Your success rides on having a good personal story. Here’s how to get one

Have you been trying and failing to adapt your bio or resume to the evolving circumstances—and by evolving circumstances I mean the earth-shattering professional uncertainty that has gripped us all over the past year?

If you are reading this, you probably have. And you are not alone, although this might be the only time this knowledge will bring you no comfort. When trying to get your career back on track or shifting it in the direction you always dreamed of in the middle of a pandemic, the thought of thousands of others attempting to do the exact same thing might be disheartening. How will you shine in a crowd of other presumably equally talented and experienced professionals fighting for a spotlight?

Then there’s the question of the ever-growing number of social media channels, communities, forums, and meetups you absolutely have to be on to be relevant. All of which, naturally, demand different communication codes and techniques, a specific tone of voice, flawless understanding of each micro-cosmic zeitgeist, and ideally strong personal branding. Your job, now, is to adapt your brand to all of these new platforms. Are you exhausted yet?

You should do a personal audit if you haven’t already, to set your priorities and play to your strengths. This, however, doesn’t dispense with the overwhelming feeling you get when trying to adapt your personal audit to a multitude of different platforms and communication channels.