Now that you’ve named your dream job, what do you want a typical day to be like? What skills do you want to use in your job?
As I’ve taken you through my various jobs, you’ve probably picked up on things I enjoyed doing (like working with actors) and things I found not so dreamy (like answering phones).
What are your skills? And more important, what skills do you enjoy using?
Seven Stories
One fun way of figuring out your favorite skills is an exercise called “Seven Stories.”
In this exercise, you write seven brief paragraphs about things you’ve accomplished in your life: learning Greek, balancing your company’s books, winning a surfing competition, etc.
Once you’ve written your seven stories, you take another look to see what skills you used in those accomplishments - the skills you enjoyed using.
Here’s one of my seven stories:
During the first two years of theater school, the undergrad directing majors took all acting courses. What I discovered quickly was how wise I was to pursue directing, because I was a bad actor. I tended to live too much in my head and my choices came across as calculated or clumsy. But I was determined to overcome my failings in this area for at least one scene. I had to, or how would I ever be able to guide actors to do the same? For a class exercise, we had to use a poem to create a one-person scene. I chose the lyrics of the song “Did I Ever Really Live?” The song charts the steps of a life - learning to eat, drink, walk, talk, etc. I created a scene around a woman who had miscarried, and was now returning to her baby’s nursery for the first time, grieving for what her baby would never experience and wondering if she’d ever get to love a child and really live. I used the acting techniques I’d learned to make each moment specific, and to tap into real emotion in each beat. Staying in the moment was the toughest thing for me, so I set up touchstones in my set (a blanket, a photo, a table), things that would snap me back into the scene if I started to drift emotionally. It was a success. I cried in the scene - the first time I’d been able to do that. My classmates were engaged in the work, and my teacher was impressed with my acting (also a first).
What skills did I use that I loved? I analyzed the script, created a story, and guided the actor (me) to her best work.
To a prospective employer, I can honestly say I love working with scripts and bringing the words to vivid life. And I have the story to back it up.
What are your stories?
If you want more details about how to do the Seven Stories exercise, there is an excellent online version from Through the Brick Wall: How to Job-Hunt in a Tight Market by Kate Wendleton. You can find that by clicking here.
You can also find a version of this exercise in What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles.
Have fun writing those stories and sorting out those skills. If you’re in doubt about whether or not the skill is a “favorite,” imagine doing it for several hours in a day. If the thought of that gets you excited, you’ve stumbled on a good one.
Also, there is another wonderful book that’s very useful in sorting out what you love to do. It’s Wishcraft by Barbara Sher with Annie Gottlieb. If you’re like me and struggle with time management, there’s an excellent chapter on that as well.