What is the most memorable aspect of a conversation?
A conversation seems to be more memorable when a person can imagine it in a pictorial way. Storytelling, as an aspect, has become so crucial that it has become a key element in behavioural interviews. Humans are naturally drawn to stories. It piques people’s curiosity, encourages real relationships, and is very compelling.
So what exactly is Storytelling?
The art of storytelling is essentially using the information to build a narrative to attract applicants’ attention and pitch them to the prospective jobs a company has to offer. Storytelling touches on different aspects to really build a connection. It highlights what motivates your stakeholders and what is the core of the functioning of the organization. It might be because of the company’s rapid expansion, well-known brand recognition, or excellent global influence.
It also states how the organization supports and facilitates talented employees’ professional development and advancement along with the company’s career progression. A corporate story also explains the organization’s problem-solving strategy, internal communication system, meeting schedules, and approval processes. Any excellent story contains information about the benefits and remuneration offered to employees.
Storytelling from a candidate’s perspective is that extra magic that is added to the resume. It gives the recruiter a peep into the personality of a candidate and what more it is to them apart from their CV pointers.
Think of it as a predominant means of creating a sense of familiarity and trust with the viewer. It is synonymous with initiating a process, as a stepping stone toward the next step. This interaction between you and your customer can easily prove to be a game-changer.
What Storytelling is NOT is a blog or an article on the candidates’ life. It cannot be viewed as a summary of the candidate’s resume. It highlights what the candidate brings to the table apart from what is mentioned in the resume.
This can include soft skills, personality traits, and much more. It is not an advertisement or a task that needs to be ticked off of a list. Storytelling is far from boring. It is engrossing and aims to create a connection. It is not a recall of something cool that happened and definitely cannot be treated as a sales pitch.
Why is Storytelling an important skill in today’s era to be adopted by all recruiters?
- Understand and Connect
People are known to draw connections between others depending on what they hear in a tale, making the material that is provided to them a more personal experience that cannot be done by simple graphs and numbers. Understanding the candidate’s requirements and mapping them with the story of the company, a recruiter can connect the pros and cons of the matchmaking process.
A good narrative will also stimulate a candidate’s thought process, pique their curiosity, and make them care about what they hear. In the end, storytelling is the most effective technique for forging new relationships with talent and attracting them to your business.
- Build Trust
Often, the decisions that candidates and companies make require a great leap of faith in one another. A clarity of needs on both sides leads to an informed decision. This is exactly where the recruiter’s storytelling would yield great results.
- Sell and Succeed
Storytelling provides a more realistic and interesting insight into an organization’s culture, allowing prospective applicants to get a sense of what life would be like at the organization, including possible coworkers and long-term growth chances. This allows job searchers to make better-educated judgments while keeping the company’s interests and goals in mind. The power of persuasion is necessary for every recruiter and hence mastering storytelling helps them sell better.
Best Practices for recruiters to follow and implement with storytelling:
In any situation, a question usually starts with ‘WHY’. So what are the most essential things to consider in storytelling while asking ‘WHY should you hire this candidate?’.
Look out for
- The impact created in the current role
- Success metrics and achievements
- Instances that resulted in proud achievements
- A highlight of the candidate’s contribution to the current organization
- Created, started, and scaled something from scratch. 0 to 1.
- Their career aspirations and what they resonate the most with.
- How do they align with the client’s domain and/or niche?
Are you interested in mastering this art? Want to craft the best candidate stories? Sign up now and get access to our workshops and sessions!
Recruiters are the matchmakers; smartly fitting the best candidate with the perfect jobs. Get a demo of Spottabl today and become the best matchmaker!
