Vision Must Be a Cornerstone of Recruiting

The most powerful weapon in any employer’s recruiting arsenal is “vision.” Successful companies market their vision to improve the odds that they will be the chosen vendor while selling their product. In a similar fashion, you can appeal to the needs of prospective employees with your “sell the product” messages. However, whether or not you emerge as the victorious employer will often reflect how well you have “marketed the vision,” more so than how well you sell your product.

A vision:

• Can be summarized in one minute (or better, 30 seconds)

• Must be a story, not some memorized mantra or collection of slogans

• Showcases differentiation (“What sets us apart from every one of our competitors is …”)

• Creates excitement.

If you cannot articulate your company’s vision based on these criteria (crisply with compelling differentiation and excitement), then you cannot execute the “market the vision, sell the product” approach. First, fix your vision pitch, and then upgrade your recruiting.

SOURCE: Excerpted from the article “Vision” by Richard Currier, chairman of the Park City Marketing Institute. Richard Currier is known as the “go-to expert” in crafting market leadership messages and product positioning for high-tech companies. While his consulting practice is usually sold out, he does offer a two-day workshop in Mastering Market Leadership. He can be reached at rcurrier@parkcity.net.