I read a superb article in Fast Company this week about the importance of having a narrative, or series of narratives, rather than a memorized resume when interviewing and it struck me that the advice goes well beyond job search.

I hope you can read the entire article, I can’t generate a guest link, but I’ve summarized it here:

Rather than talking with a potential employer about what you’ve done and what you want to do, have 5-6 “stories” you can easily share about the work you’ve done and how it positions you for the new opportunities you want.

Don’t try to squeeze yourself into the framework of the job you’re discussing. Instead paint a picture of how you would center yourself amidst the challenges they’re facing, so you can expand the role to be of optimal value. (Sidebar, I did this my entire career…)

Convey how, based on your successes, you have the adaptability and resourcefulness to solve new challenges like you’ve solved others in the past.

Weave your narrative to demonstrate how, for example, you’re a brilliant strategist whom colleagues rely on for key insights forged through your ability to use data to identify opportunities in trends.

From the article:, “Most people are no longer one thing. The engineer becomes a storyteller. The operator becomes a strategist. The specialist becomes a leader navigating ambiguity, culture, and systems all at once. Our identities expand. Our narratives don’t. In a nonlinear world, identity must be composed; more mosaic than timeline.”

And while capability still matters it’s “no longer sufficient, because the question is no longer just about what you’ve built. It’s about what the world understands

[my emphasis] about what you’ve created, and whether they can see why it matters. For years, we focused on optimizing performance. Now we have to optimize for interpretation. Because in a world shaped by AI and accelerating complexity, value isn’t always recognized. It’s recognized when it’s clear. In a world where information is abundant, clarity becomes the differentiator. You don’t need to become more valuable. You need to close the gap between what you’ve built and what the world can actually see. Until your narrative catches up with your identity, your value won’t compound. In this moment, clarity is leverage.”

So forget the job titles, forget the chronological resume walk through. Tell your stories so that whomever you’re communicating with —be it employer, buyer, board member, etc.—sees you as an ally for their own hero story.