How to Choose the Right Career Story for Your Interview

Your favourite career story might be doing absolutely nothing to help you get this job

You know the one because you’ve told it so often your partner could finish it for you

The huge project and the ridiculous deadline and the team you somehow held together

You should be proud of it but please don’t drag it into every answer just because it’s the story you tell best

After twenty years of good work you’ve got plenty of examples and the biggest won’t always be your best

If they ask how you spotted a problem early then your story about rescuing a project after everything went wrong might leave that question unanswered

A smaller example could do a much better job;

‘I noticed the same customer calling three times about an order that our system showed as complete

I checked the delivery records and found we were closing orders when they left the warehouse instead of when the customer received them

I raised it with the operations manager and we changed the tracking so the team could see which orders still needed attention’

Now the interviewer can hear what you noticed and what you did with it

Before your next interview put the job description beside your list of examples and ask yourself;

‘What does this story actually prove I can do?’

Then match it to something the employer needs and if you have to spend two minutes explaining the connection you probably need a different example

You don’t have to squeeze your entire brilliant career into one interview and you don’t lose credit for leaving a big achievement out when a smaller one answers the question

AI can help polish your favourite story but beautiful wording won’t make an unrelated example relevant

My hiring manager experience matters in our coaching because I listen for the evidence I’d need to make a hiring decision

I can ask you the same question from a different angle and help you practise choosing an example that fits instead of reaching for the one you’ve rehearsed most

Your dog can be wildly pleased with herself for bringing you a shoe she spent twenty minutes stealing but you still asked for the ball

The effort was impressive and the delivery was enthusiastic and you’re still standing there waiting for the bloody ball

That’s The Dog Code in an interview

Give the person in front of you something they can actually use

Your life is not a dress rehearsal so live like someone left the gate open

Explain your experience with confidence


The Dog Code gives you practical ways to stay calm, listen closely and explain your value when the questions get difficult


Explore The Dog Code book and audio