Adding narrative conflict to your video résumé allows you to capture the attention of your audience very quickly for your job search and keep them interested until the end. In narration, one thing happens after the next, in story form. With narrative conflict, you’re telling a story about a transformative event. Until the conflict is resolved, most people remain curious to see what happens.
People love the thrill of narrative conflict. Just imagine a one-hour TV drama where everyone gets along and gets everything they want — boring!
Four main types of conflict form the basis of most stories, and you can apply any of them to your video résumé:
A struggle between two or more people: Think about how you may have beaten a competitor in the market or resolved a dispute between two co-workers. For example, did you go toe-to-toe with the competition in submitting a proposal to a client and emerge victorious?
A struggle against nature or uncontrollable forces: Reflect on how you may have overcome the uncontrollable forces of the economic climate, a natural disaster, or political misfortune. For example, did you survive a round of layoffs by standing out?
A struggle against some aspect of society: Consider how you may have changed a standard operating procedure to align with your customers’ purchasing habits, overcome a restrictive regulatory environment, or brought diversity into your workplace. For example, did you organize an effort to correct some injustice?
A conflict of opposing forces within a person: Think about a time you may have made a difficult moral choice, overcome a disability, or discovered a hidden talent that put you ahead. Have you ever turned a bad situation to your advantage?