Video – Engage, Attract and retain the best talent (by Justin Hillier, Talent on View)

The time for using VIDEO in recruitment has arrived; Justin Hillier, International Sales Manager, Talent on View, explains.

It’s hard to imagine that it was only 10 years ago that recruiters and the corporate world advertised vacant positions in the newspaper, listed their postal address and or fax number and waited a week to see what the response level was like. The Internet and E-mail have now changed the way in which recruiters go about their daily job and 24-hour turnaround times are not unusual.

The newspaper, as a means of sourcing candidates is almost dead, and the fax machine is something that is only used by people who don’t know how to use email and attach documents (if your reading this then you’re unlikely to be one of those). We moved down this path because it was faster and easier to produce results and far more cost effective. It was an Employer’s market, and there are so many quality candidates to choose from that in the past, many employers had a hard time deciding just which one to hire.

It’s a new world that we live in today compared to 10 years ago. iPhones, webcams, blackberries, Skype, Google (and all that comes with them), digital cameras and micro projectors are changing the way we view things and seek information and quality candidates are a needle in a haystack.

Youtube, Google, Hulu, are just some of the sites that people are flocking to, to watch all types of video productions across the Internet. These sites are not only market leaders, they are growing at a pace that is hard to comprehend. People’s thirst for video content via the Internet is unprecedented.

Whilst the majority of this content is seen to be of a personel use, there is no denying that video is taking over as a means to more easily engage with a rapid growing Internet audience. Hulu’s long term goal would seem to encourage all T.V viewing to be internet based, and will slowly bring in advertising as the audience grows and revenue requirements dictate.

Video is taking over the Internet as a means of enhanced engagement and product placement and many industry segments are already on board. People are now able to view not only T.V shows and the latest news, companies are now producing video compilations of their products and how their company operates internally, the famed Employer Branding or Company Profile video.

People no longer are satisfied with simply reading about a company on their website, they actually want to “see” what it is that they would be doing and buying into. They want to see the work environment, the layout of the floors and the general vibe of the staff. A written company profile is extremely useful, however people today want their information fast, exciting and relevant; a 30 second video can sell your company or vacant position far faster then a 5 paragraph written job ad or “About Us” page ever could.

If a candidate “buys” into your company far before they start working for you, your retention abilities would undoubtedly be higher. How else can you “show” a candidate your company before they walk in the door?

It is strange to think that only 5 years ago, a company without an “About us” page on their corporate website was falling behind, now it is a video profile that is taking over to add greater value. The candidate of today doesn’t just want to see a video thrown together, they want to see what makes your business special, how the company supports staff development, encourages staff input and also how they support the local community and environment. They want to see that not only that they are right for your business, but also that you are the right business for them. It’s now a 2 way street.

Television has long held the mantle as the medium of choice for advertising, If a company does not advertise on television, then they risk reaching the most engaged audience. Why?

When we watch television we are entirely engaged in what is on the screen, we are tuned in to every breathing moment waiting to be entertained or informed, think of how many people of all ages sit “glued” to the screen, it simply captures them.

Television advertising is video, simply in a large box that we sit in front of to view other information that we are interested in. Are we starting to see the correlation here?

We all remember the great T.V ads that are funny, outlandish, or just plain clever. They have a tune or rhyme that we simply can’t get out of our heads. They turn viral, and the word of mouth advertising that is generated from this is priceless. This surely must be the aim of the business world when creating a video to attract candidates.

There is a lot of hesitancy in the recruitment market place regarding video of any nature. Many see candidate videos as greater potential for discrimination (really, if your going to discriminate get out of recruitment and seek help), whilst employers believe that a video advertising their company, would add little value. If the latter is to be true then I hope these companies also don’t utilize T.V advertising to sell their products or services. You are after all trying to “sell” someone the vacant position you have. The marketing philosophy is the same.

Video has arrived to the Internet and is here to stay, 12 billion minutes per month of viewed video is proof of that. The increase in broadband access globally and an candidates want for a more entertaining and attractive job advertisements demands something different, we can only read the same styled 5 paragraphs for a job ad for so long.

“Actions speak louder then words”, “A picture tells a thousand words”, “Don’t just say it, do it”, are all great idioms for yesterday, but what about tomorrow. Perhaps recruiters of all walks of life should be considering how to “glue their candidates eyes to the screen” with their job and company video advertising. “A video engages a thousand emotions”, now that’s something I would like to see catch on.

If you would like to contribute to our guest post section, write to phillip (dot) tusing @ destinationtalent (dot) com (dot) au