How To Write A Great CAB Story

CAB Stories

Last week I introduced you to the concept of CAB stories. Let’s now talk about developing your first CAB story. As the subject for your first CAB, think about a situation in your career where you had the biggest impact on your organization’s performance. For managers this could be a significant boost in revenues, serious cost cutting or big gains in productivity. Specialist professionals might be more comfortable with innovative solutions to problems, fast-track project response or significant quality improvements. In any case pick one situation for your first CAB. Now we are ready for the most important part of the CAB story.

The CONDITION

What was the opportunity, problem or challenge that you faced?

What had/had not happened which caused you to act?

How bad was it? (Quantify if possible)

What was the likely outcome if things continued as they were? (Bottom line effects)

How were you involved in the situation?

The whole idea behind a CAB story is to involve the person hearing or reading your story. This introduction should be brief but still contain enough “setting the scene” to let people know what you were facing. You want them nodding their heads saying, “Yes, we have a situation similar to that right now!”

The ACTION

What specific actions did you take?

List these actions in the time sequence or structural order, whichever gets the message across.

Use active verbs and personal pronouns to make these sentences come alive.

“I formed a team of specialists…”

“I instituted tighter controls…”

“I developed a new system…”

Usually three or four sentences like this are enough to convey what you did. This is your opportunity to highlight special skills, knowledge or insights that are important decision factors in your job search. Use jargon or acronyms if they are appropriate for all the people who will be reading or listening to your presentation. Use action verbs.

The BENEFIT

Now it’s time to quantify the results you produced in $$$ dollars, percentages, or other real numbers like man-hours, inventory turnover, rejection rate, etc. Exact numbers are better if you know them, but good “ballpark” estimates are OK. Include timeframe when the benefit was realized by the organization. Here’s your chance to stand out by showing an “enterprise orientation” – concentrate on how your actions made a difference in the overall performance of the company.

Review

Now it’s time to write that first CAB story. When completed read it over and determine if it meets the requirements for a good story. Is it concise? Is it believable? Does it highlight important skills, knowledge, and understanding? Does it deliver a measureable benefit to the organization?

The Rule Is

CAB stories must give credence to your talents, skills and abilities while fulfilling the needs and wants of the interviewer. CAB stories must be logical, provide impact and sound good.