Becoming Choosable

A keynote for TA leaders who want to beat big brands without a big spend

The best candidates aren’t ghosting you—they never picked you in the first place. But when you are choosable, you can expect higher reply rates, better show rates, faster time-to-yes, and stronger offer acceptance—with less ad spend.

Built for mid-market recruiting teams who need results this quarter, not decks and platitudes.

Keynote Overview

Talent Strategy: Become Choosable

It's not 2010. "Looking good" is no longer an effective talent strategy.

When everyone looks good, everyone looks the same. That's no way to attract, engage and hire company-growing talent.

The problem this fixes

You’re spending more on ads, tools, and “brand polish” while response rates, show rates, and offer acceptance stall. The strongest candidates don’t ghost; you were never on their shortlist to begin with. And for great hires, nothing happens until they choose you first.

The promise

Becoming Choosable gives your team a practical, repeatable way to get chosen by the right candidates—without buying another tool. You’ll leave with a one-page Choosability Canvas and a 30-day rollout plan that turns vague EVP promises anddecks into real signals across jobs, outreach, social, and interviews.

Investment: $5,000–$10,000
Formats: Virtual • In-Person • In-Person + Workshop

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What your audience will take away

What you’ll get (outcomes you can measure)

  1. Sharper pipelines
    Fewer unqualified applicants, more right-fit conversations
  2. Higher intent
    Lift in reply rates, interview show rates, and offer acceptance
  3. Faster "Yes!"
    Time-to-yes and time-to-start trend down because expectations align
  4. Lower spend
    Paid ads and “spray-and-pray” diminish as organic pull increases
  5. Leader confidence
    TA shows up as a growth driver, not a cost center

What you’ll walk away with

  1. Your Choosability Canvas
    A custom one-page template to bring everyone together
  2. Stronger, clearer messaging strategy
    Stand out and be more credible to talent
  3. Recruiter enablement pack
    10 outreach lines, 5 intake prompts, 1 job-post skeleton
  4. Metrics that matter
    A simple dashboard: reply rate, show rate, time-to-yes, offer acceptance, cost per qualified applicant

What's inside the keynote

  • The Four Transformations TA needs to embrace to avoid being marginalized
  • The Choosability Canvas and the models you'll need to build your own
  • Why "differentiated value" beats pretty (and pretty expensive) tactics to attract the right talent
  • Examples of how the Choosability Canvas reshapes entire talent strategies

Why this works (and why mid-market teams love it)

  1. Built for 500–2,000-employee companies competing with big-name brands
  2. Message over media: Tech-agnostic; if needed, sidewalk chalk works
  3. Ship fast: You’ll leave with templates, not theory
  4. Plays recruiters will actually use: Intake rewrites, outreach lines, proof blocks, and interview cues
Inquire About Availability

What’s included with every booking

What makes this keynote different

Pricing

Virtual - $5,000

  1. 50-minute talk + 10-minute Q&A
  2. Choosability Canvas (editable template)
  3. Recording license for internal replay (30 days)

Live on stage - $7,500

  1. Everything in Virtual, delivered onsite
  2. Live mini-makeover: One job post or career block rewritten on the spot
  3. Recruiter quick-start pack: Outreach lines + intake prompts tailored to your roles

Complete workshop - $11,000

  1. In-Person Keynote
  2. 2-hour working session with your TA leaders & hiring managers to Build your first Choosability Canvas together (one target role/team):

FAQs

  • We already have an EVP. Do we need this?
    Perfect! This turns your EVP into proof and scripts your team will actually use.Can you tailor examples to our industry and priority roles?
  • Do we have to change our tech stack?
    No. This is tool-agnostic. Use whatever you have; your signals get sharper either way.
  • Is this only for tech companies?
    No. It’s designed for mid-market teams across industries (construction, healthcare, biotech, SaaS, manufacturing, etc).
  • How fast can we see impact?
    Teams typically see reply and show-rate lifts within 30 days when they ship the first proof blocks and outreach updates.

Ready to get chosen?

Ready to stop chasing and start getting chosen? Book Becoming Choosable and leave with a one-page canvas and the recruiter scripts to turn interest into eager yeses.
Pick your date, share your audience size and one target role, and I’ll tailor the live mini-makeover to your world: no new tools, no rebrand, just clearer signals that move reply rate, show rate, time-to-yes, and offer acceptance in the right direction.
Mid-market teams use this to beat big names without big spend; your leaders will see the math, your recruiters will use the plays, and your pipeline will feel the difference in 30 days.
Lock in your slot now and let’s make your company the obvious choice for the people who grow it.

Talent Acquisition Grows Companies

Your leadership is looking at you and your team skeptically. The usual grab-bag of job boards, ads and tech tools isn't working (and yet keeps getting more expensive).

A new strategy not only makes every tactic and tool more effective, it highlights your skill as a leader, as someone who understand that their job isn't to fill the ATS, but rather to help grow the company.

Send your timing and I’ll return availability and an activation timeline tailored to your roles.

Let's get you your seat at the table.

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What are you trying to achieve?

Maybe you need to get your teams excited about employer branding.
Or you need to bring teams together to become advocates.
Or you need to teach your hiring managers how to support TA.
Or you need to get leadership onboard a strategy shift.🔥
Or you need to train your recruiting teams.
Or you need to brainstorm employer brand activation.
Or you just need to make your CFO happy.📈

As a featured keynote at in-house events for Coca-Cola, Kohler, Concept Bureau, Alstom, Schlumberger, Deutsche Bahn Group, MOL Group, Twitter (RIP), Indeed, and many others, I've helped companies hire better by re-thinking the power of their employer brand and building creative recruitment strategies.

In short, I can get your people excited about what we do.

The intersection of experience and storytelling

Creating change isn't easy. It doesn't happen because you have better data. It doesn't happen because it helps the company. It doesn't happen because you're right.

People change and take action because you get them to enroll in your vision. You fire up their emotions, change their perspective, and give them the tools to make change.

I know you want your company or organization to achieve more through talent: attracting better people faster and easier, getting them to fall in love with your brand, and stay longer.

Whether it is getting executive buy-in, training TA teams, or turning different teams into employer brand advocates, I can help you make your vision real.

"James is not only an expert in his field but also an exceptional storyteller and presenter. His session with our HRIT Connect community of HR system administrators was not only insightful and thought-provoking, but also hilarious!"

"It was amazing! I kept getting pings on teams from people saying “He’s so great! This is amazing!” Etc. The overall explanation of how we need to differentiate and then digging into their questions and real world examples got the creative juices flowing. You kept it engaging and fun and I got a lot of great feedback about that too."

"James is an event organizer's dream speaker. He is professional, personable, easy to communicate with, compes with great knowledge, and really understands how to engage an audience by expertyly blending information, inspiration, energy, and entertainment."

"If you want your organization to understand the value employer brand brings to your business (and the bottom line), look no further. You are up for the professional treat of a lifetime."

"I said this at the of our last call too, but it bears repeating, because how often do we get to say this after a call, really?! I feel smarter. THANK YOU for that invaluable reframe."

"James Ellis is BRILLIANT when it comes to leveraging content to recruit talent. If you want to attract the best talent, this is a must-listen."

"Seriously, I’ve never walked away from a conference session with so many action items that I can put to use tomorrow."

"You're going to get something different when you get James Ellis up on stage: Unique insight and unique delivery. If you need someone to wake the crowd up with expert insight and creative storytelling, James is your guy."

"This was time definitely well spent! And more important: it was really fun. Lots of food for thoughts and ideas on how to use the insights gained further."

"Engaging, and high-energy, he is a powerful voice and expert in employer brand. From bridging the gap between marketing and human resources, to developing a cohesive and effective employer brand outreach, he understands long-term goals."

"James’s energy and straight-talk approach is so appreciated."

"James combines brilliant storytelling and experience with his in depth knowledge of employer branding. Thanks James for bringing your energy and passion. It was certainly refreshing!"