The ultimate guide to using storytelling in recruitment marketing
Written by Mackenzie Lepretre | 17th March 2023
Infusing storytelling into your recruitment marketing strategyis a great way to attract highly qualified employees to your organization.
You can do this by creating a compelling and captivating narrative that reveals what potential employees will gain by working with you. Powerful storytelling also allows you to share your corporate vision in a manner that resonates with your audience. This makes them want to take part in the achievement of that vision.
Keep reading to learn how to effectively use storytelling for recruitment.
You can do this by creating a compelling and captivating narrative that reveals what potential employees will gain by working with you. Powerful storytelling also allows you to share your corporate vision in a manner that resonates with your audience. This makes them want to take part in the achievement of that vision.
Keep reading to learn how to effectively use storytelling for recruitment.
Why is storytelling so powerful?
Storytelling is a powerful tool that enhances your recruitment strategy. It does this by helping you build the right kind of buzz about your organization. With superb storytelling, you can help candidates understand what your company represents and aims to achieve.
By sharing your unique corporate story with your audience, you give your audience a glimpse of your organization’s culture. A good example of storytelling can be found in a video by Zendesk.
The company uses their video to achieve three things. First, they creatively introduce themselves to potential candidates. Secondly, they help the candidates explore what working at Zendesk looks and feels like. Finally, Zendesk creates desire and welcomes the viewer to work with them.
Storytelling also allows you to inspire and attract employees by sharing personal stories about your experience and motivation. Sharing your personal story in your recruitment campaign is one way to maintain authenticity. This can help encourage active and passive candidates to join your team. Whether you’re announcing vacancies for marketing, management, or virtual assistant jobs, storytelling allows you to show candidates the amazing attributes of your organization.
What are the advantages of storytelling in recruitment?
Storytelling in recruitment is an effective tool for engaging with your potential employees. By telling your brand story, you can tap into the job seeker’s emotions and motivate them to take action — in this case, apply for a job in your organization.
Storytelling also helps you build a strong employer brand. This happens when you create compelling stories about your company’s history, mission, core values, creative process, or team relationships. Storytelling allows you to bring your brand image to the forefront of your recruitment campaign.
Ultimately, it helps show prospects that your company is a great place to work. Prospects get different perspectives of what it’s like to work there through different employee narratives. This way, it’s easier for like-minded prospects to emotionally connect with these employees.
Storytelling allows you to create messages that resonate with potential employees and form an emotional connection with them.
Storytelling also helps you build a strong employer brand. This happens when you create compelling stories about your company’s history, mission, core values, creative process, or team relationships. Storytelling allows you to bring your brand image to the forefront of your recruitment campaign.
Ultimately, it helps show prospects that your company is a great place to work. Prospects get different perspectives of what it’s like to work there through different employee narratives. This way, it’s easier for like-minded prospects to emotionally connect with these employees.
Storytelling allows you to create messages that resonate with potential employees and form an emotional connection with them.
How to use storytelling in recruitment
Now that you understand the power and importance of storytelling, in this section, you’ll learn how to boost your recruitment process with it.
1. Include your company’s story on your website
Your company’s website is a great place to start telling your story. For one, it’s where all the traffic from your online recruiting efforts leads. So, before you promote vacancies on other platforms or share your digital business card with potential recruits, it’s important to fill your website with a captivating story.
Some of the prominent places where you can include your company story are your “About Us”, “Our Story” or even your career page. On these pages, you can include a brief history of your company. You can also share brief information about the founders, and highlight your corporate mission. Adding details like this to your story will help potential candidates understand your company’s identity better.
Some of the prominent places where you can include your company story are your “About Us”, “Our Story” or even your career page. On these pages, you can include a brief history of your company. You can also share brief information about the founders, and highlight your corporate mission. Adding details like this to your story will help potential candidates understand your company’s identity better.
2. Use visuals on your career page
Adding content formats like recruiting videos and images to your career page is another way to make your story more compelling. These visuals can be used to showcase your workspaces, team, founders, or successful projects.
You can also use illustrations to highlight details that you want to stand out.
Adding visuals will also help you improve the overall aesthetics of your page. The aim is to entice qualified candidates so you’ll want them to love what they see. This means that you should use high-quality images and clear videos.
Adding visuals will also help you improve the overall aesthetics of your page. The aim is to entice qualified candidates so you’ll want them to love what they see. This means that you should use high-quality images and clear videos.
3. Leverage social media for storytelling
Social media is another great platform for storytelling. It helps you reach a wider audience and share content in different formats. So, consider using social platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Youtube to share engaging stories about your corporate culture.
You can also talk about interesting projects or events and allow your employees to share their experiences. This will show your audience that you value the contribution of your employees.
By sharing these stories, you can help potential candidates see the human side of your brand. In the end, they’ll develop a positive affinity towards your company—hence, improving the results of your offline and online recruitment.
In closing
Storytelling is a powerful way to engage with job seekers and win them over in a competitive employment space. Storytelling can help you build a strong employer brand and develop an emotional connection with potential talents.
Today, you learned three effective ways to use storytelling in your recruitment marketing efforts. They include adding your company story to your website and using engaging visuals on your career page. You should also use social media to share creative stories.
Applying these foolproof tips will help you stand out and attract the ideal candidates to your organization. Good luck!
Today, you learned three effective ways to use storytelling in your recruitment marketing efforts. They include adding your company story to your website and using engaging visuals on your career page. You should also use social media to share creative stories.
Applying these foolproof tips will help you stand out and attract the ideal candidates to your organization. Good luck!
Author's Bio
Mackenzie Lepretre is currently the Director of Operations at FreeUp Marketplace, a top-rated marketplace for businesses to find and connect with the best remote professionals.
She has worked with freelancers and run freelance teams for 5+ years. 
Mackenzie Lepretre is currently the Director of Operations at FreeUp Marketplace, a top-rated marketplace for businesses to find and connect with the best remote professionals.
She has worked with freelancers and run freelance teams for 5+ years.
