Your Career, Your Story: Why Storytelling Matters in the Job Search

As a second-generation Hmong American professional, I vividly remember the challenges of writing my first resume, submitting job applications, and navigating the job search process. It was overwhelming, not knowing where to start, who to ask for help, or even how to craft a resume that stood out. For many like me, the lack of guidance made the process feel like an uphill battle.

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One of the biggest hurdles I faced early on was understanding my own skills and how they aligned with job opportunities. As someone who speaks English as a second language, interpreting job descriptions and highlighting the rightskills on my resume was particularly difficult.

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In the past, my main resources were Google, colleagues, family, and friends. But even with these tools, it often felt like the blind leading the blind. As someone once told me, if you share your resume with five different people, you might end up with five completely different versions. Without clear guidance, it was hard to know which direction to take.

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Job searching is inherently stressful. Every rejection letter starts to sound thesame: “Thank you for applying. We have chosen another candidate who more closely matches the job requirements.” It’s disheartening to think that without even meeting someone, you’ve already been rejected. Colleges oftenprovide resources like resume templates and tips on using paraphrased words to stand out, but at what point do all these resumes start to sound the same?

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If I could go back and change one thing about the job search process, it would be this: Personalizing the process to help me craft my unique story—showcasing my skills, experiences, and potential—to truly stand out to employers. Finding the right job isn’t just about matching a resume to a job description; it’s about highlighting what makes you, YOU.  As a second-generation Hmong American woman, I’ve seen talented individuals miss out on opportunities simply because they didn’t know how to tell their unique story. It’s not about lacking skills, it’s about not knowing how to showcase them effectively.