Recruitment videos are part of a landscape that is constantly shifting as new technologies appear and disappear. HR and recruiters are using more and more often along with nontraditional methods like social networking, mobile apps and artificial intelligence for help attracting and enlisting their ideal candidates.

With more than one third of time online spent watching video, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the format is increasingly being woven into the recruiting, interviewing and hiring process. Companies are creating and posting videos to both their own website and platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram where they showcase themselves to their target audience.

Why Are Recruitment Videos Important For Your Company?

Especially when recruiting a younger workforce, a short video can do what more traditional recruitment methods cannot – capture the look, feel and authenticity of a company in a way that intrigues potential candidates. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, imagine how much a recruitment video can say to viewers. Here are six reasons from enterprise intranet company Interact that explain why you should integrate them into your video strategy.

1. A Recruitment Video Will Reach and Keep the Attention of a Larger Audience

As many companies have already begun to realize, the traditional approaches to recruitment are no longer enough to maintain a competitive advantage. The rise of popularity of multimedia practices cannot be ignored.

According to MPW Digital Media, 59 percent of executives agree that if both text and video are available on the same topic, they are more likely to choose video. Whether it has to do with the importance of mobile technology in the modern world or the notion that the average person’s attention span is always decreasing, the benefit of adding recruitment videos to your video strategy is clear.

Individuals can easily access recruitment videos on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, which also allows viewers to like and share them – increasing the number of people who will learn about the position you’re hiring for.

2. You’ll Stay Competitive

Because video is becoming such a popular recruiting method, those businesses who don’t incorporate it into their video strategy risk falling behind the organizations that do. Being overshadowed by a competitor can lead to a decrease in your popularity, damage your brand and ultimately increase the risk of losing qualified candidates.

A study by CareerBuilder found that job postings accompanied by a video received 12 percent more views than postings without. Employers also reported a 34 percent increase in candidate applications when they added video to their job postings.

Engaging a candidate with recruitment videos before they decide to apply or accept a position helps ensure that they are invested in their role and also in the company vision.

As many companies have already begun to realize, the traditional approaches to recruitment are no longer enough to maintain a competitive advantage. The rise of popularity of multimedia practices cannot be ignored.

According to MPW Digital Media, 59 percent of executives agree that if both text and video are available on the same topic, they are more likely to choose video. Whether it has to do with the importance of mobile technology in the modern world or the notion that the average person’s attention span is always decreasing, the benefit of adding recruitment videos to your video strategy is clear.

Individuals can easily access recruitment videos on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, which also allows viewers to like and share them – increasing the number of people who will learn about the position you’re hiring for.

3. You’ll Appeal to Newer Generations of Talent

The future of the job market is already here. If recruiting the freshest candidates straight out of the talent pool isn’t part of your recruiting strategy, you’re already behind the companies that are.

Embracing the benefits of recruitment videos is a vital part of the process. Millennials age 25-34 spend the most time watching online videos, and men spend 40 percent more time watching videos on the internet than women. This tech-savvy and visionary workforce will expand your growth and drive innovation – if you can capture their attention.

Research on millennials shows that 54 percent of millennials in the United States visit YouTube daily. Combine that with the fact that 100 million hours of video content are watched on Facebook daily, and that Instagram has more users than Twitter among 16 to 44-year-olds, and companies can’t deny that social media and recruitment videos are some of the best way to attract them.

In just a few years, millennials will make up nearly half of the workforce. By 2030, 75 percent. Getting the best of these generations will require meeting them on their ground.

4. You’ll Save Money

In the past, the recruitment and hiring process has been time consuming and expensive. Traditional hiring methods take an average of 45 days for a new position, and cost $1,500 to $5,000 per hire. And if it turns out you’ve hired the wrong person, replacing an employee can cost up to four times their annual salary, with bad recruiting costing companies over $50,000 on average.

Thankfully selection and recruitment processes are changing for the better, and recruitment videos don’t require big budgets and Hollywood production values. You can do it yourself (although we strongly recommend hiring a production company), but the savings don’t stop there. With social media so incorporated into our everyday lives, the distribution of these videos has also become more affordable.

Social video generates 1200 percent more shares than text and images combined. And if you optimize your video for multiple platforms, employees and prospective recruits can view and share it with ease – making for a cost-effective promotion of your company brand.

5. You’ll Find Your Culture Fit

A Harvard study found that 80 percent of employee turnover can be linked to faults in the hiring process. A majority of these mistakes occur during the interview process. While the majority of interview questions tend to focus on soft and hard skills, the area that covers culture fit is sorely lacking.

Hiring employees that fit well with your company’s culture can produce a higher rate of job satisfaction, more effective job performance and improve the employee experience.  The goal of a strong recruitment video is to show potential candidates what life would be like if they worked for your company. This is a key part of recruitment, and one that is ranging from difficult to impossible to convey over a phone or in-person interview.

Use a recruitment video to capture an authentic display of daily life in your company. Showcase the true feel of the office and turn the location, aesthetics and personalities that make up your organization into selling points. You can include details about the commute, include shots of a typical desk setup and office atmosphere (Is it open plan? Do coworkers gather in areas away from their desks?) and interview potential colleagues and managers for the position in question.

The easier it is for candidates to picture themselves as a part of your company, the more likely you are to attract an applicant that matches your vision and culture.

6. You’ll Increase Your Employer Brand

Your employer brand is, “The way your organization’s prospective applicants, candidates and employees perceive you as an employer.” Recruitment videos are the perfect tool to establish and strengthen yours.

While word of mouth holds a significant amount of power, many people still prefer to see something before they believe it. To show off your positive brand image, use video to showcase your company culture, products and services.

Avoid using overly scripted or staged scenarios in favor of a more authentic result. Highlight the unique aspects of your company using live clips from company meetings, day to day activities and even personal testimonials – anything that takes your company’s personality and makes it look “real.”

Recruitment Video and Your HR Strategy

The long-term success of any organization depends on its ability to find and recruit the best new talent. Recruitment videos have proven to be an effective method of doing just that. As shown above, recruitment videos can capture your company from angles that words simply cannot – showing off culture, employees, authenticity and more.

Video may soon make up 80 percent of all Internet traffic, which means there’s no time like the present to make video a cornerstone of your recruitment strategy.

Hiring A Production Company for Your Recruitment Videos

Ready to take the plunge? Here’s a quick look at some of the important questions you should ask when picking a production company.

• Can the video production company handle the project load?

If you have a series of videos that you want to create for your brand, it’s important that you ask if they have the capacity to take them all on. You don’t want to need to find a new partner for every video in your campaign – it’s a hassle and can take up valuable time.

• Is the production company limited to a specific location?

If you have multiple locations that span a wide area, you need to find a company that can accommodate that request.

• What type of videos do they specialize in?

Videos for enterprise level companies and brands that are more informal will need to be handled differently to fit their specific audiences. You need to find a company that is knowledgeable about the type of video you want for your particular company.

• Do they guarantee their work?

If a company you’re considering does not offer a guarantee, make sure you check out previous projects that are similar in size and scope to what you’re looking for. If they cannot provide that for you, proceed with caution or seek out other video producers who can or will guarantee their work.

• Do they provide video optimization?

A lot of marketing involves trial and error to find what works the best for the specific audience you are trying to reach. Ask if they are willing to work with your guidelines, tweaking your videos to maximize the results you’re after.

• What costs are involved and what’s included?

When considering a boutique video production company, like Tabrizi Productions, the costs and what your money goes to may be different than if you were to hire a freelance producer or commercial company. Make sure you understand how funds will be allocated.

• How far out are they booking clients?

When hunting for your perfect video partner, be sure to ask them how far in advance are they booking.  Too often, brands take a passive approach to creating videos, searching for help only when an idea strikes instead of actively planning a campaign. 

• What is the turnaround time for videos?

The answer to this question will depend on the company, they type of video you want and how many other projects the videographer is working on at the same time they will be working on yours.

• Do they help with scripting or storyboarding?

This question is especially important if you have a general idea of what you want your video to be but have not outlined the specific details. Some video production companies offer these services to help see your ideas from conception to final product, while others do not.

Let Tabrizi Help Plan Your Recruitment Video Strategy

Whether it’s company culture, employer brand or another story you want to share with prospective employees, Tabrizi Productions can help you build a library of recruitment videos from scratch. Contact me today for a free, no-obligation consultation and let’s get started!