Transcript of a short talk by Glen Cathey explaining why storytelling is powerful in recruitment and referral hiring. Cathey opens with a brief illustrative story (Mara and the scarf), cites memory advantages of stories, and gives five practical steps for collecting, crafting, sharing, teaching, and refining company stories to improve referrals.
Chapters
Let me tell you a short story. Mara shivered as she waited for the bus, her threadbare coat no match for the bitter winter wind. She couldn't afford a warmer one this year. The bus was running late and she sighed, ready to start the long, cold walk home instead. Just then, a friendly older woman approached her with a compassionate smile. It's so cold out here. I think you need this more than I do right now, she said, unfolding a beautiful new scarf from her bag. It looked warm and soft, the kind Mara admired from behind store windows but knew she could never justify buying. Mara's eyes filled with grateful tears as the woman gently wrapped the scarf around her neck. Its warm embrace felt like a soothing hug, a small act of caring and understanding that she desperately needed. As the bus finally approached, Mara found herself renewed by an act of kindness from an unexpected friend. She resolved to pay the act of kindness forward someday soon. How did this story make you feel? Warmth and hope? Uplifted? Inspired to be kind to others? What could you learn from it? Maybe that trust builds over time. Or maybe that small acts of kindness can really make a difference why do stories touch us so much? Why does a good story grab us more than just facts? It's all in our minds. We love stories. They bring out our emotions and make us feel connected. They stick with us way more than just facts. Studies even show people remember 65% of stories compared to only 5% of facts. After 10 minutes, stories are 22 times more memorable because they make us feel Matthew Lund from Pixar says that stories stick and stir emotions. This is super important in finding and hiring people. When you tell great stories about your company, the job or the team, you're not just giving information, you're taking people on an emotional ride. And this ride can turn someone who just listens into someone who refers you people and tells others about your company and job. So how can you use stories to influence people to share their contacts? 1. Start by collecting real and engaging stories from within your company. These can come from new hires, long time employees and your hiring managers. 2. Create short, relatable real life stories of employee growth, successful projects, career shifts, work, life balance, and examples of company values to illustrate the tangible, positive impact of working at your company. 3. Share these stories when you talk to people in your candidate outreach and on social media. 4. Teach others on your team to tell these stories too. 5. Listen to how people react to your stories and change them to fit what they respond best to. Remember, facts tell, but stories sell as you get better at finding people through referrals. Let storytelling be your guide. You'll not only find more people who want to help, but the referrals will be better because they come from a deep emotional understanding of what makes your company and its job special. Now go tell your story. It's your best tool in referral recruiting.
