Recruitment video: an indispensable aid for HR

Summary

Finding and hiring the right person for a position can be complicated. In order to attract the best candidates, organizations must learn how to keep up with the trends that are impacting recruitment processes and take advantage of the opportunities that new technologies offer. A flawed or not fully developed recruitment process can cause unnecessary delays and amplify a climate of frustration.

The first step in solving the problem is to rethink your policies. This involves identifying and then eliminating any friction and bottlenecks. In addition, there are a number of tools that can support the human resources department in:

• The simplification of processes
• The production of insights that can be used for decision making
• Communicating with the talent the firm needs.

Among these tools, video recruitment is destined to play a major role, as we shall see.

Introduction

If we shift our attention from the company to the candidates, we can see how the issue becomes even more complicated and includes many different categories of people. In addition to people who find themselves temporarily unemployed, there are those considering a career change, looking for a new challenge, or who are looking for a new job that will allow them to have a greater work-life balance.

Who are these people? What are they looking for? What are the “digital places” where they frequent, and which virtual job boards do they look at? Most importantly, how are they contacted and engaged by employers who are looking for them in turn? It’s this last question that companies should be asking themselves, within a more specific consideration of how to engage their ideal candidates.

In general, even for recruitment processes, video establishes itself as an excellent communication “hook” through which it is relatively easy to create a connection. But that’s not all. One of the most recent technological developments has enabled the creation of interactive and personalized videos that can be used to perform a number of functions. For example, they can be used to conduct mini-tests with users, or they can be enriched with all the information created during a live broadcast or recording (including information that, while seemingly unimportant to viewers, but valuable to HR, saving time and money).

HR tools: from selection software to recruitment videos

Recruitment tools are those that, by definition,provide the support needed to automate and streamline search, selection, and hiring procedures and that produce the knowledge needed to improve decision making.

In fact, these tools automate all the manual, repetitive, and time-consuming tasks that usually burden and slow down HR professionals, allowing them to instead focus on higher-value activities. They provide assistance on the entire flow and allow the HR team to optimize productivity with less effort.

Why use recruitment tools?

Recruiting tools can be used to achieve different goals throughout the process. They can be used to:

1. Generate interest and involvement among the target audience
2. Facilitate the match between the job description and applications
3. Quickly review resumes
4. Select candidates
5. Conduct interviews
6. Track the different steps in the hiring process

Recruitment can be a lengthy, multi-channel process that tends to appeal to a large audience, at least in the early stages. That’s why being able to rely on easy-to-use, immediate tools gives you an important advantage in creating interest, selecting, and tracking candidates. The ability to receive feedback and communicate with the candidate in a more open and communicative structure is another aspect that is proving increasingly decisive in making recruitment methods more effective.

Different types of tools for different aspects of the recruitment process

HR, when it comes to e-learning, has several tools at its disposal. Each of these tools has different features that make it the most appropriate choice for a particular aspect of the recruitment process. Let’s look at some of these tools.

1. Job aggregators

Job aggregators are sites that share the hiring policies of companies and function as a sort of bulletin board: they advertise the positions that a company is hiring for and connect candidates with recruiters.

2. Testing and assessment tools

Remote interviewing and testing solutions are used to assess a candidate’s abilities during the hiring process. They can test a wide range of attributes such as skills, attitudes, personality, behavioral characteristics, and more.

3. Artificial intelligence-enhanced solutions

Today’s most advanced recruitment tools select candidates by analyzing their data through artificial intelligence-powered software. These solutions are being increasingly deployed because they enable a high level of automation and lead to reduced costs overall.

4. Tracking systems

Candidate tracking systems are based on the use of databases. These systems prove invaluable and become indispensable, especially for processing a large number of applications. They often feature ad hoc support programs that are designed specifically for recruiters.

5. CRM-based solutions

These tools help HR departments build and maintain a relationship with candidates throughout the recruitment process. They are true relationship-building tools and are extremely effective in social recruiting (the use of social networks to find, engage, and build relationships with potential candidates).

6. Video

According to research conducted by Hire Rabbit, job ads that included video were viewed 12% more than job ads without video and received about 36% more follow-through questions. These are extremely significant figures that still hold true today. But what is a recruitment video?

Recruitment videos are extremely flexible tools that can be used both to conduct remote interviews, also using artificial intelligence applications, and to present the company in the best way possible to attract the best candidates. In the first instance we are talking about video interviews, in the second, we’re talking about videos that are built to attract talent.

The evolution of recruitment video: from real-time interviews to personalized video

Although real-time video interviews have been used for some time now, we have seen them evolve in recent years, thanks to the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning in digital communication. During the interview, AI applications embedded in video capture or recording software make it possible to interpret even the smallest “detail”, such as the candidate’s facial expressions, recurring patterns in speech conduct, word choice, voice pitch, etc. While even the most trained human eye can miss some of these extremely revealing expressive elements, a trained machine will not.

For recruitment videos that are used to attract talent, the newest developments are related to both the tone-of-voice and the supporting technology.

Lately, the method of choice for making recruitment videos tends to combine an accurate representation of corporate culture with an approach that is fun, irreverent, and at the same time, aware. Here, it’s about distinguishing the company from the competition. And one way to do this is using a narrative voice (a voice over in the first person, singular or plural) that speaks directly to the viewer (and potential new hire), in an attempt to make the message more personal and human.

The introduction of interactive features and the use of systems for collecting, organizing, and interpreting data from multiple sources also make it possible to profile the target audience much more accurately so that you can create increasingly personalized videos, which serve as real assets that you can integrate within one-to-one marketing strategies.

How to use recruitment videos?

For any organization that wants to boost its recruitment pipeline and improve the quality of its candidates, video is an essential recruitment marketing tool. Here are four different ways that you should be using it.

1. Prominently display the video in the company careers section

When users visit the open positions section, they’re not just evaluating individual positions, they are also trying to learn more about the brand from a broader perspective. They’re wondering whether the talent management and hiring and onboarding processes are consistent with their values and the company’s values.

Video answers these questions better than other content because it can directly show the corporate culture at work, using a variety of devices. For example, it can feature employee testimonials or provide a wealth of information on a wide variety of aspects: from how the office space is used, to the philosophy behind management decisions, to individual day-to-day tasks. Video makes it easier to connect with the right candidates.

2. Incorporate video in job ads

Incorporating a recruitment video into job postings serves to clearly and effectively communicate the company’s expectations. “A day in the life” videos, in particular, are extremely effective because they can use a real-life narrative to provide a snapshot of the job requirements as well as the opportunities for growth that the work environment offers. This type of video connects with candidates. In addition, videos help boost SEO, so job ads that include videos are more likely to show up higher in search results, distributing themselves in a more widespread and targeted manner.

3. Leverage video in candidate communications

Video embedded in response or confirmation emails makes direct communications with the candidate distinctive and memorable. Whether it’s a message from the CEO or a video that highlights the steps in the hiring process – perhaps featuring an interactive call-to-action – integrating a recruitment video into candidate emails will more powerfully and accurately illustrate the company’s expectations and improve the quality of the conversation.

4. Use video at recruitment events

The use of video at a trade show or recruitment event will introduce your company to people who are already highly motivated, setting the stage for making contact with potential candidates. The video can easily be projected on a screen in the company’s booth or shown on a computer or tablet, and links to the video can be shared directly with job seekers.

Whatever channel you decide to use, to be effective, your recruitment video must include these basic requirements:

• Use an original approach, in order to differentiate yourself from the competition.
• Make sure it is consistent with and true to the brand image. Your video can have a light, ironic, or easygoing tone, but it must not betray the company’s identity.
• It must be created, budget permitting, by professionals. Quality counts. Always.
• Be as authentic and as spontaneous as possible. Employee testimonials cannot simply be written and recited, they must be sincere. That’s why it’s better to avoid glossy perfection and focus instead on authenticity.
• Tell a story. A recruitment video that uses a narrative structure (a challenge, a journey, obstacles, victory over difficulties) can resonate more easily with job seekers because it invites them to share the story of the company and its employees.

As part of a more general discourse on all HR videos, today, companies are using more creativity when it comes to their recruitment videos, and they are increasingly using data to make them as personalized as possible. The best recruitment videos aren’t just funny, they’re an accurate representation of the company culture. Regardless of the variety of stylistic approaches or techniques that you can employ, and the search for a distinctive tone of voice, the best recruitment videos not only engage, they also communicate the benefits and prestige of the company transparently and with personality.