Your story is your greatest recruiting resource to getting the talent you need

Chris Edwards

Here is a great example of how your story can impact your ability to recruit.

Check out this article written by Rob Siltanen, chairman and chief creative officer at Siltanen & Partners.

It’s a long read, but worth it… but just in case, here is the cliff notes version

True story. You know it. But might have forgotten it.
definitely worth sharing 🙂

1997 — the year Steve Jobs came back to Apple.

Revenue? $7 billion. (Remember that number.)

Apple was 90 days from running out of cash.

Beaten down. Forgotten. Barely breathing.

They brought back the guy they once fired — a long-shot play.

Jobs walks into a company halfway in the grave.
Morale? Trash. Talent? Bleeding. Future? Grim.

So what does he do?

He doesn’t launch a new product.

Doesn’t talk specs. Doesn’t talk comp. He tells a story.

“We believe people with passion can change the world for the better. We’re not just making computers. We’re challenging the status quo. Think Different.

Today, most companies lead with:

→ Here’s the job

→ Here’s the comp

→ Here’s the tech stack

But the best talent?

They want to know what they’re signing up to believe in.

They want a reason to go all in.

If you can’t tell a clear, compelling story —

→ In an interview

→ On a job post

→ In how your team shows up

…you’re not competing. You’re just filling seats.

now, remember that $7B revenue number from earlier in the post?

By 2011, the year Jobs passed, Apple hit $108B in revenue

That’s a 1,400% growth in 14 years. Wild right!!!!!

And it started with one story.

That story rallied talent.

It attracted missionaries, not mercenaries.

Designers. Engineers. Innovators. All-in believers.

It got the right people on the bus.

I share this because in recruiting, this is what we build our work around

Your story, whether you believe it or not, is your greatest competitive advantage.

It’s what makes the right people want in.

Reference: Link here

Learn more about attracting talent with authenticity in Attracting Talent with Authenticity and Strategy.

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CEC is a talent strategy consultant helping growing companies design competitive, values-aligned hiring frameworks that attract top talent. With 10+ years of experience, CEC has worked with fast-growing startups and established teams alike.