How to Use Storytelling in Candidate Communication

I've spent 1000s of hours listing, observing and studying the top 0.1 % tech candidates who have mastered storytelling. People who came from big tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Atlassian, Okta you name it. Here is what I've learned: // Start with the end in mind. Decide what you want the listener to do or feel. • Recruiter: “Shortlist them.” • Panel: “Safe hands under pressure.” • Hiring manager: “I can picture week-4 impact.” →When the outcome is clear, your opening and middle funnel toward it. // Shape your story. Use a simple frame so your skill shines through. • STARL (Situation, Task, Action, Result, Learning) • SOARL (Situation, Objective, Action, Result, Learning) • CARL (Context, Action, Result, Learning) →Pick one and stick to it. Consistency beats flair. You see there is always a lesson at the end. // Lead with action. Skip the origin story. Start at the point of risk. “Prod outage hit Friday 4:12 pm. I led the incident bridge…” → Then add only the backstory needed to make the result land. // Make it emotional (the professional kind). You don’t need drama. You need stakes. Choose 1–2 feelings to anchor: relief, safety, momentum, trust. → Aim your story at them. // Build the world (fast) Let us “see” the constraints in two lines: - Team and scope: “8 engineers across Sydney/Welly.” - Rules: “Change freeze; 2-hour SLA.” - Shared language: “P1 incident, 99.95% target.” →Constraints make your result believable and tangible. // Sell the transformation Great stories show change. Use the delta: “From 83% to 99.97% uptime in 6 weeks, while cutting cloud spend 22%.” → Formula: From X → Y, because Z (your actions) + proof (metric). // Slow down before the close After you land the result, pause. Let it breathe. →Count to three. Then add the lesson that makes you memorable. // Build to one moment Design every line to amplify your headline win. “I once handled incidents. Now I run the playbook others follow.” // Develop your process Top candidates don’t wing it; they bank stories. All Careersy Coaching client have one. Keep a “Story Bank” of 12 wins and a few fails with a strong lesson gained. - Tag each by competency (leadership, ambiguity, stakeholder mgmt). - Prepare 90-sec, 3-min, and 6-min versions. - Rehearse out loud; trim fillers. - Refresh with fresh numbers before each interview. // Mini-example (how this sounds) “Traffic spiked 3× during a release. Error rate hit 12%. I led the incident bridge, rolled back within 8 minutes, added circuit breakers, and tuned connection pools. By Monday we cut peak errors to 0.4% and raised weekly uptime from 99.6% to 99.96%. The change was adding autoscaling rules tied to queue depth, not CPU. Lesson: measure the real bottleneck, not the noisy one.”

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 When you're an entrepreneur starting out, you often don't have the luxury of a big, recognisable brand. So, what makes talented individuals want to join your venture? It's the story you tell. Early in my career, I noticed a common mistake: presenting job opportunities in a clinical, uninspiring manner. Typical job specs go something like this: "Here's the job description, this is your position, and here’s your salary." But that's not how you ignite passion or excitement in potential recruits. People are drawn to stories that they can believe in and be excited about. They want to go home and tell their loved ones, "I met this amazing team, and they're doing incredible things!" This realisation led me to transform our approach. We needed to share our vision, our journey, and how each new team member would play a vital role in our success. I started by crafting our narrative with more vibrancy and detail. I asked myself: Where is the company headed? How will we achieve our goals? What challenges will we overcome together? And crucially, what part will the new recruit play in this journey? By giving our story a clear beginning, middle, and an inspiring end, we were able to captivate potential employees. They weren't just accepting a job; they were becoming part of an exciting adventure. Effective storytelling in recruiting isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a powerful tool that can set your company apart. It's about creating an emotional connection and painting a vivid picture of the future you’re building together. #Recruiting #Storytelling #Business #Entrepreneurship #AttractingTalent

Stop trying to compete with big tech for talent. You'll lose every time on salary, benefits, and brand name. But Meta, Apple, and Google can't offer direct access to the founder. Your founder story is your most powerful recruiting tool, and here's how to craft it 👇🏾 At Chezie, I tell every candidate why we started: I spent 5 years in consulting at Accenture, where being an ERG leader helped me find community as a Black professional. My sister Dumebi Egbuna had the same experience at IBM. But we saw how hard it was actually to run these groups. That's why we built Chezie - to help companies create truly inclusive workplaces through better ERG management. This story works because: • It shows authentic passion • It connects emotionally • It demonstrates deep understanding of the problem • It creates belonging Here's how to craft your founder story for interviews: 1. Start with your personal connection What experience led you to this problem? 2. Show why it matters How does solving this problem impact people? 3. Paint the vision What does the world look like if you succeed? 4. Make it personal to them How can they be part of this journey? Here’s a template that you can use: - - - {XX years ago}, I {experienced this problem} and {this happened}, which made me realize {why this problem was bigger than just me}. I saw firsthand how {the problem} affected {specific group of people} and knew something had to change. That’s why I started {company name}—to {your mission in one sentence}. If we succeed, {describe the future impact}, and we need {role type} like you to help make it happen. - - - Your best bet at recruiting is connecting with candidates’ emotions and personal experiences—because when people feel connected to your mission, they’re more likely to choose you over a bigger paycheck.

I was 34 years old when I almost took my life.  I remember reviewing the term life insurance policy I’d had for several years to see if it had a suicide clause.  It did, as long as I had the policy for one year. Crazy now looking back on how my identity was so wrapped up in my success that I lost sight of who I was.  Better yet, “whose” I was. I am grateful God pursued me in my darkest hour and brought me back into the light.       I share this because yesterday, I was conversing with two dynamic leaders, and we discussed the importance of storytelling connected to recruiting.  Great recruiters are great storytellers.  For a long time, I didn’t share the darkest part of my story because I believed that others would disqualify me for my failures.  I wouldn’t be good enough to lead them since I had failed.  The truth is, I was more qualified to lead because of that failure, not less. Storytelling is a powerful tool, but not all stories are created equal. The most impactful stories are those that include elements of conflict and struggle. Why? Because these are the moments that make stories relatable, memorable, and inspiring.  Show me a memorable story, and I will show you one that is transportable.  It goes with the recruit beyond the moment. Every great story follows a similar structure: a beginning, a conflict or struggle, and a resolution AKA the highlight reel. Beginning: Introduce the context of your story. This could be a personal experience, a challenge you've faced, or a situation familiar to your recruit. Conflict and Struggle: The conflict is the part of the story that draws people in because it mirrors the challenges they face in their own lives. This makes your story authentic and relatable. Resolution: The resolution is the overcoming part of your story. It shows how you navigated the conflict and emerged stronger. It’s this journey that inspires recruits and helps them see what’s possible for themselves. Why Conflict and Struggle Matter Most recruiters make the mistake of only sharing the highlight reel moments. But this approach often falls flat. It doesn’t reflect the reality that recruits experience daily, and thus, it isn’t a trustworthy framework. They know that success is filled with obstacles, failures, and moments of doubt. When you share stories that include your struggles, you connect with recruits on a deeper level. You show them that you understand their challenges and that you’ve been through similar situations. This vulnerability builds trust and positions you as a leader who can guide. As a recruiting leader, your goal is to inspire recruits to join you on a journey. By incorporating conflict and struggle into your stories, you build a deeper connection with your recruits. Next time you prepare to share a story, ask yourself: Where is the conflict? How can I share the struggles I faced? It’s these elements that will make your stories unforgettable and your recruiting efforts more successful.

What do Shonda Rhimes, Simon Sinek, Patti Stanger, and Joanna Gaines have in common? Nothing. But combine their gifts—and you get the blueprint for a world-class executive recruiter: Storytelling. Purpose. Matchmaking. Total transformation. After an exhaustive search, I had found the perfect candidate for my client’s opening. But that wasn’t enough. The resume? Solid. The experience? Unmatched. The opportunity? Career-changing. But none of that mattered if she didn’t show up ready to own the room. As an executive search pro, I don’t just pass resumes. I build bridges between top talent and high-stakes opportunities. And I make sure both sides are ready. So I worked with my client to present the opportunity in a way that made it feel essential …like something the candidate 𝘩𝘢𝘥 to have. Not just want. 𝘕𝘦𝘦𝘥. Like air. Then I turned to the candidate: 👉🏽 We reworked her story. Tightened it, targeted it, and tailored it for impact. 👉🏽 We turned a list of responsibilities on her resume into a compelling value proposition. 👉🏽 We turned interview prep into executive presence training. She crushed it. Secured the offer. Leveled up her career. Here’s what people forget: ↳ Even the most qualified candidate can lose the room if they don’t show up well. ↳ And even the best role can go unfilled if no one’s selling the vision. That’s the difference between me and others I don’t just find talent. ✅ I translate flat resumes into living, breathing value. ✅ I marry complex challenges to the people built to solve them. ✅ I help leaders see beyond bullet points and ✅ help candidates feel the pull of a mission so strong, it grabs them by the collar and doesn’t let go. Because when you present an opportunity like it’s oxygen, the right person will fight to take that first breath.

A Senior Director had two VP-level offers from competing companies. Company A’s offer was $50K higher in base salary. Company B had the story. Guess who won? This is a common scenario in RevOps hiring: the money might open the door, but it’s the story and how well it’s communicated that closes the deal. That’s why a well-managed, thoughtful interview strategy is critical. It goes far beyond a checklist of skills or a discussion of compensation. It’s about creating a narrative throughout the process, one that: • Clearly explains mission, culture, and how they drive broader success • Connects the role to tangible impact opportunities and strategic initiatives • Gives candidates the context to see themselves not just as “hired,” but as long-term partners in transformation In this case, Company B’s interview process was designed to craft and share that story intentionally. They aligned everyone involved, from recruiters to hiring managers around a unified message and consistently reinforced the “why.” Conversely, Company A had the better product but the process focused primarily on salary negotiations and generic role descriptions. The candidate left that interview with less clarity and connection to the mission beyond the paycheck. The candidate chose Company B despite the lower initial offer. He found purpose and alignment more compelling than the raw numbers. By the end of her first 12 months, she had crushed every metric she set out to get, increasing ARR 3x. Get who got that big year end bonus, promotion, and huge salary increase? Money matters, but it’s not the only currency in play. Invest in your interview strategy as a storytelling vehicle. Make it a competitive advantage by weaving in culture, vision, and value early and often. Help candidates picture their success and impact within your organization. That approach not only wins offers, it reduces churn, accelerates onboarding, and builds lasting leadership partnerships. Because the best leaders are motivated by more than comp. They want to build, influence, and catalyze growth alongside a company whose story they believe in. Say cheese:

𝐀 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞'𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐠 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰: 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝟓 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭. At first glance, it looked like a hiring risk. With five companies in six years and short tenures, it’s the kind of pattern that makes HR teams hesitate. But when we spoke, the truth unfolded: A startup that lost funding. A company bought out, role eliminated. A promised promotion that never came. A department dissolved. A manager whose behaviour drove people away. Not one of those transitions reflected poor performance, but you’d never know that from his resume. And that’s the lesson. People assume resumes speak for themselves. They don’t. Without context, even the strongest candidate can be misjudged. I asked him to add a single line of clarity next to each role: → “Oversaw financial integration during acquisition.” → “Supported team consolidation through restructure.” → “Managed cost controls through funding challenges.” Same timeline. Same experience. But now the resume showed adaptability, resilience, and operational depth, not instability. Two months later, he accepted a Controller role. The hiring manager said he stood out because he’d navigated environments most candidates haven’t. Here’s the reflection I want to share: Your career makes sense when someone hears it, but it needs to make sense on paper before they decide to listen. If your path hasn’t been linear, don’t shy away from it. Explain the transitions and give them context. Your next opportunity may depend on how clearly you communicate your story.

Good morning job seekers! For many job seekers who are feeling stuck, I find that helping them to change the story, or more specifically, change how they TELL the story is a good way to get out of a rut. Before I was a job seeking expert, I spent the majority of my career in senior roles in marketing and communications. So much of marketing and branding is about clear messaging and communications. This is especially true for job seekers. As a job seeker, you are a product in the marketplace of job seekers. Here's where job seekers hold power: Companies spend millions of dollars trying to convince consumers of their differentiators and how their product will solve problems and improve lives. In much the same way, job seekers who authentically communicate their differentiators, their ability to solve problems, their proven skills and expertise and the overall value they bring to a company will be the job seeker who gets a job offer. Try this: 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 — 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 Most candidates talk about: - Their experience - Their tasks - Their job titles But hiring managers care about one thing: “𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙮, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚?” Shift the conversation to: ➡️ The business challenge you understand ➡️ The outcome you can deliver ➡️ How your past accomplishments are predictors of future success ➡️ The value you create (See below on Impact!) Example shift: ❌“I have 15 years of marketing experience.” ➡️ “I have a proven track record of leading and motivating teams and elevating brand visibility across digital, print, web, and internal communication channels." Follow it up with specific stories and examples of success that are tied to the job you are applying and the challenges they face. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘆 By the time someone interviews you, they skimmed your resume. They know your work chronology. Now they want to hear, from your mouth, your stories that show proof of accomplishment and stories of how you operate to achieve results. Change the conversation to: ➡️Revenue you helped grow ➡️Processes you improved ➡️Money/time you saved ➡️Teams you led ➡️Problems you solved 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝘂𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲 Instead of waiting to be evaluated, the best candidates evaluate the role and diagnose the needs by having authentic questions of their future employer. Try these: ➡️“What’s the biggest problem you’re hoping this hire will solve in the first 90 days?” ➡️“What would a win look like for this position six months from now?” ➡️“Where is the team struggling right now?” ➡️“What capabilities are missing that you desperately need?” This immediately reframes you as: ✔ a strategist ✔ a peer ✔ a solution, not a supplicant

One of the best things I've done in my career is I stopped selling candidates the job. Now, I sell them the vision. Selling the company vision to candidates is the most effective way to attract top talent, especially those who are motivated by purpose, growth, and impact. 🔑 1. Clarify the Vision Internally Before selling the vision, you need a clear, compelling, and aligned understanding of it. This includes: - Mission: What is the company here to do? - Vision: What’s the long-term goal? What does success look like in 3–10 years? - Values: What principles guide how you work? 💬 2. Tailor the Message to the Candidate Adapt your pitch to what matters most to the candidate: - Sales reps may want to know about product and market fit. - Engineers may care about technical innovation and scale. - Marketers might want to build a category defining brand. - Leaders want to make a lasting impact and drive strategy. Ask questions early to understand their motivations, then link your vision to those. 🧩 3. Connect the Dots Between the Candidate and the Vision Make it personal: You’d play a critical role in helping us reach "X". Here’s how your background in "Y" makes you a great fit for that. Highlight the opportunity to: - Shape the future. - Have meaningful ownership. - Grow with the company. 🪜 4. Show Proof of Progress Vision without execution sounds hollow. Build credibility with: - Milestones already achieved. - Customer or revenue growth. - Key hires or investors. - Traction in the market. 🌍 5. Paint a Picture of the Future Help them see themselves in the journey: - What will the company look like in 3 years? - What challenges will they help overcome? - How will the work matter to customers, the world, or the industry? - Use storytelling: "Imagine in 2 years, you're leading..." 🧠 6. Use Founders and Leadership Effectively Founders and leadership can bring emotional intensity and authenticity to the vision. When possible: - Have them join final rounds. - Share their “why”. - Talk about long-term dreams. Candidates are often buying into people as much as vision. 💡 7. Make It a Two-Way Conversation Invite candidates to shape the vision: - "We’re excited about where we’re going, but we know the best ideas will come from people like you." This gives them a sense of belonging early on. #recruiting #hiring #leadership #technology #sales #innovation #careerdevelopment #motivation

11 Essential Storytelling Tips to Elevate Your Recruiting Firm and Attract Tech Talent: Successful leaders, especially in recruiting, have one thing in common… They know how to harness the power of storytelling to: • Engage top tech talent and connect them with forward-thinking companies. • Build lasting relationships with clients in industries focused on innovation. • Turn job candidates into long-term advocates for your brand and mission. Here’s how you can apply storytelling to thrive in the future-driven recruiting landscape: ➊ Adopt the Tech Talent Story Framework ↳ Frame the candidate as the hero on their career journey, with your firm as the experienced guide helping them unlock new opportunities. ➋ Leverage the Who-What-Why Method ↳ When introducing candidates, structure your pitch by focusing on their identity, the value they bring to the table, and the impact they will have within an innovative company. ➌ Master the Hero’s Journey Approach ↳ Take potential candidates on a journey from their current position to new heights, helping them envision the transformative impact they can make in high-tech roles. ➍ Implement the Visionary Framework ↳ Use a six-step method to paint a picture of how the right candidate can help your clients build the technologies of tomorrow—AI, machine learning, cloud computing, and more. ➎ Start with a Compelling Hook ↳ Open your conversations with unexpected insights about the tech world, or a surprising success story, to immediately capture the attention of candidates or clients. ➏ Follow the “Tech Trend Rule” ↳ Build narrative tension by demonstrating how the candidate’s potential aligns with the cutting-edge trends that your clients are pursuing, such as automation or blockchain. ➐ Show, Don’t Just Tell ↳ Instead of stating the obvious, use examples of real-world success to demonstrate the value a candidate can bring to a future-ready organization. ➑ Create an Emotional Bond ↳ Share vulnerable, authentic stories about candidates’ experiences in overcoming challenges and the emotional rewards of working with disruptive technologies. ➒ Keep It Simple and Clear ↳ When discussing complex technologies, ensure your language is simple and accessible, so your clients and candidates fully understand the value of their potential. ➓ Add Tangible Proof ↳ Provide specific data and real-world results to support your claims about candidates’ achievements, whether it’s a successful project launch or a groundbreaking innovation. ⓫ Highlight the Transformation ↳ Show the before-and-after impact of bringing in the right talent—whether it’s about shaping a company’s future or helping a candidate achieve career milestones. Storytelling isn’t just a tool—it’s your competitive edge in recruiting for future-ready industries. As #LouAdler, a staffing industry expert, once said: "You can’t hire for skills. You have to hire for performance."