As I was flying to Zurich last
week, I was in good company. A best-selling author of cooking books and an
advocate for a healthy life style, was sitting 2 rows in front of me. Needless
to say that I was very curious to check whether she was as healthy looking as
her approach promises.
I was disappointed to see that her appearance,
without the make up, was not as glowing as I would have expected….I even
secretly thought that I looked more radiant J.
It only goes to show that stories
are subject to reality-checks. Which brings me to my last blog and my promise to
talk in a sequel about pitfalls.
For every good story, there is a
least one that does not stick. Most of the time it does not have anything to do
with the content of what you are telling but with the way the story is being
told.
The one thing you should always
keep in mind is the objective of the story that you tell…in this case, you want
to attract the right type of candidate… a candidate who will fit in your team
and who will thrive within the organization.
This does not automatically mean
that you should tell the same story over and over again. Always using the same
strategy will make you lose diversity among employees.
Depending on the role people will
have or the type of personality you are looking for, you can differentiate or stress
other aspects of your story while keeping the overall framework the same.
As the world is becoming smaller,
the importance of having a story that is spread throughout the organization
becomes more important. The really good candidates (and those are the ones you
want to attract) actively search for information on potential employers through
on-line media or through talking to (former-) employees. Therefore it is imperative
that stories are aligned. This does not only mean that everyone should tell the
same story, preferably spiced up with their own personal experiences but also
the website and all social media should breathe the look and feel of that
story. Even the reception and the atmosphere during the interviews should
convey the same message. Images and feelings have a stronger attraction than
words.
To prevent these pitfalls there is
an easy solution: build a genuine story, one that reflects reality. A story
that all employees can relate to and that shows the company as it stands today.
It does not have to be an idyllic picture but a personal story that reflects
your drives, your challenges and your enthusiasm for the organization that you
work for.
Let me know your story, and I’ll
tell you whether it sticks!
I look forward to hearing from you,
Isabel
Through a personalized and
tailor-made approach, Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in
attracting the right talent that matches the DNA of your company
Follow me on Twitter
@IngeniumSearch
