How Video Can Help Job Recruiters
There’s power behind employee stories and narratives!
When all else surrounding your organization - salaries, benefits, paid leave - is equal, what sets your organization apart?
Through storytelling and a powerful narrative, video is an effective strategy for organizations both large and small, particularly when it comes to the hiring process. Featuring short videos on your website and social media platforms that show a clear glimpse into the workplace, your organization can easily narrow search windows and find the perfect person for all open positions.
In this blog, we’ll be taking you through the different approaches for recruitment videos that have proven successful when facing any number of unique hiring challenges.
Different Viewpoints Create an Overall Experience
Painting an accurate picture for potential candidates is essential when looking for employees to add to your payroll. For large organizations, job openings may be available across multiple job boards which can be difficult to hire based on location.
Take for instance this video we completed for West Central Area Schools (WCA). The large school organization functions in several different areas and wanted to create a unique video that used faculty testimony to describe the workplace environment and the small-town communities for which their schools were based.
By including faculty members from different schools with all areas of expertise and experience, WCA tells a cohesive story that gives clear examples of why a job with this employer could be right for the viewer.
“The video was very well received,” said Kari Kreft who is in charge of public engagement for WCA schools.
“It served as a way to recruit and a way to preview the business before diving into it. With the video, you can see, hear, and fully experience it rather than looking at a narrative of what the school or job looks like.”
Three girls enjoy their lunch at West Central Area Schools.
Aside from its strengths of recruiting, the online video also acted as a multifaceted tool for those searching new places to call home, aka your target auience. “Our biggest selling point is our people and the communities they are a large part of,” Kari explained. “We put the video on our website, social media, and the websites of local area colleges. People were able to see it, both parents and families, and decide whether or not this was somewhere they would want to work as well as frequent as customers.”
Together, these methods form a successful recruitment video because the audience is able to immerse themselves into the experiences of the staff and their enjoyments outside of work. Videos of this nature equip users with an accurate depiction of what employment would be like and whether it’s the right match for both candidate and organization.
Here’s another example of how using the stories of multiple employees, as well as the employer, are a great way to tell an organization’s story:
Dr. Erick Nolting and his staff talk about dental careers at Alexandria Smiles and the Alexandria Lakes Area lifestyle.
This particular video was aimed at growing the support staff for a small but very busy dental clinic. Once again including experiences from employees of all ages and time in the industry, the employees at Alexandria Smiles communicated the reasons they enjoy and stay at their job.
They also demonstrated staff loyalty with their verbal support of their employer, Dr. Erick Nolting, and his treatment of patients and members of his team. In addition to accurately showing the workplace and its mentality, Dr. Nolting himself talked about some of his many reasons for living and enjoying life within the Alexandria community.
Speaking from Experience
When long-time employees are ready for retirement, finding the right person for their position can be difficult, especially for nonprofit organizations like Lake Region Arts Council (LRAC). In charge of managing and distributing large grants and funds throughout their 9-county region, the LRAC office is made up of just three individuals in charge of separate departments. Working both individually and as a team, it was imperative that they find the perfect fit for their new Grants Manager.
To properly give potential candidates a clear picture of the organization they are applying to work for, creating multiple videos outlining each aspect of LRAC and its functions was necessary. Upon the departure of their current grants manager, the first of these videos spoke directly to Betsy Ostenson. This was a golden opportunity to showcase the various skills, responsibilities, and overall personality required for success in her position.
Betsy Ostenson tells us about her job at Lake Region Arts Council, so job applicants know what to expect.
By illustrating the different elements entailed in a job as well as the personality required, it gave viewers the chance to self-screen based on interest, skills, and other important factors.
Maxine Adams, the executive director at LRAC, said of the video: “Betsy talking about why she loved the job really helped people understand, ‘This is something I would like to do.’” She went on to say, “It was a wonderful way to give a human face to who we are and helped people understand what working at the position would do for the community.”
The following videos are two additional interviews that feature Maxine and another employee at LRAC, Rebecca Davis.
Maxine Adams gives a detailed overview of Lake Region Arts Council.
Rebecca Davis describes the office environment at LRAC.
While Maxine’s video focused primarily on explaining the overall function and area of the LRAC organization, she also gave viewers a quick look at the place where the members meet and work. This tour and explanation connected with potential candidates on a personal level.
Juxtaposing the informational content of Maxine’s video, Rebecca’s testimony further connected interested parties by way of virtual meeting. This allowed those watching to see how the grants manager works with the other aspects of LRAC and goes into great detail of some of the functions they would be doing on a daily basis. This look inside the workplace environment acts as a solidifier for candidates in terms of coworkers and culture at the organization.
“Based on our experience with AMS Digital in using video to tell the story of our work, the events that we fund and the impact those events have,” Maxine explains “video is a much greater description of the grants we give out, what they are for, and how they impact the everyday lives of individuals in their communities.”
Telling Your Organization’s Story with Video
Video is an excellent way to promote your business or non-profit when searching for new employees
Utilizing video to overcome challenges when hiring is one of the best tools you can use. Targeting the ideals, personalities, and priorities of any position in addition to the reasons the job is enjoyable is the best thing you can do when seeking new recruits for an organization.
“With new technology it makes sense to use video to tell applicants the intangibles that you cannot put into a job description,” Maxine Adams told us, and we couldn’t agree more. Using video is one of the most effective tactics for accurately portraying an organization and the culture surrounding it. Whether you are looking to hire for a new position, create educational/training materials for new employees, video will tell your story the way it was meant to be told.
Here are some more articles you might enjoy reading.
A Powerful Video to Benefit Every Organization
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Whether you run a one-person business from your garage, work in a small startup just getting off the ground, or manage the marketing for a large corporation, there are many ways to use video to your advantage.