No BS Career Advice: January 4, 2026

By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter

I’m back and welcome to a new year. It is an opportunity to put aside any thought you have of feeling defeated and energizing yourself for a victory.

Over the holidays, I made a few changes and finished a few books I started over the years. I also decided to listen to those of you who were telling me that you didn’t want to join a site with a recurring payment. You still have that option or coaching plus access to my content. However, I added a page where you can purchase ebooks, video courses and PDFs individually. I will be adding more very soon.

If you are interested in multiple pieces of content, you will probably be better off purchasing an Insider membership including those that include coaching from me . . . but it’s your choice.

Master the Art of High-Value Job Interview Stories

In the modern job market, the traditional “resume recital”—simply listing your skills and qualifications—is a strategy for failure. Employers have already read your resume; they do not need a live reading of it. Instead, the key to winning the offer lies in a complete mindset shift: you must sell results and impact through high-value job interview stories. When you tell a story, you move from being just another applicant to being a memorable, premium choice.

Storytelling is a fundamental human communication tool that, when used correctly, activates the same brain chemistry in an interviewer that a child feels when listening to a fairy tale. By utilizing specific narrative structures, you can bypass the logical filters of a hiring manager and connect with them on an emotional level that justifies a higher salary and a faster hiring decision.

Here are ten key strategies for mastering storytelling in your job search to ensure you stand out and get hired.

1. Sell Results, Not Just Qualifications

The most common mistake candidates make is selling their qualifications rather than their results. Qualifications can often come across as bragging without substance, leading interviewers to tune out. To capture attention, you must sell the tangible, measurable outcomes of your work. Instead of saying, “I managed a team,” which is a flat fact, you should say, “I increased my team’s productivity by 15% by implementing a new feedback system.” By selling results, you allow the hiring manager to picture you winning in the role before you have even received the offer. Employers hire people to solve problems; results are the proof that you can solve theirs.

2. Understand the “Upstairs” and “Downstairs” Brain

Effective communication requires understanding how the human brain processes information. The “downstairs brain” is survival-oriented and handles the fight-or-flight response, while the “upstairs brain” handles rational, abstract thinking. In an interview, you are essentially trying to get past the “football team” of the downstairs brain to reach the “computer science nerds” upstairs. Stories are the key to bypassing survival instincts and engaging the rational mind because they grab attention through unique, vivid, and compelling narratives. When you tell a story, the listener’s brain tunes in and becomes “wrapped” in your words, much like a child hearing “once upon a time.”

3. Use Strategic Frameworks: STAR and SOAR

To ensure your interview stories are concise and impactful, you should follow established frameworks. For staff-level positions, the STAR (Situation or Task, Action, Result) method is highly effective. For managers and executives, the SOAR (Situation, Objective, Action, Result) framework is often preferred. Both structures require you to define the problem you stepped into, the obstacles you faced, the specific actions you took, and the ultimate results achieved. These frameworks prevent meandering and keep the focus on your professional competence while ensuring the “hero” of the story (you) arrives to save the day.

4. Create “High-Value” Premium Stories

Think of your professional value through the lens of a “premium burger” versus a “fast-food burger.” While both satisfy hunger, the premium version justifies a higher price because of its presentation and the story surrounding it. You need to be the “Kobe beef” candidate. This involves providing context and “flavor” to your facts so the reader knows how to interpret them. For example, instead of just stating you wrote code, explain that you wrote 5,000 lines of code in under three weeks with zero bugs. By adding that context, you have told the interviewer that you are fast, efficient, and high-quality, rather than just another coder.

5. Master the “Origin Story”

The dreaded question “Tell me about yourself” is the perfect opportunity to use an Origin Story. Much like a superhero origin story—think of Spider-Man’s radioactive spider bite—your career path should have a narrative arc. It should articulate your moments of change, inspiration, and the transferable skills you have gathered along the journey. This approach is far more dynamic than a chronological walk-through of your resume. It establishes your personal brand from the start and explains why you are sitting in that chair today, especially if you are transitioning into a new field or industry.

6. The “Olympic Story” and the Four Beats of Narrative

Every powerful job interview story should follow a specific four-beat rhythm to build an emotional connection. This is often called the “Olympic Story,” modeled after the way sports broadcasters introduce athletes. The beats are:

1. Who you were: Establish the initial context of your journey.

2. What happened: Identify a pivotal moment or challenge that was “done to you” rather than chosen.

3. The struggle: Describe your “path to success” and the rock bottom you hit.

4. The hero’s rise: Show who you are now—stronger, faster, and perfectly aligned with the organization’s needs. This structure makes the interviewer “root for you” and see your hire as the natural “happily ever after” of your story.

7. Quantify Impact with Metrics

A story without numbers is just a tale. To stand out from the competition, your results must be quantified by metrics. Whenever possible, frame your achievements in terms of money earned, money saved, or percentage improvements over a previous baseline. Using numbers provides “cold, hard evidence” of your value and speaks the language of business. If you helped generate a 20% lift in sales leads, that metric is what the hiring manager will remember most. If your competition isn’t using metrics, your use of them immediately elevates you to the top tier of candidates.

8. Delivery: The Carrier Wave of Emotion

Confidence is just as important as competence when delivering interview stories. In communication, emotions are the “carrier waves,” and your verbal story is the actual message. If you are nervous, the emotional message of “you can trust me” will be lost. To project influence and authority, practice your stories until you can deliver them with a slower speech cadence and a lower vocal register. This signals that you are relaxed and comfortable, which in turn makes the interviewer feel comfortable trusting you with their company’s problems.

9. Use Failure to Signal Success

Counterintuitively, telling a story about failure can be a major advantage. A person who can confidently discuss their lowest points or moments of despair leaves the interviewer with an implicit understanding that they are, in fact, a success. These stories show transformation, growth, and emotional honesty. They prove that you can handle adversity and learn from mistakes—qualities that are highly prized in any organization. When you show how you handled a “tough choice” or a “reckoning,” you demonstrate a level of emotional intelligence that flat facts can never convey.

10. Storytelling for Personal Branding on LinkedIn

Your storytelling should not be confined to the interview room. Use STAR stories on your LinkedIn profile to showcase your unique achievements and personality. Instead of listing generic duties like “managed a team,” write a brief story about leading that team to exceed a specific target through a new implementation. Furthermore, you can distinguish yourself as a thought leader by writing articles about your professional philosophy. This shows that you are not just a “worker,” but a professional who thinks deeply about their craft and the value they provide to the world.

Ultimately, the goal of using stories in your job search is to create an emotional connection that justifies your value. If you show up only with raw skills, you are presenting a list of ingredients; if you show up with high-value stories, you are presenting a five-star meal. By focusing on results, structure, and emotional honesty, you can transform your candidacy and ensure that when the interview ends, you are the only candidate they want to hire.

I continued to release content in my blog during the holidays including:

61 Hidden Job Market Secrets Without Using Social Media https://wp.me/p4aIk1-m4i

The 10x10x10 Cube Brainteaser https://wp.me/p4aIk1-8D

Handling Job Search Rejection https://wp.me/p4aIk1-onh

Deciphering The Pattern https://wp.me/p4aIk1-9r

After The Interview https://wp.me/p4aIk1-2Kx

Stop Asking to Meet for Coffee: How to Build Trust and Get Referrals https://youtu.be/eR8XcryWEaU

What They’re Really Saying https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oAq

Admit It. Your Networking Isn’t Working https://wp.me/p4aIk1-vt

Two Difference Makers in Your Job Search https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oAh

After The Interview https://wp.me/p4aIk1-2Kx

Tell Me Something You’ve Learned from Non-Work Related Experiences https://wp.me/p4aIk1-jf

LinkedIn in the AI Era https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oAW

The First Question to Ask When You Are Contacted About a Job? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-emc

A Simple Interview Preparation Prompt https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oB3

I Have the Skills & Experience for the Job But Not Getting The Interview https://wp.me/p4aIk1-38l

You’re Fighting Over What? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-2HD

Should I Send a Thank You Letter Before The Weekend? https://youtu.be/xEi48EKJiCA

LinkedIn Changed. You Need to Change Your Profile https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oAF

Finding Talent in Aisle 4 https://wp.me/p4aIk1-ad

What Can I Do to Present Better on Video Interviews https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oBu

Why Your Resume Isn’t Getting You Noticed (Plus 5 Tips For Success) https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oBf

You’re Fighting Over What? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-2HD

A Job Interview Framework https://youtu.be/te4I_nKwgVM

What You Don’t Do That Sets You Up For Interview Rejection https://wp.me/p4aIk1-m3M

LinkedIn vs Indeed: Are You on the Wrong Site? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oBi

My Resume Makes Me Look Like a Job Hopper. How Do I Address This? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oBE

Stop Applying, Start Planting: The Executive Job Paradox https://wp.me/p4aIk1-onR

7 Steps to Take If You Are Out of Work https://wp.me/p4aIk1-f24

A Job Interview Framework https://youtu.be/te4I_nKwgVM

Toxic Workplaces | No BS Hiring Advice https://wp.me/p4aIk1-hkH

How To Avoid Age Bias In Your Job Search https://wp.me/p4aIk1-hEc

How Recruiters Steal Your Best People: Overloading Them https://wp.me/p4aIk1-iYG

How To Create An Employer Branding Strategy That Attracts Top Talent https://wp.me/p4aIk1-jo0

5 Tips For Career Branding That Will Take You Far https://wp.me/p4aIk1-iYD

Why $200K+ Job Seekers FAIL (The Hidden Strategy That Works) https://youtu.be/0gZmxqixkvw

Never Follow Someone Else’s Path https://wp.me/p4aIk1-gYX

A Critical Blindspot in an Executive Job Search https://wp.me/p4aIk1-okd

If I Was Stranded on a Desert https://wp.me/p4aIk1-gX1

When Is It OK To Quit Without Giving Notice? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-6gp

Why Do Companies Want to Do Phone Interviews or Zoom Interviews? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-aOo

What Should You Do If You Face “The Long Pause” During An Interview https://youtu.be/3zgptK6CFKA

What Does a Manager Do? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-hfI

Final Interviews: Two Tactics They Are Going to Use to Trap You https://wp.me/p4aIk1-b0B

Hedge Fund Brainteaser: The Number of “T’s” https://wp.me/p4aIk1-2zN

New Federal Government Resume Requirements! https://wp.me/p4aIk1-oCh

Should I Send a Thank You Letter Before The Weekend? https://wp.me/p4aIk1-23J

Don’t Waste Peoples’ Time https://youtu.be/EJ-ldMLx0KU

I told you it was a lot!

Schedule a free discovery call with me at www.TheBigGameHunter.us/schedule to discuss my coaching you during your job search and beyond.

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#BeGreat

Jeff Altman, MSW, CCTC

People Hire Me for No BS Job Search Coaching, Career Coaching and Career Advice Globally Because I Make Job Search and Succeeding in Your New Job Easier | I’ll Help You Find Your Next Job

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