Master the Art of Career Storytelling: Create a Walking Deck That Opens Doors and Lands Opportunities
Do you have a career walking deck? I get the privilege of mentoring and sponsoring many great professionals and a great walking deck can make a huge difference in articulating your unique value proposition.
It was fascinating when I recently met a colleague for the first time, and she told me she felt she knew me from my walking deck, which was being sent around as the “gold standard” of Microsoft walking decks. Mine is a conglomeration of all of the great ideas I’ve ever seen!
My deck is 9 slides. Slide 1 – picture and title. Slide 2 – Personal slide (I added this after seeing many decks, and it gives you the chance to post family pictures, pets, hobbies and other things about you personally that could resonate with others and make you human).
Slide 3 – The Big Picture. I post my StrengthsFinder and my one sentence career goal along with a brief relevant bio.
Slide 4 – Performance. The “Why Me?” Slide. Often, I see people show companies or titles they have been in but they do not list tangible results, unique experiences and impact that helps de-risk a hiring manager’s decision. You want a hiring manager to read this and envision you in the role. Write it to the relevant experiences you’ve had that will translate well to whatever you want to do next.
Slide 5 – Tentpole wins or projects. Mine celebrates the stories of my biggest wins that are now case studies.
Slide 6-7 – Perspectives from former managers, colleagues and team members.
Slide 8 – What do I bring? All of the relevant skills and experiences I have that I believe fit the role I’m going for.
Slide 9 – 30/60/90 for the specific role I’m going after, if applicable.
The walking deck, when strategically used, becomes an appetizer before conversations, especially in interviews or informational meetings. The goal is not to spend the entire time discussing it but to send it in advance to give the other person a chance to digest and ask questions about what resonated.
I’ve found that the walking deck can be a valuable tool for gathering recommendations, learning new skills, and connecting with potential team members.
The key is to become the obvious choice for the opportunity you seek. Sometimes, even when you’re the obvious choice, you don’t get it – but you get back up and go after the next one.
The key to career navigation is to get on the right radars, learn the right things, and persist in creating valuable relationships with people who need your unique skills and experiences.
Here is an external-facing version of my deck, where I have removed all company names and private info:
https://www.linkedin.com/smart-links/AQH8hjerRKARzw
Good luck!
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