Want to Attract Top Talent? Tell Better Stories
Hiring the right people is difficult—it’s expensive when you get it wrong. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a bad hire can cost up to 30% of that employee’s annual salary. That doesn’t include the emotional cost to your team or the loss of momentum.
Fripp helps you drive sales with stories.All my clients tell me, “We’re doing our best to recruit the top 10% of available talent.”
While presenting at my 27th consecutive PayrollOrg Congress, I sat in the front row of a session that reinforced what I already teach—and gave me a new way to say it.
It was led by Nick Day, CEO of JGA Recruitment Group, a prominent voice in HR and payroll recruitment. Nick is known for his podcast, thought leadership, and a standout idea: Storytelling isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a must-have in recruitment.
Nick emphasized that compelling storytelling is not just the job of HR. Everyone involved in recruitment, from hiring managers to executives to happy associates, plays a role in shaping the story that top candidates will either want to join or ignore.
As Nick said, “If you only advertise job tasks or reuse the same bland job description year after year, don’t expect extraordinary people to respond.”
Here’s the difference one sentence can make:
“Our last Payroll Manager is now leading international payroll for our entire enterprise.” That’s a story. That inspires ambition. That gets results.
As a presentation skills expert, I’ve long taught that storytelling builds connection, drives engagement, and accelerates buy-in. When you sell a service, present a vision, or recruit talent, the right story can make your message irresistible.
When I coach companies on their internal presentations, I often suggest how to welcome new hires with memorable language:
“Congratulations on accepting what could well be your best job ever.”
“I will never forget my first day here and what has kept me here for 15 years.”
“In case you’re unfamiliar with some of our challenges, triumphs, and turning points…”
“Here’s what you can look forward to…” (Create positive expectations.)
“Let’s meet a few of the people who make this a great place to work…” (Bring them to life with stories.)
The real question isn’t “Are you hiring?”
Are you recruiting in a way that makes people feel like they’re stepping into a story worth telling?
Nick Day would agree: “You’ll never be able to tell a great company story unless you use storytelling to recruit the right characters to help shape it.”
Need help telling your story? Let’s talk.
“Patricia, you significantly impact Congress through all you do. You speak at Congress and are responsible for many industry expert presentations enjoyed throughout the week.”
Dan Maddux, Executive Director 