Why storytelling matters in recruitment (and how to make it work for you)

We know that modern recruitment is marketing.

To attract and engage the best people, you need to think like a marketer and know how to sell an opportunity to potential employees.

At Heart Talent, we believe in the power of storytelling. 

Why storytelling?

Since the rise of digital content, the art of storytelling has boomed. We’re consuming stories like never before. People and businesses around the world are publishing written, video and audio and content faster than we can keep with it. Each piece of content speaks to us as consumers.

Because we know that recruitment is marketing, this isn’t much of a leap: effective recruitment involves the art of storytelling.

It’s not about selling. We don’t take a hard-sell-to-make-a-placement-at-all-costs approach. 

We look for ways to tell a story about employee experience and employer brand so that top talent can envision a future with your organisation. 

Getting started with recruitment storytelling

It starts with the job description. This is a necessary part of recruitment, but it’s definitely not the most important part. A well-written job description will start to tell a story about the person you’re looking for. It will outline their skills, experience and background, along with what they can bring to the role.

A great job description goes one step further. It tells the candidate a story about the opportunity this role represents. It talks about the challenges, the scope and the bigger picture. It addresses career development and shows how the role is linked to the organisation’s mission and purpose.

Is it possible to get the whole story in a job description? No way.

Can you get it all into a job ad or social post? Not really. 

If you have an awesome copywriter working with you to promote the job, they will be able to help with this, but not many organisations have copywriters dedicated to recruitment marketing. 

So you can’t tell the story with just a job description and job ad.

Enter your recruitment partner

Internal or external, the person who manages your recruitment process needs to be a strong communicator. Even better, your recruiter should be a storyteller.

Hiring managers, this is where your employee value proposition (EVP) comes in.

A clearly articulated EVP is the core of your employer brand. Your EVP is a story. It’s the story of why people should want to join your organisation. It’s the story of what you can offer them as an employee. 

If you’re responsible for recruitment and you can’t articulate your organisation’s EVP, you’ll struggle to attract the best people. 

Why is your EVP so important?

When you’re looking for a job, are you only interested in the job title, salary, location and the main tasks you’ll be doing day-to-day? Of course not! You want to know more. 

People want to know about the teams they’ll be working in, the leaders they’ll be reporting to, the challenges they will face and the role they’ll get to play in the bigger picture. 

Each individual job seeker will have their own ideas about what’s important. This is part of their story. What’s important to one person won’t be exactly the same as what’s important to the next person.

It’s important to note that your EVP isn’t a list of benefits or a description of your company culture. You can read more about what an EVP is (and is not) here.

It’s time to think about purpose

You might have skimmed over an important word earlier: purpose. This is becoming more and more important to the majority of job seekers. And it’s not just about finding a job in the charity sector. 

Purpose about knowing the why of your role, your team and the organisation you work for. Purpose and meaning matter, so make sure you can communicate these things during your recruitment process.

Job seekers, a recruiter should also help to tell your story

To build a great shortlist for a hiring team, a recruiter doesn’t just tell the story of the job opportunity and the employer’s EVP. They also listen to talent stories. Your stories.

When we recommend a shortlist of talent to a client, we’re communicating each person’s story to showcase why they could be the best person for the job.

Talent stories aren’t just about previous experience, skills and education. They’re about people. 

These stories paint a picture of each person’s style, approach and strengths. They outline what people are looking for in their next role and career and what’s important to them.

Can the entire candidate story be captured in a CV and cover letter? We don’t think so. This is why human connection is critical in recruitment and can’t be replaced by technology.

We tell stories differently when we deliver them verbally than when we present them in written form. A recruiter must be well placed to communicate your story beyond your CV.

Wrapping up

However you look at it, storytelling is essential in effective recruitment, helping to attract and engage the right people to your team.

We love telling stories and helping people build happy, engaged teams and careers they love.

Need some help telling the story of your next vacant role? Contact the Heart Talent team today.