2012 End of Year Q&A: Storytelling, Networking, Plans for Next Year, Responding to Criticism, and More

So we’re at the end of another year, and you know what that means: no, not holiday parties, not New Year’s celebrations, and not even making fun of AJ or consultants (though all of those sound more fun than being buried in snow – my current state).

I’m talking about reader Q&A, which makes its return today.

This time around, we’ll critique a few “stories” from readers, answer the never-ending networking questions that roll in, and I’ll even respond to the usual criticism, complaints, and hateful comments that arrive like clockwork – and give you a preview of what’s coming next year.

Storytelling 101

Your “story” is the most important part of any interview, but 99% of interviewees make the same mistakes over and over again.

In dozens of mock interviews and real interviews, I’ve never heard a spectacular “story” on the first try, though some of them have been decent-to-good.

So we’ll have some fun here and look at everything from “pretty good but needs work” stories to ones that just aren’t working.

Names and identifying details have been altered or removed.

Reader Q&A 2012 Edition: Networking Gone Wild, Strangers in Strange Lands, Deciding on Offers, Personal Updates, and Responding to Critics

After another long absence, reader Q&A makes its return today.

It seems to come around once a year by this point, so I’m labeling this the “2012 edition” (there, a partial date before you leave another comment complaining about the lack of dates).

Today we’re going to talk about networking gone wild (no NSFW photos, unfortunately), strangers in strange lands (career transitions), how to decide between multiple offers, and then a bunch of personal and site updates and randomness.

Mermaids may or may not make an appearance by the end.

Networking Gone Wild: How Much is Too Much?

The Return of Reader Q&A: World Domination, Mermaids, the Meaning of Life, and Plans for 2011

After a long absence, reader Q&A makes its return today.

Read on to learn all about job postings on Craigslist, whether or not you learn anything useful in banking, the meaning of life, and more – plus my next destination now that I’ve been deported from Asia.

Q: So, why haven’t you done one of these Q&As in such a long time?

A: It’s too hard to find information when it’s presented in Q&A format, and most of the Q&A articles brought in very little long-term traffic compared to, say, the resume template or cover letter template or the private equity interview guide.

But I like giving updates and addressing shorter questions sometimes, so Q&A is back – at least for today.