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Dartmouth Center for Career Design presents
The Problem
"Tell me about yourself."
The most common question.
The hardest to answer.
The Problem
The reality
78% vs 54%
Students say they communicate well.
Employers disagree.
The gap isn't in experience. It's in how that experience gets expressed.
NACE Job Outlook 2025 / Student Survey, 2024
The Problem
Which means
75%
of employers rank communication
as the skill that decides who gets hired
The stakes aren't abstract. The students who can tell their story clearly are the ones who land the offer.
NACE Job Outlook 2025
The Problem
The experiences are there. The storytelling isn't.
— HR Manager, Goldman Sachs
via Dartmouth employer interview
The Problem
I have a lot to say but I can never
find the right structure.
— Dartmouth Senior, Economics
The Problem
I keep listing experiences but none
of them sound connected.
— Dartmouth Junior, Engineering
The Problem
I walk away thinking,
‘I don’t think I said what I meant.’
— Dartmouth Sophomore, Government
The Problem
It's not a content problem.
It's a clarity problem.
The Problem
Every experience is real.
But without a center,
none of them land.
The old way
Say everything.
Connect nothing.
Leave them guessing.
DOESN'T WORK.
What if you could
find the signal
in the noise?
The Method
Introducing
NARRATIVE
BY DESIGN
The Method
The Method
Narrative Compression
Paragraph
"I've done research in neuroscience, interned at a startup, led a student org, and volunteered abroad. I'm interested in consulting but also maybe tech..."
One Sentence
"I solve complex problems by connecting ideas others overlook."
One Word
Connection
The Method
Not an elevator pitch.
A forcing function.
Compression strips away the noise
so the signal can come through.
Noise
Filter
Signal
The Method
Then You Test It
Three Lenses.
Three Card Sorts.
Analog meets AI.
Hands-on sorting, tech-powered reflection.
Narrow from many → few → one.
Autonomy
Impact
Security
Creativity
Leadership
Empathy
Analysis
Resilience
Strategy
Values
Skills
Strengths
The Method
Then You Map It
Map Your Evidence
Which word explains the most experiences?
Impact
Research lab
Startup intern
2
Connection
Student org
Volunteering
Research lab
Consulting
4
Growth
Study abroad
Volunteering
2
The Method
Then You Rewrite
Choose & Rewrite
AI generates mirrors. You write the real one.
AI Draft A
"I connect dots between disciplines, translating complexity into clarity..."
or
AI Draft B
"My instinct is to build bridges — between people, ideas, and systems..."
Your Final Draft
Your words. Your story.
The Method
One seamless, designed experience
Compress
Paragraph → Sentence → Word
Test
Values · Skills · Strengths
Rewrite
AI Mirror · Final Narrative
The Invitation
90 minutes.
One room.
A DESIGNED
EXPERIENCE
that changes
how you talk about yourself.
The Invitation
Walk in rambling.
Walk out with a center.
The Invitation
YOUR STORY
WON'T TELL
ITSELF.
Join the Narrative by Design Workshop
Designed for students at Dartmouth College
NARRATIVE BY DESIGN
Dartmouth Center for Career Design
careerdesign.dartmouth.edu