The Power of Owning Your Career Story
Finding a way to confidently share your experience and impact
👋 Hi, it’s Dipti ! Every week, I share a transformational insight or tool on leadership, growth, and making confident decisions that align your career and life with joy and purpose.
“I have a fragmented career journey - how do I represent it well?”
“I know I am underestimating my expertise.”
“I have 10+ years of experience, but I only did this X thing in my last two years.”
“I took a career break (or was laid off) - how do I address that?”
I often hear these types of statements from professionals in the midst of some transition.
Telling your story in a compelling way sparks curiosity and intrigue. No matter your experience, you have to own your story because no one knows you and your achievements better than you.
Creating your career story is your ability to effectively communicate your experience. This is an opportunity to share your achievements and challenges making you relatable and human. This goes beyond listing facts and other information already shared on your profile.
Last year I worked with two individuals that shared the same dilemma of having a hard time articulating their career story. One was in the midst of interviews, and one had been laid off after having received a recent promotion. For both of them it was crucial to share their achievements and uniqueness through their career story.
At mid-career I was advancing in my career through my results and my leadership. Yet, I found myself in a new setting when in a sudden change of events, the organization went through a reorg, and I found myself reporting into a new executive who had recently been brought in to turn things around. There was quite a bit of chaos and people I was familiar with and my manager, were no longer in my group. I had to learn quickly that telling my story and the teams impact was crucial. Some days it felt like a losing battle, although it helped me get my story stronger and represent myself better.
Regardless of what your background is, you are not doing yourself justice if you are unable to stand out in this market and tell a strong story about yourself. The best part is that each of us in unique and our experiences are varied. Each interview or networking opportunity is a place to share something about you. Now if you actually don’t have much experience or great stories of impact, I recommend finding a place where you can add such experience to your career narrative. Not everything you are working on will have a place in your story arc. For example, if you worked on five different projects, at least one is worth including in your career narrative due to its setting, plot and the outcome.
In a world of information overload, I am learning that is is essential to explicitly share what you’re good at, the battles you’ve won, your achievements, and how an organization has thrived because of your contributions.
For many people, this feels uncomfortable. We’ve been taught to value humility, to be team players, and to let results speak louder than words. But in the process, we often downplay our impact or assume that others will just “get it.” They won’t—unless you tell them.
I’ve realized that my reluctance to share my wins wasn’t about a lack of impact—it was about my values. I didn’t want to be boastful. But there’s a fine line between arrogance and being a self-advocate for yourself. Learning to own my story wasn’t about bragging; it was about ensuring that my contributions were seen, valued, and leveraged for the next opportunity. I am still a work in progress. With the new experiences I gain, I struggle on which ones to share and how to keep it concise. But I keep practicing, and I highlight specific experiences based on who I am interacting with. Storytelling is like learning to ride a bike, unless you practice it, it is hard to become good at it. It is not the same if you think about it, but don’t say it out loud.
Can you confidently narrate your career story in 2-3 mins? If not, start practicing. Your next opportunity might depend on it.
Each conversation—whether in an interview, a networking event, or a casual career discussion—is an opportunity to showcase and practice your story.
Write it, refine it, own it and tell it well.
Because no one can tell your story better than you.
One Recommendation:
If you are interested in the art of storytelling, check Matthew Dicks’s work:
https://www.storyworthymd.com/blog