How video can help humanize your recruiting

How video can help humanize your recruitingHow video can help humanize your recruitingHow video can help humanize your recruitingHeres something you know all too well To reel in top talent, you need to bedrngnis just capture their attentionyouve got todazzle them. And these days, dazzling means a lot more than just bulleted job descriptions.One powerful way to do this is by using video to enhance your companys job postings, employer branding and recruitment efforts.Video lets recruitersshow, as well as tell, which is one way tocapture the hearts and minds of top candidates. And according to 2019 State of the Candidate Survey, 80% of Americans agree that a video of a recruitertalking about a role as part of a job ad would help them better understand a job opportunity.Video content is a part of how we take in information today, says Meghan M. Biro, founder of TalentCulture, a workplace culture and HR strategy group. Not having videos just decreases a companys potential appeal and abili ty to grab its audiencein this case, potential applicants.Consider this A recent survey from Statista found that 85% of U.S. web users watch video across devices, and job seekers are no exception. Millennials and generation Z job seekers are particularly receptive to videos, says Kevin Grossman, president of the Talent Board, a non-profit focused on promoting quality candidate experiences.In addition, video software company Wistia recently saw a 2.6x increase in time spent on Web pages with video than without. Visitors spent, on average, 7 minutes and 21 seconds on pages with video, compared to only 2 minutes and 48 seconds on pages without video.But its more than about getting more eyeballs on your career site or job description. The real benefit of video is that it brings your job, your company and its people to life.This helps candidates make better decisions about whether your position is the right fit for them, helping them to self-select. And that means more time for you to do what you do best hire great talent.Before you take the next step and add video to your recruitment strategy, consider these best practices to help put your companys best foot forwardKeep it briefYes, you want your videos to feel real and relatable, but keep your audience engaged, your videos must be concise. Grossman says 1 to 3 minutes is ideal. Its short, but people have short attention spans, he points out. If its longer than 5 minutes, youre probably going to lose your audience.As Biro puts it, No one wants to sit through the equivalent of a Drivers Ed video when theyre racing through job portals or squeezing a job search into a busy day.Keep it realAuthenticity is key, particularly in todays zeitgeist, where a lack of authenticity is a big strike against your company, says Bruce Tulgan, author of Its Okay to Manage Your Boss The Step-by-Step Program for Making the Best of Your Most Important Relationship at Work.Your videos have to be on-brand, and they must accurately reflect your companys mission and core values.Grossman says companies should not use actors to portray employees, nor should you aim to create something polished or corporate feeling. Thats the opposite if what candidates want to see.Biro agreesAuthentic means you dont have an outside director who doesnt know your company at all come in and create a video that has nothing to do with your company, she says. Authentic means also showing the people who work theretheir personalities, their work behaviorsand letting them speak.Dont slick it up and make it look like a packaged mythological version of your organization, Biro adds. Show the real office, try to show aspects of the real culture, and truly convey what your organization feels like, looks like, and works like.Keep it shiny, but not too shinyWant the good news about video? You dont need a lot of expensive equipment to create great video content, says HR consultant Tim Sackett. Some of the best employment videos on the planet are done on an iPhone, he says.In fact, Studios, Monsterssoon-to-be-released app that lets recruiters record, edit and post videos post job descriptions, uses an iPhone. No fancy camera needed.Hackett does suggest investing in a professional lighting and sound system for your companys videos.The magic of great video isnt necessarily a better camera, but great lighting and clear sound, he explains. After all, you want candidates to clearly see and hear the message youre trying to convey.Keep it actionableVideo isnt just another shiny new object, just there as a branding tool on your career site. To make your videos most effective, youll want to make sure that your story and/or script follows this tried-and-true formulaFirst, start with a hook, something compelling that makes the viewer want to see more. Maybe its an unexpected question, maybe a little-known fact about your company or the job, maybe its just something lighthearted and fun that shows that recruiters are people too.Next, be sure t o include the Whats in it for me? section. This is where you outline the details of whatever youre trying to convey. This is the meat of your video. It could be the details of a particular job description, or it might share highlights of the workplace culture you want viewers to appreciate.And finally, you always need a CTA. Tell your viewer to do something after theyve watched. Maybe you want them to check out the open jobs on your site. Maybe youd like them to submit a resume or contact a specific recruiter. After all, as funny or beautifully shot as your video is, what you really want is to get people to act.