Recruiting is Storytelling

"If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen. A great and interesting story is about everyone or it will not last." - John Steinbeck - East of Eden

I found this quote while working on a presentation for a panel I'm speaking on tomorrow. Along with Sophia Bianchi and Cassie Denny, I'll be speaking at the Northwest Recruiters Association August luncheon about creative recruiting techniques and partnering with leadership.

Why yes, I'm a bit out of my league, thanks for asking. It's all Todd's fault anyway. He got me into this.

So in my usual fashion, I let my subject matter find me. This on the heels of sending out our first email to the talent community - over 340,000 emails sent at the stroke of a key. It's been quite a week.

I started out discussing how I approach recruiting when I haven't done it myself. I've never done a phone screen or argued with a hiring manager. I ended up working on the idea that recruiting is really storytelling. Tell a compelling story about your company, whether you're talking to one candidate or thousands, and they're going to want to find out more. This is where the quote comes in.

I liked the last slide in my deck particularly, as it drives home the point for any who missed it as I talk about videos and social media. "Tell the stories about your company that nobody else knows. Only you know what they are. If it moves you, it will move others. When a story affects someone, they want to share it and be a part of it. A great and interesting story is great recruiting."

Typically dramatic for me, but leading up to this I've got some fun stuff that lets me shut up for a minute or two - Rick Crelia's video and Raul Villar's video and maybe one more surprise up my sleeve, if I have time. I'll either entertain the lunch crowd or tank. I'm feeling like I can pull it off though. Either way, I'm hoping I give them something to think about when they head back to their phones and their reqs.

And if not...like I said. Todd's fault.