In "What Color Is Your Parachute," Richard Bolles takes you through an exercise called "Seven Stories." The premise is simple: write seven stories that show how you accomplished something.

By "write," I don't mean a long story. Neither do I mean writing at a level high enough to be published.

In this case, each of your seven stories should have these parts:

1. Tell about a time you were faced with a problem or a challenge.

2. What resources and skills did you use to help solve the problem.

3. What was the result of what you did.

These stories could be about things that happened in the workplace, in family life, or in school. Either way, they will be seven stories that tell how you took care of business, in one form or another.

These stories accomplish two important things. First, they give you confidence that you already have a record of overcoming challenges. Second, these stories can prove to be great interview answers when you are asked the inevitable question, "Tell me about a time when. . ."

Next time: The informational interview and why it works