Business owners already know the COVID-19 pandemic has changed many things about operating businesses. One major impact is the power shift away from employers and to employees.
This means it’s now up to the employer to do the convincing instead of the other way around. While employees still value pay as one of the top reasons for choosing their place of employment, they’re also balancing factors such as mental-health, work-life balance and paid time off.
In this article, we’ll explore how using video can be a useful investment in helping small businesses attract and recruit top talent.
Showcasing Your Company's Culture
One of the biggest advantages of using video for recruitment is that it allows you to showcase your company, its values and the people that make it great.
Potential employees want to know they’re choosing the right place to work, and a well-produced video can make a generic job posting stand apart from your competitors.
While sharing statistics and awards through copy are effective, showing smiling faces and fulfilling work experiences through video further increases trust in your branding to candidates.
Technology companies in Silicon Valley use this strategy in recruiting all the time. For example, Apple has a recruitment video that highlights the value they place on inclusion and diversity. This video features over 60 employees and uses the technique of “show, don’t tell.”
Personalizing the Recruitment Process
Another benefit of using video in recruitment is that it allows you to personalize the recruitment process.
Unlike traditional job postings on job boards that are generic and impersonal, a video can create a personal connection with potential candidates.
By speaking directly to the camera, you can introduce yourself and your team, explain what you’re looking for in a candidate, and give a sense of what it’s like to work for your company.
By the time a candidate reaches the job interview, they will have a better understanding of who you are and why they want to join your team.
Increase Reach and Visibility Online
Video content is hot right now. It’s some of the most shared and watched content online and on social media.
While creating a well-produced video may be an initial investment of both time and money, it can be one of the best investments for increasing the reach and visibility of your job posting.
Using video to recruit candidates can help you use social media algorithms to your advantage to find qualified candidates.
By posting your recruitment video on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, you can get your message in the hands of more people and increase your chances of attracting the right candidates.
To further increase your reach, social media platforms allow page owners to easily boost posts and target specific locations and demographics. This can help your business better reach people that may not follow your accounts.
For example, a boat dealer may be looking to hire another salesperson. If there’s a boat show in your area coming up, you may consider location-targeted ads around the boat show advertising top pay for an open position.
This ad will only show to people within the selected radius and will be more effective than a general post boosting in reaching the right people.
Providing Clarity About the Role
Candidates won’t read a pages of text when they click on your job posting. They’re also more likely to skip to the next posting when the text is vague or simply a copy-paste from other postings.
This is because they may not fully understand what the role entails or sense a lack of care for recruiting quality candidates.
By creating a video summary that goes at or near the top of the job description, you can provide reassurance and clarity about the role in an easily digestible format.
This is also a good opportunity to show, not tell, what the selected candidate will be working on, explain day-to-day responsibilities and highlight any unique requirements for the posting.
This helps candidates feel a personal connection to you and will reassure the candidate that they’re indeed a good fit for the position—ultimately increasing the likelihood of getting the best possible hire.
Differentiating Your Business
Lastly, using video in recruitment can help differentiate your business from competitors. Most employers don’t have recruitment videos or video content explaining individual roles.
By creating a high-quality recruitment video that showcases your company culture, values, and team dynamics, you can stand out from other businesses and attract top talent.
A well-crafted video can position your company as an industry leader and a place that values its employees.
Video Production Tips
Duration matters. Candidates’ time is important, and they’re not going to watch a 20-minute video about your company. Keep the duration short and sweet but thorough enough to cover the topic.
Be authentic. People can spot a fake from a mile away. Be yourself and let your personality and the personality of your business shine through in your videos.
Quality speaks volumes. A well-produced video will make a much better impression than a low-quality video. If you’re going to invest time in making a recruitment video, you might as well make sure it’s done well.
If you’re looking for a way to improve your recruiting efforts, using video is a great option. By telling your story, showcasing your culture, and demonstrating the value of working for you, video can help you attract top talent and build a stronger workforce for your small business.
