Hays global marketing manager Laura Webster explains why your recruitment video doesn’t have to go viral in order to be successful.
Hays Talent Solutions asked 300 business owners if they are using or are planning to use video as a permanent part of their recruitment process post Covid-19. The results revealed more than half (64pc) are already using it permanently in their process, while 24pc say they have plans to make video interviews permanent.
There is a myriad of reasons why video is so engaging. We are evolutionarily adapted to quickly respond to the combination of image, sound and motion, be it emotionally due to there being more cues or because we can process it faster.
Whatever the reason, using video in your hiring process commands attention and, contrary to popular belief, a recruitment video does not need to go viral to be successful.
1. Posting job ads on social media
Hays has been using a tool called VideoMyJob to equip recruiters to create branded video recruitment ads they can quickly share on social media using just their smartphone.
Users can record a video, edit and then share, all within the app. You can upload your own branding so all your videos look and feel professional, and you can even have users submit videos for approval so they can’t post just anything.
The app itself helps the user ensure they are positioned correctly, and even includes an auto-cue if needed. The editing suite means you can not only stitch together videos and cut, you can also add icons, subtitles and other wording within the app.
It’s a great way to stand out in the midst of all the other noise on social, humanise your job postings and, even better, it doesn’t drag on your precious marketing resources.
2. Breathing life into your employer branding
Video is a great way to make your employer brand seem authentic online. By showing your company culture, environment and engaged employees, instead of just telling, you gain serious credibility.
These videos can be used on your careers sites, in your recruitment e-mails or at events.
3. Taking people through your application process
It is an area many an organisation misses, but constant communication throughout the recruitment process to ensure your candidates know what’s next and when it’s likely to happen is key in today’s competitive environment.
Explaining your typical recruitment process at the beginning, even if it is just what is required at application stage on your website, is a must. Video can be a great medium for this, breaking up all the reading and setting you apart from the competition.
4. Video applications
Video interviewing has been used in various ways to reduce costs on travel and make quicker decisions without the need to align diaries.
However, interviews aren’t the only way to use video in your selection process. Hays has used video as a self-selection tool as part of the screening process, by creating a video that users can interact with to see what a day in the life of a recruiter is really like and test their skills by answering questions throughout.
As candidates seek to stand out and better demonstrate the ‘real them’, you should also consider accepting, or even requesting, video résumés. Just as Hays has sometimes found with video interviews, not all candidates will be up for the challenge. But providing the option will show your organisation is open to creativity and is changing with the times.
5. Vlogs on career advice or thought leadership
Vlogging seems to be almost every teenager’s ideal career right now, so nothing is more on trend than a video blog. You could get your CEO or one of your key hiring managers to record an overview of industry trends they are seeing in their world of work, or what they think it takes to make it to the top.
This can help position you as a thought leader in that space to attract passive candidates, while allowing your candidates to know a little about their interviewer or future employer.
Alternatively, you could just create simple careers advice videos to support your candidates further.
Why video?
The historic world of ‘advertise and apply’, where active jobseekers at that point in time apply to advertised vacancies, is being superseded by a ‘find and engage’ approach, and few things are more engaging than video.
Your candidates want to know what it’s really like to work at your company, and video allows you to give them the context that words alone will struggle to convey.
So, whether you’re showcasing your employees, your workplace, the things you believe in or just promoting your job openings, video could well be a new addition to your talent acquisition toolkit.
Laura Webster is the global marketing manager at Hays Talent Solutions.
