Holy Shit!

(and other nice things people said about Becoming Choosable)

Holy shit, this is the book we need right now.
-Tracey Parsons, Flockity

Holy shit, this is good. WOW. This book is not about “employer branding best practices.” This is a strategic manual, a declaration of independence from the Cost Center Ghetto. If you are a TA leader who wants to sit at the table where the money is allocated, not just where the forms are filled out, read this book. This isn’t fluffy marketing; it’s a map for turning your team from transaction processors into strategic Value Drivers. This book is the lever. Use it.
-Brian Fink, The Rework Group

This book is dangerous in the best possible way. It makes you see every piece of recruiting you’ve been tolerating and every ounce of bullshit you’ve been spoon-fed. James drops ten truths like bombs, rewrites how you think about value, and then hands you a system so clean you’ll wonder why the hell the industry hasn’t been doing this all along. Becoming Choosable will either wake you up or piss you off. Ideally both.
-Allyn Bailey, SmartRecruiters

Fucksake, what a game-changer!
-Kelli McCann, Robinhood

Most books on talent talk in circles. Becoming Chooseable is the first one that tells the truth and gives you the spine to actually do something with it. James doesn’t coddle. This book rewires how you think about value, strategy, and talent attraction at a cellular level. If you lead people, hire people, or rely on people to grow your business, this isn’t optional reading. It’s the new operating system. And yes, it will piss you off before it sets you free.
-Gabi Preston-Phypers, Tooled Up Racoons

This isn’t just a book. It’s the TA manifesto we’ve been waiting for. Everything we’ve felt, seen, and struggled with is finally spelled the f*ck out. Mandatory read!
-Jennifer Filippelli, nextGen Talent

If you still think posting a job and praying to the ATS gods counts as a strategy, this book will sting, but in a good way. James gives the receipts to prove who actually drives the business forward.
-Celinda Appleby, Visa

In the name of all this is holy and half-fucking broken; James doesn’t just get into a recruiter’s head. He sets up camp and redecorates. This book is the giant neon wake-up sign CEO’s, talent leaders, recruiters, and EB pros need. It’s a no-bullshit how-to with real world examples, painfully clear direction, and it’s funny as fuck.
-Samantha McHale, Monster Energy

James begins his book with the line, “The best books unleash the reader,” and this one truly does. After more than 20 years in employer branding, I’ve read my fair share of recycled advice, repeated frameworks, and buzzwords pretending to be insight. Then there are the rare voices that make you stop scrolling, stop skimming, and actually think. When James says the words “employer branding,” I pay attention. I read the sentences, not just glance at them.
-Kerry Noone, Ford Motor Company

Holy fucking cheese. They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again which basically makes recruitment and employer branding a full-time psychiatric case. The funniest part about this book? It’s literally just common sense… the stuff we all know, conveniently ignore, and then act shocked about when things go wrong. If it makes you stop, swear under your breath, and rethink how you’re hiring or running your employer brand, then it’s already done more than half the industry manages. This isn’t another performative, shiny, ego driven “strategy” book. It’s the slap-in-the-face wake-up call you didn’t know you needed - but definitely fucking did.
-Claire de Souza, Founder of the EB Space

At one point, I nearly stood up in my office and provided a standing ovation. This is the bible on how to position your company to be competitively unique, and THE landing spot for talent that resonates with both your mission and the employee experience. Read this book to propel your career, and your company’s employer brand. Pass it up and fall the fuck behind.
-Dennis Tupper, Wells Fargo

Sharply articulated, powerfully positioned and so achingly logical you’ll be amazed you hadn’t thought of it yourself. Deal with it. You didn’t. He did. Just be thankful he shared it.
-Steven Brand, Rolls-Royce

If you’re looking for polite, close the book. This one’s got teeth—and it bites.
-Kim Lamoureux, Flint Corp

James has written the book you reach for when the pressure is real and you need answers fast. It cuts through the usual industry bullshit because it’s written by someone who actually does the work, not someone studying it from the sidelines. This is a tactical, battle-tested playbook that tells you exactly what to do next and gives you the confidence to get on with it. No fluff. No fantasy. Just sharp thinking, clear steps, and straight talk that gets you out of trouble and back in control. James is pushing the industry forward again, and this book proves it.

-Bryan Adams, HappyDance

My goodness, friend, you are in luck
To help get your EB unstuck
Who better to tell us
Than teacher James Ellis
Read this book and say “holy frijoles”
-Kurt Vanderah

Becoming Choosable is for everyone in TA, especially TA leaders and senior HR leaders. James gives TA leaders a practical way to walk into a room with hiring leaders and partners across the business and reframe “we need to fill this req” into “we need to solve a real business problem,” then design a talent story and system that the right people will choose. If you believe, as I do, that every req is a business problem to solve, this is a book you keep on your desk, not your shelf.

-Steve White, Sam’s Club

Available today on Amazon!