Video and Candidate Attraction

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s a video worth? When it comes to candidate attraction, more than you may realize.

A new report from Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank, finds that YouTube is the most popular social media site. Seventy-three percent of U.S. adults use the site.
YouTube is also the most popular social site across almost all demographics. Among adults 18 to 29 years old, 91 percent use YouTube; among adults 30 to 49, 85 percent use the site; and among adults 50 to 64, 68 percent use the site.
Only in the 65+ age group is YouTube in second place, and even then it’s a close second. Forty-one percent of adults in this age group use Facebook, while 40 percent use YouTube.

Using Video

Clearly, there’s an audience for video. But how can you use video to attract talent?
Here are a few ways to tap the potential of video.

• Employee endorsements. Job seekers want to know what it’s like to work at your company. Let employees tell them. While written testimonials with photos of employees can provide this information, videos where employees share their experiences have greater impact.
• Information about career advancement. Job seekers also want to know what you offer in the way of career advancement opportunities. Here again you can detail possible career paths in writing, but it’s much more powerful to share stories. The intern who worked his way up in the organization and is now a vice president has a great story to tell. Encourage him to tell it. Ditto for the employee who took advantage of the company’s tuition reimbursement program, earned a college degree, and now manages a department. Put her in front of the camera.
• Company history. Your company has a history, and it’s worth sharing. Was the business started at a kitchen table? Was it founded by the owner’s great-grandfather? If you’re still in startup mode, have you already experienced significant growth? Provide details about your company’s history. Include images that speak to the past.
• The vision thing. Companies often include information about mission and vision at their website. Why not feature one of your company’s leaders in a video, explaining these in detail? A “who we are and why we do what we do” video will resonate with job seekers more than a statement or two at your website.
• Showcase the workplace. Job seekers want to see your workplace. Videos of people performing various tasks, videos that pan work areas (perhaps highlighting state-of-the-art equipment), and videos that show happy employees interacting with one another all speak to the work environment, while providing insight into your corporate culture.
• Community service. Increasingly, job seekers are interested in working for companies that make a difference. If your company gives back to the community, consider including videos that show your involvement with the organizations and projects you support. For example, if staff members help Habitat for Humanity build houses, show the team at work. Similarly, if you hold a drive for a local food bank, create a short video that details the effort and results.
• Celebrate good times. Don’t overlook celebrations focused on company milestones, or celebrations that are just plain fun. A video that shows staff celebrating the company’s 50^th anniversary is worth sharing, but so is a video of your company softball team winning the league championship.

Among the misconceptions about videos is that they have to be lengthy. Short clips are actually better. Experts say that marketing videos – which is what these are – should be about two to three minutes long.
Another misconception is that you need professional videos. Thanks to today’s technology this is no longer true. A newer smartphone allows you to create a video that’s high quality and more than adequate for your purposes. If you have any doubts, check out various videos on YouTube, especially those focused on how-to. Then look at the number of views.
Isn’t it time job seekers view what your company has to offer?

Paula Santonocito, Contributing Editor for Recruiting Daily Advisor, is a business journalist specializing in employment issues. She is the author of more than 1,000 articles on a wide range of human resource and career topics, with an emphasis on recruiting and hiring. Her articles have been featured in many global and domestic publications and information outlets, referenced in academic and legal publications as well as books, and translated into several languages.