From Talent Shortage to Talent Magnetism as a growth strategy.
There was a time in my former HR & talent acquisition career when I was absolutely convinced that the talent market was broken.
Great roles, competitive salaries, inspiring missions—and yet, people weren’t applying. Or if they did, they were the wrong fit. I remember thinking: “What more do they want from us?!”
Then one day, I realised I was asking the wrong question. Instead of “why aren’t they coming?” I asked: “Why would they choose us in the first place?”
The company I worked for was Management Events. A very successful invitation-only B2B event business that today brings together Europe’s top C-level executives and select solution providers through exclusive networking events.
At the time, we were only just in the early steps of internationalization of the business.
In Finland, we were well known among our talent target audience.
Hiring and retaining was not an issue at all.
But when we started opening offices and hiring in new countries, we faced what all B2B businesses face when entering new markets: the talent audience has no idea who you are because your business marketing is focused on the B2B platforms and people and none of your messages has crossed the radars of talents.
But when we started opening offices and hiring in new countries, we faced what all B2B businesses face when entering new markets: the talent audience has no idea who you are because your business marketing is focused on the B2B platforms and people and none of your messages has crossed the radars of talents.
I was struggling trying to figure out how to help the country managers with hiring when we were non-existent in the minds of the target talents.
Not only were we that, but we were also very ambitious wanting to hire the most competent, quick-thinking and socially capable young talents who only had their eyes on the media sexiest employers of the time.
I quickly learned that being unknown equals being untrustworthy in the eyes of a job seeker.
Employers who are unknown in their talent target audiences are too much of a risk. And the more senior talent you want to hire, the less they feel they need to take risks anymore in their career.
Employers who are unknown in their talent target audiences are too much of a risk. And the more senior talent you want to hire, the less they feel they need to take risks anymore in their career.
Also, I learned, just because you are very well known and respected business in the eyes of the clients, does not mean the job seeker audience has any knowledge of you, or respect towards you.
“Why would they choose us in the first place?”
When they’ve never heard of us, when they are what the much better known and fancier employers also wanted to hire them.
Why would they choose someone like us who was an uncertain start up in their country with very little to offer right now – only much later.
Hmm, much later?
That question changed everything.
It opened my eyes to a complete shift in recruitment messaging and marketing, to what much later turned into a story-driven employer branding method called the Magnetic Employer Branding Method™.
Much later equals vision of what awaits for us in this journey and what makes this all compelling and worth-while right now.
This is the shift in mindset all employers, recruiters, business leaders, communicators and marketers must adopt when the business is on any kind of a change journey.
Based on my long and vast experience, most companies do not want to address the change journey elephant in the room. If a business and an organization does not change – it dies. Not addressing change is like closing your eyes from the evident.
Everything living is in a state of transformation. The key is to understand it and take the driver’s seat on it.
The faster an organization transforms the harder it is for the leaders and employees.
Hiding the truth is the road to disaster.
You need people who are compelled and energized by change and will make it happen.
Not people who will struggle, fight and end up burnt out because of it.
This takes us back to the concept of a journey.
And that journey took me from feeling stuck in a talent drought to leading a business that now magnetises and helps many others to magnetize the right people—without chasing them.
And this is what I want to help you experience too.
Episode 202: From Talent Shortage to Talent Magnetism: Story-Driven Employer Brand as a Growth Strategy
Welcome back to the Story-Driven Business Podcast, my friend! My name is Susanna Rantanen, and if you’re tired of hearing “there just aren’t enough good candidates out there” while your business keeps struggling to grow, today’s episode is for you.
Because here’s the truth: You’re not in a talent shortage. You’re in a trust shortage.
In a world where top talents choose their next move based on stories, purpose and identity alignment—it’s your employer brand narrative that either attracts or repels. Most businesses are unknowingly pushing people away with bland, unclear, or completely missing employer messaging.
But don’t worry. In this episode, I’ll help you flip that narrative and step into talent magnetism.
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The Illusion of Talent Shortage
Let’s start by tackling the elephant in the room: the so-called talent shortage.
I’m not saying there aren’t challenges like talent shortage.
But the problem isn’t that there aren’t enough talented people. The problem is: they don’t see you as a place worth joining.
But the problem isn’t that there aren’t enough talented people. The problem is: they don’t see you as a place worth joining.
Think about it: If your ideal hire doesn’t know who you are, what you stand for, or how they’d belong, you’re not in their mental shortlist.
And if they do know of you but only see you as “just another company,” you’re still invisible.
And even if you managed to talk them into listening to you, the only value they see getting from you is their salary and benefits. Meaning: you’ll end up with a hefty request.
So let’s stop treating talent shortage like a pipeline problem. It’s a positioning problem.
Let me expand on this further.
What we’re seeing across industries is a pattern: businesses are investing in recruitment but under-investing in brand.
It’s like opening a beautifully designed shop with no signage, no windows, and no lighting—and then wondering why no one walks in. Talent shortage is really just like customer shortage.
What we’re seeing across industries is a pattern: businesses are investing in recruitment but under-investing in brand. It’s like opening a beautifully designed shop with no signage, no windows, and no lighting—and then wondering why no one walks in.
To make it worse, when businesses do get applicants, they often focus entirely on skills and experience and miss the alignment of mindset, values, and purpose.
That misalignment becomes an expensive mistake in retention and team harmony, and only get you deeper into the struggles of talent shortage.
That’s why I say: It’s not a talent shortage. It’s a shortage of clarity and connection.
Transitioning From Reactive to Magnetic
Reactive hiring is when you post a job and hope. Maybe boost it.
Magnetic hiring is when great people have already decided they want to work for you before you ever post a job.
This is what employer branding done well achieves.
But it doesn’t start with slogans or fancy career pages. It starts with clarity: Who are we? What do we stand for? And who belongs here?
You can’t attract talent by trying to be the option for everyone.
You become magnetic by being specific, bold and true. That’s how you create desire. That’s how you generate pull. And that’s how you get rid of talent shortage.
You become magnetic by being specific, bold and true. That’s how you create desire. That’s how you generate pull. And that’s how you get rid of talent shortage.
Let me share an example.
One of our clients once worried that if they communicated their true culture, which was fast-paced, no-nonsense, and high-autonomy, they might scare people off.
And guess what? They did. But only the wrong ones.
The right ones? They were excited. They leaned in. They saw themselves in the story and applied enthusiastically.
When you’re brave enough to repel, you become strong enough to attract.
When you’re brave enough to repel, you become strong enough to attract.
Business Storytelling As Your Growth Strategy
Business storytelling isn’t fluff.
It’s a strategic communication tool that makes abstract things like culture, values and leadership tangible. And is the key ingredient in getting rid of talent shortage.
Your employer brand must not be a campaign.
It’s the ongoing story your people tell, your leaders live, and your candidates feel.
And that story?
It should never be about the employer. It should be about the talent.
In the Magnetic Employer Branding Method™, we apply the sciences of storytelling and persuasion to position the talent as the hero and your company as their trusted guide.
That’s the story that resonates. That’s what builds trust.
I want to invite you to start seeing your communication like a movie script.
Your job is to craft a narrative where the listener says: “Oh! That’s me. That’s my struggle. That’s what I want.”
Then you guide them toward their transformation. This is how story drives alignment, belonging, and action.
When companies nail this, they become more than a workplace. They become a movement people want to join.
Making Talent Shortage A Business Case For The Boardroom
Still not sure if this belongs in the boardroom?
Let me be blunt: Your ability as a business to attract and retain the right people is your growth strategy. It impacts performance, innovation, retention, customer experience—everything.
You can minimize or even get rid of talent shortage when you fix the real problem behind it.
Let me be blunt: Your ability as a business to attract and retain the right people is your growth strategy. It impacts performance, innovation, retention, customer experience—everything.
If your leadership isn’t involved in employer branding, you’re missing one of the most underleveraged levers for business success.
Let me also highlight the ripple effects: a compelling employer brand boosts employee advocacy, strengthens internal culture, reduces recruitment costs, improves time-to-hire, and increases customer trust.
…increases customer trust.
Why? Because when employees feel proud and connected to where they work, they naturally deliver better results. They tell better stories. They become the brand.
This is not an HR trend. This is modern leadership.
Just 5 Questions to Audit The Pull Of Your Employer Brand
If you’re now wondering, “Where do I start?” here are five powerful questions to take to your next leadership meeting:
- Are we clear on the type of talent we want to attract—beyond just skills?
- Does our current messaging reflect who we really are as a company?
- Are our leaders visible, relatable, and consistent in how they show up?
- Are we creating content that tells our story from the talent’s perspective?
- Do we measure the impact of our employer branding activities on actual business goals?
These questions will guide you toward clarity, alignment and action.
So, my friend… Are you ready to stop surviving talent droughts and start leading with story? Are you ready to turn your company into a talent magnet?
If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a fellow leader or communicator who’s stuck in the old way of thinking.
And if you’re curious to learn how to actually implement the Magnetic Employer Branding Method™, check out my book Story-Driven Employer Branding. It’s the blueprint you’ve been waiting for.
You can get it on Amazon or directly from me placing your order at storydrivenemployerbranding.com
I want to end this episode with this quote:
“You don’t build a brand by talking about yourself. You build a brand by making others feel like they belong in your story.”
Until next time: Keep matching minds with mission—and never forget that your story is your most strategic asset.
My name is Susanna Rantanen and I’m your guide to Business Storytelling. When you need a great partner for story-driven leadership and branding that starts with people and targets people, check out our family business, Employer Branding Agency Emine, as human-to-human with your employees and clients is the new way of messaging with your most important audiences.
Check out these episodes, too!
#194 From Employer Brand to Business Strategy: The Power of Story-Driven Positioning