It's Personal: Crafting Your Narrative

Tell me about yourself. We鈥檝e all been asked this question at some point or another, and we鈥檒l all be asked it again. Especially as business students, this age-old question will arise at interviews, networking events, and career fairs.
At first thought, this question may seem like it has an easy answer. We quickly draw out our identities and experiences that rise to the top of mind as important: educational background, gender, race, regionality, major, and the list goes on. We then wrap ourselves up into a 30-second elevator pitch and present it neatly with a bow to employers. That鈥檚 powerful, but what happens after those 30 seconds?
鈥楾ell me about yourself鈥� is more than one question requiring a 30-second answer, it鈥檚 the way you show up for an entire conversation, the personal narrative that you share.
Making your personal narrative more鈥� well, personal.
Since I鈥檓 asking you to get personal, I鈥檒l model and share a story.
I鈥檝e been to a lot of retreats and completed a lot of activities, but one stands out in particular. My colleagues and I each had to write an 鈥業 Am From,鈥� made famous by Kentucky poet laureate George Ella Lyon. I chalked the activity up to an unsophisticated reflection upon learning that high schools around the nation were completing this exercise; however, we were asked to do so much more than identify what physical location we came from. I was urged to dive into details of traditions, familial and communal influences, experiences, and identities that were like my nose, constantly present and therefore invisible unless I was intentionally setting my eyes upon it. Reflecting on the experience, I can see the similarities and differences that appeared in my colleagues鈥� poems, but what stands out is how deeply shaped each of us were by where, both culturally and physically, we were from and the unique way it affected the way we 鈥榮how up鈥� in spaces. I realized that out of my many identities and experiences, being a queer, white woman who has been influenced by generations of Appalachian culture is the dominant lens I wear when showing up in a space. It took years of self-reflection, vulnerability, and reshaping of my mental framework to develop a narrative that felt authentic, positive, and something I felt proud to share. While I don鈥檛 have to share my identities in every conversation, getting more personal with myself has allowed me to better craft my narrative to be a powerful and helpful tool to share my mission and vision in conversations, the workplace, and in my personal life.
I share this personal experience with you to vouch for the creative process of exploring how your history, experiences, and identities are influenced by upbringing, perceptions, the community that surrounds you, and the systems you live within. So, dig in, explore, and get up in your own business.
*If you鈥檙e like me, a template may help guide you through this thought process. Take 20 minutes to . You may have done this same activity in high school, but I urge you to take it a step further and think about how it affects your experience as a business student.
I know where I鈥檓 from. Now what?
Like me, some of us will have to grapple with realities of our stories we don鈥檛 like while others may find comfort thinking about where we鈥檙e from. I鈥檝e crafted some questions that may help you reflect that stem from Lent, Brown and Hackett鈥檚 Social Cognitive Career Theory鹿 (I鈥檓 pulling the research out on you now, folks!):
- How does where you鈥檙e from shape your self-efficacy, or the belief that you have in your abilities?
Maybe there are identities and experiences you hold that affect your self-perception in ways that you didn鈥檛 fully realize. Are there ways you can shift your thinking to tell your story differently?
- What are your outcome expectations, or your beliefs about what will happen if you perform a certain behavior?
People often participate in activities that they believe will result in positive outcomes, rewards, and self and external approval. Have you ever considered how your previous experiences and the identities you hold affect this? Perhaps your gender affects the major you choose or maybe your long-line of business-owning family members praise your entrepreneurship path.听
- How do your self-efficacy and outcome expectations affect the goals you set for yourself?
Our self-efficacy and outcome expectations directly tie into the goals we set for ourselves. And as I鈥檝e shared above, the narratives we tell others, and, more importantly, the narratives we believe about ourselves affect our self-efficacy and outcome expectations. We don鈥檛 have the power to change our history or certain identities, but we do have power in shaping our personal stories.
Let鈥檚 tie this all together.
Your elevator pitch may not have changed much from completing the exercises above, and I wasn鈥檛 expecting it to. What I do hope evolves from your reflection is self-awareness about how you show up and increased intentionality in your narrative after that 30-second introduction. When you鈥檙e sharing that random story about where you grew up or why you chose your major, remember that there is power in an authentic, chosen narrative that will affect the way you perceive the world and how the world perceives you.
I鈥檇 love to hear how where you鈥檙e from is shaping where you鈥檙e going. Tell me about yourself.
听
Mak Olaker
Program Manager, Women鈥檚 and Leadership Programs