How to Tell a Story With Recruitment Copy That Gets People Hired!
Storytelling is one of the oldest, most powerful modes of communication. It's also the easiest to understand. So when you're crafting copy for your website or blog, storytelling can be a great way to get your point across.
Whether it's a personal story told by a parent to a child or a corporate presentation, the art of storytelling has always been one of the most effective ways to communicate. In fact, many experts believe that the very act of telling a story can even change the way people think and feel about the world around them.
But what does it really mean? What makes a good story? How do you write a compelling story? Is there a difference between a good story and a bad story? These questions, and many others, are addressed in this post.
Though the storytelling trend is mainly driven by marketing, I believe this skill applies equally to recruiting and talent acquisition professionals. Why?
– Keeping applicants' attention.
– Assisting candidates in understanding and remembering a large amount of information in a short period.
- Creating emotional investment and the start of candidate engagement.
How does it work?
When we tell stories visually, we create an even more significant impact. People's attention is captured by stories, which may be used to connect them to your company. Communications presented as stories are 22 times more memorable than messages delivered in other formats!
Approach to Recruitment Storytelling
When it comes to recruitment storytelling, don't think of it as telling a long story. That would feel awkward and unauthentic, and there is rarely time for that kind of storytelling.
Instead, consider some brief stories you may incorporate into a chat with a candidate based on what is pertinent to that specific individual.
For example, candidates want to know the following:
– What kind of company is this?
- How does it feel to work here?
- Where does this company intend to go in the future?
- Will I be content working here?
You want stories that can answer these questions and give the candidate the knowledge they need to assess if you are a good fit as an employer.
Various sources of information exist. Initial recruiting experience. Consider your best and worst hires. Be specific about the skills and personal attributes that helped an employee succeed.
Leadership can also offer stories, especially those that support the organization's vision. For example, explain your founder's vision, your leadership team's devotion to innovation, or the person who helped design a perk or employee recognition program. This is typical information, but adding characters and presenting a tale makes it more exciting and easier to remember.
A similar role or coworker can also be a valuable source. Meet with them before interviewing. Inquire about the function and the business unit or department. Prepare to speak from an employee's perspective to avoid boring (or rejecting!) recruits.
Remember that your goal is to make candidates feel like employees of your organization. In what way is this candidate's information vital? What stories might you tell that person?
Storytelling is a skill. Keep telling your stories aloud, and keep refining your content. Storytelling will become an effective recruitment technique.
Storytelling tips:
Consider the narration of your story, and create a storyline. Include a central conflict, build-up, climax, and ending.
Make the employee the hero. Everyone's a hero. Everyone has a story.
Tell the real stories of life at your company. Be authentic!
How to write stories?
Based on our favorite author of persuasive writing P. Frederick, here are the main components of the story:
Hero - the company team
Character flaw - missing expertise in the team
Enabling circumstances - afford current talent
Opponent - investor
Ally - another company team
Life-changing event - acquisition of the whole company
Jeopardy - the decision to team up with another team to gain more knowledge.
The end result may look something like this:
"Our company team's (Hero) mission is to develop an e-health app for mentally disabled people to give them the mental care they deserve and cannot afford. To accomplish this, we need new investors (Opponent) who can grant us a way to afford senior experienced talent(Enabling circumstances) to bring in critical expertise lacking in our existing team. (Character flaw) A few months after COVID hit in early 2019, one of our investors wanted to buy out our company (A life-changing event) which put all of our efforts at risk. For our good work to continue, we needed a groundbreaking solution, and we found it in the unlikeliest of places. Our building also houses another company (ally) in the e-health field. It became clear that we could both benefit from collaboration (jeopardy), and we hope this unlikely union will enable us to provide aid to the world's most marginalised people."
Final Thoughts
Suppose you can present an exciting story in a way that attracts individuals who will be a good fit while discouraging those who will not. In that case, you're doing the job of a successful recruitment copywriter!
And if you follow our suggestions, you'll be well on your way to producing your own compelling employee stories.
Now go tell the stories!
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PS: Learn the fundamentals of copywriting for recruitment here.