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Lynn Hazan

Passion Collaboration

September 20, 2006 | by brett | Permalink

Storytelling is the oldest form of communication. A good storyteller includes the audience in the experience. As a result of this intimate inclusion, people are much more likely to remember a story than a statistic.

Lynn Hazan is passionate about communicating and combines her love for storytelling into her recruiting business. She has told stories around the world, including frequent visits to, Rancho La Puerta, a health and fitness spa in Tecate, Mexico. She has also gone on expeditions to speak to 1,300 Ethiopian children. In the midst of her travels, she has managed to run her own executive search firm, Lynn Hazan and Associates (www.lhazan.com).

So how does Lynn combine her two passions? Here is her story:

Lynn grew up as a first generation Canadian. Her father was from Damascus and her mother from Cairo. Her parents were true pioneers and at an early age, this maverick spirit was ingrained in Lynn as she dreamt of becoming a pioneer herself.

Her first step towards embracing this drive was moving to the United States, where she received her master’s degree at Brandeis University in Waltham, before moving to Chicago to work with future ‘neurotics’ (aka graduate students) on campuses in the area. After she felt she had hit the glass ceiling and could no longer grow as an individual, she accepted a part-time telemarketing position that led her to one of her passions: recruiting.

Lynn always loved the stage and an early age she would often perform in front of her parent’s dinner guests by reciting commercials she memorized. She knew that she always loved to tell stories and rekindled her by performing a short story for her friend’s daughter’s Hanukkah party. Seeing the children’s eyes light up, she decided that she would try and pursue her passion for storytelling.

She attended workshops and seminars all the while practicing her ability to tell a tale. Meanwhile, her search firm looked for candidates tied into storytelling. She encouraged her students to tell their stories in their interview processes. Eventually, more opportunities to entertain audiences surfaced. Through her energetic interpretations of tales, she received the chance of a lifetime when she was invited to go to Ethiopia.

Her storytelling became a tool for fundraising for humanitarian relief. Lynn increasingly used her storytelling skills, not only to entertain, but also to motivate and inspire people to take action.

Because of her pursuit and desire to do what she loves, she has managed to combine two things that bring excitement and stimulation. She has ingrained them so deeply that there is no separation between who she is as a person and what she does for a living.

Some additional advice that she had to offer pertained to storytelling and getting your ducks in a row:

“The most important thing about storytelling is to touch the emotion, the soul of the audience. You have to create empathy with the audience, and make sure the story is believable. Make it sound like they’ve been on the journey with you. Tell your story, and be authentic.”

In regards to advice for obtaining a job, Lynn said:

“The more you walk like, talk like, sound like and look like a duck; if a client wants to hire a duck, the more you resemble the duck, the better the chances of getting an interview. I literally have ducks lined up on my window sill at the office. While they might look silly, actually, as a visual they are quite fun. It’s good not to be too serious in this business all the time. Candidates laugh when I tell them they need to be duck-like. I also make the analogy of mirroring your clients’ needs. The more my candidates match the specs and client needs, the better the chances of getting a job. Ducks lined up in a row; this is an obvious image of prepping and making sure the candidate is ready for an interview or opportunity. This includes background research, aligning oneself with the client needs, looking professional etc. In other words, ready and eager.”