Practise your story before you need it
Have a clear, genuine two-minute narrative about who you are and where you’re headed.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Have a clear, genuine two-minute narrative about who you are and where you’re headed.
- Why it works: When asked "so what are you looking for?" most people give unfocused, rambling answers — not because they lack substance but because they’ve never organised and practised their own narrative. A clear, practised story signals that you know yourself, makes it easy for others to advocate for you accurately, and gives the conversation a foundation to build on rather than a vague starting point.
- Evidence: Plausible mechanism, limited direct outcome data.
- Avoid: Practising your story only in formal interview contexts — it should be available in casual conversations too, which is where most career opportunities begin.
Why it works
When asked "so what are you looking for?" most people give unfocused, rambling answers — not because they lack substance but because they’ve never organised and practised their own narrative. A clear, practised story signals that you know yourself, makes it easy for others to advocate for you accurately, and gives the conversation a foundation to build on rather than a vague starting point.
How to do it
- 1Write out a two-minute version of: where you’ve been, what you’ve learned, where you’re going, and why it matters.
- 2Practise it until it sounds natural, not rehearsed — the goal is fluency, not memorisation.
- 3Test it in low-stakes conversations before high-stakes ones.
- 4Update it as your direction evolves; a stale story is worse than no story.
What the evidence says
MechanisticNarrative identity research shows that clear self-narratives improve both self-understanding and others’ ability to form accurate impressions. Practised self-presentation is a standard finding in interview and social skills research.
Honest caveat: The mechanism is well-supported in general; the specific format (two minutes, this structure) is practitioner heuristic rather than a studied protocol.
Common mistake
Practising your story only in formal interview contexts — it should be available in casual conversations too, which is where most career opportunities begin.
IX Coach helps you develop and refine your two-minute story through an iterative conversation, testing different framings until one lands.
Practice this with IX Coach →