passion and interest by showcasing the candidate’s passion for both science and marketing. This indicates a genuine enthusiasm for the field and can be infectious and make a positive impression on the interviewer.
2. It highlights relevant education and upskilling by mentioning the switch from biotechnology to marketing, the candidate shows their commitment to continuous learning and their ability to adapt and acquire new skills.
3. Shows relevant work experience by mentioning their current role as a content marketer and detailing specific responsibilities such as content strategy, blog writing, social media content creation, and website UI/UX management. This demonstrates their practical experience in the marketing field and their ability to handle diverse tasks.
4. Reveals a curious and experimental mindset by the candidate’s anecdote about analyzing heatmaps and creating multiple playlists on Spotify reflects their curiosity, analytical thinking, and willingness to go above and beyond to understand customer behavior. 
5. Expresses a desire to contribute and make an impact by explicitly stating their motivation to excel further and contribute their diverse skill set to bring in business through content. This demonstrates the candidate’s drive, ambition, and eagerness to make a significant impact in their next role.

So, What Kind of Stories Should You Tell to Crack the Interview?

When you prepare to answer common interview questions, think of stories that will help you present your competence to the interviewer in real life and bring it to life for him. 

Remember that it is essential to keep these stories concise and relevant to the question, rather than unwinding them just for their own sake. This storytelling approach in interviews lays the groundwork for applying portions of your best stories to traditional interview questions.

Step 1: Start with yourself: 

You need to first figure out your relevant strengths that would make a difference to the individual or the company. The stories you tell, whether they are told by yourself or through experience, the stories you tell strengthen your brand and establish yourself as a three-dimensional representation of the person you are beyond your CV. You record facts and create connections that link your work history, education, behavior, and personality to convince the interviewer of the unique value that you bring to the job.

Step 2: Find out what the company is looking for: 

Identify the fundamental values, beliefs, and skills they are looking for. Then, think of the scenarios where you would have displayed those abilities you would like to highlight.

As quoted by Indranil Chrakarborty in the video:

“If the company is looking for someone with an entrepreneurial mindset, whereas you are someone who has worked in one of the most risk-averse companies, you do not want to come across as someone who likes to work in structured environments.”

In this case, the interviewer might think that he’s got all the support for the work he does. So will he be able to do things of his own will? Does he have entrepreneurial skills?

You need to prove to him that without using that word. You go back through your life and run the timeline to see the instances where you have demonstrated that. It lends credibility to the answer.”

How to Tell Powerful Stories in the Interview?

The last important part is – How exactly do you tell powerful stories in an interview?

Given that someone else will open the conversation in an interview situation, except if you are giving a presentation, you should look for an opening as early as possible.

Find places where you can use a story

Understand what the interviewer wants to know. You want to see your interview response as an arc of action that triggers an incident, overcomes obstacles, reaches a climax, and brings about a solution. It may not feel demanding, but remember that the goal is to have a good story for the interview.

Add a time marker and location marker

The best way to start is to add a time marker and a location marker, making the story come alive. Here’s a quick way to determine whether you’re telling a story: if what you’re saying starts with a time marker like “In 2003…” or “Three months ago…”, you’re probably telling one. If you narrate a succession of events following that time marker, each one related to the next, you are telling a story

Add a sequence of events

Remember to add a sequence of events to make the story coherent and have a clear trail of cause and effect. The more your story is connected and coherent, the more attention your interviewer will give to you. Make sure that all the sequence of events are interlinked and forms a beautifully captured story.

Add characters and surprise

The next important thing that a story will have is characters. It is because people can identify with the characters, and it makes the story. Be creative, and innovative and bring out an element of surprise in your storytelling because that is what grabs the attention of most interviewers. Artistic storytelling is key and it brings out a unique element in your interviews.

Keep it 30 seconds

Notice the 30-second ads of some of the excellent television and internet ads. They seize and manage to grab your emotions in 30 seconds or less. That’s the ballpark figure for a great story, and you should work to hold the interviewer’s attention within that 30 sec.

At the End of the Day, Engage in Meaningful Conversations and storytelling

Storytelling in interviews is a masterful way to stand out and be remembered. You can use it to bring relevant experiences to life, share what you have learned from them, and convey what you are doing and what you wish the interviewer to appreciate and remember.

Remember that interviews are conversations between two people. The whole idea is to crack the interview by engaging in the conversation in a better way than you might think – and that is by telling and discussing a compelling story.

Interested in deep diving even more and exploring more? If so, check out our Professional Brand Management Course if you are interested in learning more about strategies across categories to become a stellar marketer.

If you are a fresher looking to start a career in marketing, apply for The Marketing Launchpad – A Digital marketing course for Freshers.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q.1 How do I tell my personal story in interviews?

A: Instead of following a chronological order to give answers, try from the recent history. Tell them the facts of how you are in a place currently, and take it from there. Tell them a story and back it up with facts. Use the stories that are relevant to the question being asked. 

To build a narrative, try the Situation-Action-Result Framework. This is an approach where you first tell them a situation, then tell them what actions you took to overcome a situation (say) and what was the result of your actions. Read more about it in this blog. 

Q.2 How to crack a personal interview?

A: The way to crack an interview is to differentiate yourself from the crowd. This happens with only one thing: stories. So reflect upon your CV, and what all you’ve done, mostly on how you’ve come this far today. And get the stories from your own experiences to share with the recruiters. This is how you’ll crack interviews. 

Q.3 What is an example of personal storytelling?

A: Let’s say we’re answering the question “Tell me about yourself.” 

Now, among 100s of people who are going to be interviewed, who probably will have a similar background as you, how do you make the interviewer remember you?

An example to answer the question would be:

I’m 23 years old, with a passion for both science and marketing. After graduating with a BSc in Biotechnology, I decided to pursue my interest in marketing and upskilled myself by completing a digital marketing course. 

Currently, I’m working as a content marketer at a company where I thrive in strategizing content, writing engaging blogs, creating captivating social media content, and ensuring an exceptional website UI/UX.  

I’ve always been curious about knowing how customers click. So much so that I’ve spent hours looking at heatmaps of a website. One time, I spent five hours on Spotify to only look at their music recommendations, trying to experiment which songs would attract what other kind of songs, ended up creating 10 different playlists for this. Guilty as charged! 

Now, I’m seeking an exciting opportunity that allows me to further excel and contribute my diverse skill set to make a significant impact to bring in business through content for you.

Now, this answer stands out because: 

• It demonstrates passion and interest 
• It highlights relevant education and upskilling 
• Shows relevant work experience
• Reveals a curious and experimental mindset 
• Expresses a desire to contribute and make an impact