Creating video content to attract top talent is becoming more and more common place. Whilst text based job advertisements can be very effective in attracting candidates, video content is dynamic and catches the eye of top talent.
Now, if you are a small company or a start up, I can feel you slumping your shoulders from here. Creating videos is costly right? Wrong.
And here’s the good news. Gone are the days when you had to spend a fortune to create video content. With so many free (or nearly free) video making tools around, you don’t need a huge corporate budget to create eye catching and compelling video content to attract the very best candidates.
So, let’s look at why video content is effective in attracting quality candidates, the type of video content that resonates best with candidates and where you should post video content online to create a buzz in the candidate market.
Why video content is effective
You only need to take a quick look online to see that video content is becoming increasingly popular. Here are some compelling statistics for you to consider:
- Video is processed in our brains 60,000 times faster than text. It immediately ignites emotion and personal connection; enticing viewers to seek more information
- Online audiences cannot get enough of video content – more than 55% of internet users watch videos online every day
- Video on social media platforms get 3 times the number of inbound links than plain text posts. Social video also generates 1200 percent more shares than text and images combined. Video engages a viewer, displays digestible content in an innovative way, and spreads like wildfire
If those statistics don’t persuade you, it is likely you have your head in the digital sand!
Video content is particularly useful as a component of your recruitment and talent acquisition strategy. It attracts top talent for a few reasons:
- It stands out in a digital crowd
- It tells your company story creatively, effectively and succinctly
- It forms a more personal connection with candidates than text based content does
Video content that resonates
To attract the very best talent, the video content your company creates must reflect your key employee value proposition and your company culture. It must paint a picture of why your company is a great place to work and how you develop a meaningful career and work life for each employee.
Of course, every employer in the marketplace is trying to convey this message. So, you need to do this better than your competitors to have talented individuals knocking on your door wanting to know more about your company. Whether you are a large company or a start up, you have access to the same digital platforms to promote your company on.
Promoting an open role with video content
To promote a current open role, consider creating a short 2-3 minute video explaining the role and your company in a creative and compelling way. Your video should be shot professionally and carry a sense of energy and authenticity.
You can use a range of company employees to “sell” the role. Your video might include:
- Employees speaking a little about their experience with the company
- Your CEO delivering a brief message encouraging people to apply
- A message from a member of your recruitment team
Perhaps you could even show case the physical office space, so candidates get an even greater sense for what it would be like to work for your company.
Videos allow you to create more engagement and connection between the role, your company and candidates thinking of making an application. Including video content in your job advertisements might be just the thing that triggers a quality candidate to apply.
Communicating the interview process to candidates
One of the key reasons that candidates get disgruntled with companies when applying for roles, is the lack of transparency in recruitment processes. Creating a short video explaining your specific process can be very helpful for candidates.
Whilst you can direct people to an explanation or infographic of your process on your Careers page, a video message really brings your company employee brand to life.
Having one of your recruitment leaders talk about the hiring process, perhaps in your office space, in a quick, professional video, creates a professional and personalised first candidate impression.
Other video content ideas
Other ways of using video in the recruitment and Talent Acquisition process include:
- A short video of your CEO talking about your company culture, how you delight clients and details about your company Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
- A short video showing employees having fun together outside of work
- Snippets of content that demonstrate your commitment to diversity and inclusion
- Content that shows your employees participating in social responsibility initiatives
- Personal success stories of your employees (which may or may not be work related)
- Clients talking about your company and the impact your people have on their businesses
In all honesty, you can create video content about almost any element of your company. When thinking about the best content to include, ask yourself:
- Is this content compelling enough to make candidates take action (ie reach out and ask questions about the role, apply straight away etc)?
- Is this content going to excite candidates to be part of our company?
- Does this video content do a great job of conveying our company values, ethos and culture?
- Have we included an appropriate call to action that is easy for candidates to act on straight away?
Remember, in the context of recruitment and talent acquisition, the videos you develop should focus on creating a positive employer brand perception.
In this digitally connected world, your well curated, informative and engaging videos are watched by active candidates (rather than passive candidates) in the first instance. They are then often shared with the personal and professional networks of those candidates. This ripple effect of content sharing can be very powerful.
New to video content creation?
If you are new to the concept of creating video content to showcase roles available in your company, here are some broad “do’s and don’t’s” to help you on your journey:
Video Content Do’s
- Create authentic content that uses language everyone can relate to
- Include written content – many people will “listen” to your clip on mute
- Create a video that reflects your brand values
- Create a schedule for your video content and post regularly to your social media platforms and company website
- Include a call to action (eg. Call us for more information, Apply Now, Submit Your Resume Today etc)
Video Content Don’ts
- Record something that doesn’t reflect your brand message well…or professionally
- Create long content – the video should be “bite size” and easy to “consume”
- Spend a fortune – there are many free (or nearly free) tools available
- Use uninspiring or unprofessional backdrops – if you don’t have an office yet (or yours is a little uninspiring), use more impressive areas of a coworking space, an appealing outdoor space or with a plain backdrop instead
Check out a comprehensive list of video tools you can start experimenting with, in the Further Reading and Resources section at the end of this article.
Which social platforms should you post your video content on?
Video content resonates on so many social media platforms that it is hard to go wrong. In saying that, longer content may well create better engagement on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn than on say Twitter.
Here are the typical digital channels companies use to share role related video content:
Videos on your Company Facebook page
Post videos that are a mixture of more formal, professional video content and shorter snippets of live content. For example, you might want to take some video footage at a company event, a conference your company is presenting at or even a more informal team get together.
Videos on your Website Careers page and/or other pages that are frequently visited
It’s best to use your more formal content on your Careers page. A message from the CEO or your more structured video content promoting an open role is great for this platform.
Videos on your Company LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn is a great digital platform for all of your company videos. In fact, you could also consider having some of that video content on the LinkedIn profiles of key leadership employees as well. This will further increase the visibility of role vacancies.
Videos on Twitter
Short, sharp video content works best for Twitter. Providing a link to your open role job advertisement video works. Any informal content you might consider for Facebook should resonate with candidates on Twitter as well.
Videos on Online Job Boards
Adding some video content to your job advertisements posted on online job boards can be hugely engaging. You are likely to see an uplift in those who apply or review your advertisement when you include video content in conjunction with your text based content.
Other ways to share your job ad video content
In addition to the social media platforms outlined above, video content can also be sent directly to your workforce when you are looking to bring new employees on board. As long as the video content is professional and engaging, you will find that employees will readily share videos with their personal and professional networks.
This often drives incredible growth in the network of people who become aware of the roles available in your company and can increase the volume, and quality, of role applications.
Start with low risk videos first
Creating video can be daunting. The key is to start experimenting with low risk content first.
And there are a few things you can do to make things a little easier for yourself.
Scripts – create a script that is conversational. After all, this is the way you want things to come across when you record your video.
Editing – keeps things simple. Initially have one person on screen in one position to minimise video production time.
Music and written content – many video tools come with royalty free music and text overlay features. If this isn’t the case, or this seems WAY to hard to include, consider using a freelancer to help you with this component of your video making.
Remember. Start small. Creating, producing and distributing content is going to feel a little overwhelming at first. And in all likelihood, your first video won’t be a masterpiece. But just start….and then iterate.
Make sure you run your videos past relevant departments in your company (eg. Marketing and communications teams – there could be some elements that need to be in all videos that are posted online (such as company logos, a website reference etc).
Further Reading and Resources
18 best free video editing software for marketers
12 incredibly useful video tools for content marketers