A Tale of Two “Oh I Could Live Here” Moments
Talent attraction is a complicated beast. It encompasses place marketing and storytelling and PR. It requires a mix of broad messaging and personalized service. It’s about telling the world what makes your place special. It’s about understanding the needs of your employers and community and connecting the right people to the right opportunities.
At the heart of talent attraction, though, is a big ask.
You’re asking people to make one of the biggest decisions they can make: picking up and moving their whole lives for the promise of what your community has to offer. Talent attraction is about connecting with people on an individual level, helping them visualize a new life in a new place, and then assisting them in making it a reality.
At RoleCall, we call it a Path to Yes: the personalized journey of every new resident from curiosity to research to relocation.
Want to learn more about your community’s Path to Yes? Let’s chat.
One of the most important steps on this journey — and the one that’s hardest to predict or plan — is the “Oh I Could Live Here” moment. This is, of course, the moment things click for a potential resident, when they start seeing themselves as part of a place, and visualizing their future there. It’s the switch from outsider to insider. The realization that they belong.
My co-founder Tim and I took a trip to Genesee County, Michigan, recently as part of our work with the Flint & Genesee Group (a project we’re very excited to tell you more about, by the way). While there, we each experienced our own “Oh I Could Live Here” moments that perfectly illustrate this idea — and how important it is for cities to personalize and facilitate these kinds of experiences for potential residents.
My moment happened in downtown Flint during a tour of the Capitol Theatre. This historic theater was built in 1928, has been lovingly and painstakingly restored and updated, and now hosts concerts, movies, and plays.
The theater’s technical director, Chris, told us about the theater’s history and capabilities, and also his own story: what brought him to Flint, how he’d toured the country with punk rock bands but always found his way back here. He told us about what makes this place special, and the creative community he’d found and fostered here.
What happened for me in that moment? A lot, actually: I saw myself coming to the Capitol Theatre for concerts and movies a couple times a month. I saw myself leaning back in one of the seats and looking up at the twinkling star ceiling. I saw myself meeting and connecting with the energetic, creative crowd Chris described. I also understood some things about Flint: this is the kind of place that supports a theater like this. This is a creative, collaborative place that invests in the arts. In that moment, I saw myself as a resident, not a visitor. “Oh,” I thought, “I could live here.”
Tim’s moment happened during our tour of Fenton, a small community in Genesee County about 20 minutes from Flint’s city center. Fenton has a gorgeous downtown full of shops and park space and historic homes. After lunch at Crust bakery we walked around the park, popped into the local bookstore, and chatted about the history and evolution of this tight-knit community.
One of our hosts, Andy, lives in Fenton, and ran into some of his neighbors riding bikes while we were walking around. Their kids greeted him excitedly by name, asking where his kids were and if they were free to play later.
What happened for Tim in that moment? He saw himself and his family meeting up with friends at the park in the summer. He saw his kids making friends with other kids in the neighborhood, running into them on a downtown sidewalk and asking if they could meet up to play. He understood some things about Fenton: this is the kind of place where neighbors know each other. This is a warm and friendly community. In that moment, he saw himself as a resident, not a visitor. “Oh,” he thought, “I could live here.”
Tim and I have different lives and experiences and priorities. Our Paths to Yes look different, and so did our “Oh I Could Live Here” moments. That’s exactly how it should be.
Different Paths to Yes. Same commitment to taking selfies with sculptures.
There’s no way to manufacture an “Oh I Could Live Here” moment, because they are so unique. Could the city of Fenton have planted those kids on the corner to recreate this heartwarming scene and dupe Tim into thinking this was a family-friendly place? Sure, but that would be a logistical nightmare and child actors are notoriously difficult.
You can’t plan for a moment like this, which is why it’s so meaningful. But here’s the thing about personalized talent attraction: getting to know your potential residents can help you facilitate more meaningful experiences. If you had connected with Tim and me as incoming talent, you’d know that creative culture is a huge priority for me, and that Tim is bringing a family with him, and warmth and community connection are key to his sense of belonging.
There’s a Cheryl Strayed quote that I love:
“There’s always a sunrise and always a sunset and it’s up to you to choose to be there for it… Put yourself in the way of beauty.”
Your city has an “Oh I Could Live Here” moment for every person who is meant to be there. How are you going to put those people in the way of those moments?
Want to learn more about personalized talent attraction? Schedule a demo with us!