Tonight we heard from USA TODAY Sportswriter Nicole Auerbach, who stressed the importance of a strong opening in order to capture the reader’s attention right away. While I initially thought that seemed like a pretty basic journalism concept, I soon realized how that piece of advice related to the larger idea of her presentation: the importance of storytelling.
After all, nearly everything in the business world comes down to how well you can present a story. In an interview, you must paint a compelling story of yourself; in a sales pitch, the story of your product – the list goes on and on. Nicole’s example of the extension of storytelling came in the form of cover letters. Rather than the standard method of essentially restating your resume with expanded and more colorful language, why not tell a story? It can be a much more effective way of drawing the right kind of attention to yourself.
“I don’t yet know what the final story for this summer will be, but I do know that it has certainly opened with a strong statement and captured my attention.”
The other important point I took from Nicole was the importance of saying yes. Not only does this offer opportunity to grow as an individual, but also to develop trust with employers. She pointed out that while in college, she was given tasks often not assigned to interns because she said yes to every opportunity and found a way to get it done. I look at the exceptional group of students around me and am excited to know that we are the kinds of people who say yes to opportunities.
I don’t yet know what the final story for this summer will be, but I do know that it has certainly opened with a strong statement and captured my attention. I have loved every minute of my time as the Brand Partnerships Intern at The Players’ Tribune, from my coworkers and the work opportunities I have been afforded to the content we produce. In addition to my internship, I have already learned so much from my peers in this program and become so tight with them. I cannot wait to see where the next six and a half weeks take us – whatever opportunities those weeks present, I can’t wait to keep saying yes.