Quote: “Marketing is no longer about the stuff the you make, but about the story you tell.” Seth Godin
I love this quote and you can expect it to inject itself into many future posts.
Problem: I don’t know the first thing about recruiting.
The good news is I have a framework and solution for you. Before I get into this let briefly discuss my background in this area. I have recruiting thousands of people in my career from top line PHDs and Directors to janitors and general labor. In 2014 which was a booming market, I recruiting 70 employees in 90 days and all of these jobs were paying 75% of what competitors were paying.
Solution: I employ Story Based Recruiting strategy to help businesses organically attract the right candidate for their business. Before I get into what that is, let me share with you why this strategy is relevant.
In 2024 Neflix earned roughly 10 billion dollars. Per Quarter. Every. Three. Months. Let that sink in. Do you know why they are able to achieve these outrageous numbers? People are addicted to story. Fast forward to today as a business owner you are combating several themes. One is, if you are business owner then you must be evil and taking advantage of people in some way. Another is unemployment payments are nearly equal to a full time paying job. They are certainly enough to pay bills. And Finally, everyone wants to work from home.
Thankfully I see at least two of these coming to an end in a significant way.
Let’s get into Story Based Recruiting. If you want to get people off of the couch or out of the comfort zone or out of their current place of safety then you have to invite them with a great story.
I’ve been fortunate enough to be around great story telling CEOs which attract top talent. This is so important when you are in a market such as we are where top dollar is being demanded by the workforce. If you are on a budget you must learn this key to recruiting.
To begin, start with your mission, vision and values. Go into depth on why these things matter to you and why they matter to your employees. The more defined this is the more you will attract the right people. If you have a great starting story, then tell that. If you are coming into a growth season then tell that.
People want to be a part of a growth story and a story which is value based and one which is impacting people. They would rather be involved in a company who is value driven than profits driven. They want to be a part of the Netflix stories they are so addicted to.
Let me pause and ask you, Do you want people working for you who are passionate about the work they are doing? Who are excited to come to work and work on your vision and mission? Why would you expect to attract passionate people if you do not have an impassioned story?
Finally, discuss your culture, what employees who work at your company think feel act. How are they impacting the great mission. Show not just the duties they will be doing but how those duties and responsibilities fit into the bigger picture.
A final story: I worked for a multi-billion dollar property management company with a terrible culture. I changed the culture by re-framing how everyone’s position impacted served the company mission which was, “We help families find their dream home.” About a month into this campaign I saw an employee who I had never seen before and asked him what he did. He smiled at me and said, “I help families find their dream home.” And said, “Oh cool, so you’re a Leasing Agent.” His response stopped me in my tracks, “No. I’m in Accounting.” I smiled huge and exclaimed, “Yes!” That’s when I knew the culture had shifted.
Conclusion:
Why should you tell your story? Netflix. They make 10 billion every 3 months because people are addicted to story.
Begin with your starter story or your mission vision and values, or the growth you are seeing.
If you want passionate people who are not lazy, then you need to tell a passionate story. People will show up, give money, give time, promote, a great story.
Discuss your culture and how this potential person will fit into your company and how the work they do will help achieve the goals of the company.
Candidates need to see their impact and know what their place is in your company.
Use Story Based Recruiting to attract the best candidates who will stay and help you build a great success story.
