5 Solid Gold Tips For Making A Recruiting Video
When people are looking for a new job, they are primarily interested in two things - the work and the people.
Determining what the work entails is usually an easier task than figuring out what the people and culture are like. For most, the people are actually more important than the work. So how do you give applicants a feel for your company without having them come visit and talk to several different employees? Drum roll please…. a recruiting video. It can be an incredibly efficient way to make a strong first impression and attract top talent. Take a look at this example below.
Here are some helpful tips for making a recruiting video:
1. List the most attractive things about your company
The best way to do this is by assembling a sample group of employees and having a brainstorm. A manager, a director, a customer rep, someone from HR and so on. Make sure you also have people that have been with the company for years and some that are newer. They will definitely have unique perspectives that you’ll want to tap into. The main question you pose to the group is, “Why do you like working here?” At the offset, collect as many ideas as possible. The old adage, “there are no bad ideas” definitely holds true here. Once you have a robust list, have the group go through and identify the top 3 or 4. For the video above the top things were (1) the diversity of the workforce (2) the quality of the work environment (3) the substance of the individual employees and (4) the strength of the employee relationships with one another.
2. Prepare interview questions that relate directly to your list
Good recruiting videos are authentic so avoid writing scripts or telling people what to say. Instead, prepare questions that ask employees to comment specifically on the things you’ve identified in your brainstorm. The key is to create a natural conversation. Remember, you’re trying to give job applicants a window into what the people at your company are like. For the video above, the questions looked something like this:
Can you describe the diversity of employees and why it’s important?
What makes this a great work environment?
How would you characterize your fellow employees?
What are the benefits of having a close and supportive workforce?
3. Properly prepare interview subjects
You never want someone coming into an interview cold because they will be uncomfortable and their answers won’t be very good. Sending interview questions 4-5 days ahead of time is an optimal length. People will have plenty of time to think through questions but it won’t be so far off in the distance that they forget about it. When you sit down for the interview, make sure you start with some small talk up front. You want to put people at ease. The other important thing is to make sure they understand the intended audience. In this case, you may say something like, “imagine you’re talking to a person who is applying for a job here.”
4. Cast a wide net
Even if you have a great set of interview questions and you do your best to prepare people, you never can be sure what you’re going to get. Some people will be great and others will fall flat. So interview more people than you actually need. Not only will it give you peace of mind, you will have plenty of great answers to choose from when it comes time for editing.
5. Make sure people see the video
Making a great video is only half the battle. For it to be really effective, people have to see it. Take a careful look at your recruiting process and evaluate how to best integrate the video. Where will you post it? How will you attract visitors? Do you have a way to analyze the video’s performance? You might want to think about adding a specific call to action at the end of the video for applicants to take. Maybe it’s a link to an online application process. Maybe it’s a request for additional information.
I hope you have found this useful. Let me know if you have any questions.
