Podcast

#497: How to Land Your Ideal Job by Telling Your Accomplishment Stories

Imagine hitchhiking from Fargo, ND, to work on the Grand Coulee Dam in 1947 with little more than a suitcase and $15 in your pocket.

That’s what our dad, Keith, did as a newly-minted civil engineer following World War II.

One brisk evening on a dirt road outside of Billings, MT, a rancher in his pickup pulled over to Dad’s thumb.

“Get in if you need a ride,” the cowpoke prodded.

As they rumbled down the road he asked, “Where ya headed?”

“Hopefully to work on Grand Coulee Dam,” Keith responded.

“Hmmm,” the driver grunted.

“What?”

“You’re never going to make it,” he said.

I asked Dad how that cowboy’s comment struck him. He said, “I thought he might be right.”

He wasn’t sure if he was shivering in the passenger seat from the cold or the fortune-teller driving the old Chevy truck.

But he did make it to Coulee City, WA, and spent a couple of years building colossal powerhouses on the northern reaches of the Columbia River.

His career took him to Seattle where he met our mom, Pat.

Pat and Keith wanted a large family, eventually having us seven kids. He knew he needed a better job and more income, maybe even becoming a partner one day.

So, in 1954, he grabbed a handful of index cards, typed out his brief story, and sent it to potential employers.

Keith Howell’s original cover letter that launched his career as a civil engineer.

Luckily for us, Keith festooned one of his “terse” cover letters to his den wall for posterity.

I find it interesting that he innately used an ABT as the framework of his short story.

And even back in 1954, he was sensitive to the time and attention of his prospective employer: “I’ve chosen this terse method of contacting you in order to save time.”

That cover letter landed him a job with a construction company that became Constructors PAMCO, where he was co-owner and president until he retired in 1985.

This short story written to time-restricted employers launched his epic construction career.

It’s no different in 2025, according to our guest, Amanda Miller, Your Career Advocate.

For nearly three decades, Amanda has supported job seekers, helping tens of thousands of them navigate the job search and integrate stories into their resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and interviews to create a compelling personal brand.

When not working, Amanda is an avid hiker and fitness nut who maintains a keto lifestyle. She and her husband enjoy traveling now that they are empty nesters, and Amanda is always reading multiple books, in addition to studying German.

Today you’ll learn how to use your accomplishment stories to make authentic connections in your networking circles, on LinkedIn, and in a job interview.

What’s In It For You:

Crafting a personal brand for how you help others is essential in today’s job market.
Resumes should highlight accomplishments, not just tasks.
Why your value proposition is key in interviews.
How to use the CAR framework for storytelling: Challenge, Action, Result.
How to create engaging interviews with your clear and concise stories.
Why your LinkedIn profile should tell a story.