Hey Reader!

AI is helping candidates apply to hundreds of jobs a day. Your inbox is overflowing. And most of them aren't even close to qualified.

So what does the HR Tech industry offer you? Tools to sort through the mess faster. Platforms to source and outreach to more candidates. Solutions built for a problem that isn't actually your problem.

Your problem isn't finding candidates. It's attracting the 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 ones.

So how do you fix it?

You can spend your entire budget on tools that promise to help you manage the flood. Or you can do what has always worked and will continue to work long after the latest AI tool gets acquired or sunsets:

Repel the many. Attract the few.

You do this by telling the right stories.

I was working with a hiring manager on an e-commerce manager role. Simple title, but it meant something different at every company. We were drowning in unqualified applicants. Rewrote the job ad multiple times. Nothing changed.

So I asked her to record a short video. Don't talk about the job. Talk about the backstory. Why we're hiring. Who would thrive here. Who you are as a manager.

We added that video to the job ad and shared it on social.

Everyone we interviewed already understood the role. They could see themselves in the actual job before we even got on a call. We didn't just hire faster. We hired 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

And finding these stories? It's not hard. You just need a system to notice them.

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I gave a talk at RecFest breaking down exactly how:

• The 3 lenses to spot stories hiding in your day-to-day
• A simple daily practice so you never run out of content ideas
• The GSD framework (Grab, Serve, Direct) for videos that convert
• How to build a story spotter network to catch moments even when TA isn't in the room

Storytelling is how you'll win at recruiting in 2026. Not better job posts. Not more tech. Stories.

​Click below to watch the full talk:

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Trust me, you'll never look at your day-to-day the same again. Sorry in advance. And you're welcome. 💖

📌 ICYMI...

And if you want some more evidence that storytelling works, please check out these episodes of the Workfluencer Podcast, featuring folks that are using storytelling successfully:

• ​How Minda Harts Rebuilt Workplace Trust Through Storytelling​
• ​How Storytelling Builds Inclusion and Community at Work with Tara Turk-Haynes​
• ​How to Turn Internal Stories into Employee Advocacy with Matt See​
• ​How to Get Hiring Managers to Create Video Content - with Meghan Cantrell​

Let me know what you think!