Today, video is the leading medium for spreading information online. In fact, watching videos outranks any other online activity, making it an ideal medium for corporations to communicate their message. When it comes to recruiting, the video trend offers employers an exciting opportunity to reach potential candidates in a new way. Because videos are engaging, easy to share and quickly travel from user to user, companies can utilize video to expand their brand awareness and reach new job seekers. Plus, employers can better communicate their employment information to candidates compared to using text alone. Video can evoke emotions in a way that written words simply cannot. When done correctly, a recruitment video should inspire the right job seekers to think “I want to work here! Where can I learn more?” (And in the same way, help the wrong applicants self-select out).
If you’re ready to move your recruiting efforts into the video realm, then you’re headed in the right direction. The benefits of including video as a part of your recruiting strategy are hard to argue.
When preparing for your video, it’s important to think about who you’re targeting and what kind of positioning that audience requires. First, ask yourself what defines the candidate audience you’re trying to reach. Maybe you’re targeting people who have nurturing skills for human services, or you could be looking for innovative, techie individuals. Regardless of your answer, you should tailor the video message and delivery to reach that specific group of job seekers. You may want the video to lean toward informational in order to clearly communicate your company’s expectations. On the other hand, you may want your video to be more entertaining or creative in order to attract a certain type of candidate. The answer is really dependent upon what goal you're trying to accomplish.
Informational videos focus on providing company facts and insight. These are the kind of videos that educate job seekers on the details of working for a company. Their purpose is to target the right audience of candidates by sharing enough information to communicate the ideal applicant. Also, the fact that they’re considered “informational” doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be boring. If you want to truly engage job seekers, make sure it’s fun to watch.
Entertaining videos focus less on sharing employer facts and more on capturing candidates’ attention. Twitter has a great example. These are the kind of videos that get shared across multiple channels, which helps create employment brand exposure as well as drive traffic to your careers sites or specific job listings.
Regardless of what path you choose, here are a few guidelines that help guarantee video success.
Now, you have to decide what type of video you wish to create. Maybe you have a popular position that hires often. Highlighting that role in a position overview makes it easy for job seekers to understand the responsibilities of the job. Or maybe you want to show how collaborative your company’s work space is. An employer brand video that showcases your office and employees working together would help communicate that message. Here are the common types of video used for recruiting:
Whatever type you choose, the critical aspect is to make your recruiting videos compelling. Tell your story genuinely and odds are you will capture the ideal candidate’s attention.
