When Dr. Joe Phillips started posting about his team on LinkedIn, something surprising happened.

He started getting more/better applicants for positions within his department. That’s not even the most interesting part.

At the time, Dr. Phillips was the technology director for Kansas City Public Schools. Not leading some Silicon Valley startup or Manhattan unicorn. He couldn’t offer big salaries or cushy benefits packages.

All he could promise job applicants is that the work they would do would make a difference in kids’ lives.

And all he did was start sharing his department’s stories, featuring his team and celebrating their work with simple text posts, candid photos, and amateur videos.

If attracting talent to your company or team is important to you, here’s what Dr. Phillips’ experience teaches us.

Of course, people want to be compensated well. But they also crave purpose and meaning in their work. If they can be a part of something big or important, they are more likely to make compromises on things like salary or perks.

If your company is making a difference in people’s lives, tell that story as much as you can.

Attracting “Your” People

By focusing your storytelling on your organization’s purpose, you automatically attract people who are aligned with your values. These are “your” people.

When you use storytelling to share your purpose, you don’t have to spend time weeding out applicants who don’t really want to be there.

Stories Connect

It’s one thing to say the work you’re doing is important, but that’s not interesting. When you show it through stories, people get it.

Use simple, emotional stories to create connections with people and attract them to your mission.

Whenever you’re ready, I can help you use storytelling to generate real business results. Just set up a quick call to get started.