One of the best ways a company can attract entry-level candidates is by using recruitment videos. Recruitment videos are a creative way to showcase a company’s brand, culture, and what an entry-level career path could look like. Continue reading to learn the benefits and best practices for creating and marketing a successful recruitment video targeting entry-level candidates.

Adding Video to Your Entry-Level Recruitment Strategy

The ways to attract quality talent have evolved over time, and in this digital age, it is no surprise that candidates seek a recruiting experience that leverages modern technology. Many companies have already evolved their recruitment strategy to include the use of recruitment videos to stand out among the competition.

Candidates have shared with recruiters that recruitment videos are the best way to highlight what a company is all about because they provide insight into the culture and the people who work there. Entry-level candidates are more likely to be drawn to a company they can visually see themselves working for.

Benefits of Using a Recruitment Video

A successful recruitment video helps promote a company’s brand and attracts candidates with similar values, insights, working styles and attitudes. In addition, other benefits include the ability to:

• Showcase a company's culture: Recruitment videos offer a glimpse into a company’s work environment. For example, some successful videos highlight employees enjoying unique perks such as work-life balance, free meals, and team activities.
• Put a face to a name: The recruitment video offers a window into the values of a company, which can help reinforce brand messaging.
• Attract the most suitable candidates: For example, if a company encourages a collaborative working environment vs. an individual contributor model, that can be showcased in the recruitment video.
• Go beyond the job description: Often times, job descriptions can be limited in nature given compliance requirements. That being said, a recruitment video can provide more color and life than words on paper.

What to Include in a Recruitment Video for Entry-Level Candidates

This is where creativity comes into play. Consider using upbeat music and compelling content to capture the attention of your audience. Some of the key content to include is:

• Testimonials - Showcase entry-level employee experiences via testimonials or clips that highlight potential career paths and what an entry-level candidate would experience – consider framing it as a “day in the life.”
• Content that highlight perks - Highlight what makes the company a great place to work. Marketing or HR can gather this information via employee engagement surveys, reviews online, and exit interviews. Also talk about any of the benefits your company offers that are unique, such as flex time or mentorship programs.
• Content that demonstrates your company's culture - Create themes that align with your company’s culture. What is the company best known for and what does the company want to be known for? The recruitment video is a simple way to communicate your culture to prospective hires so that they can better determine whether your firm is the right fit.
• Content that leverages your brand - Leverage the company’s existing brand and highlight any of your high-profile products or work that might be recognizable to the public. Also, think about your employer brand here. Your brand is your reputation, so it’s important to really dig deep and showcase the greatest achievements of your organization and all that it has to offer.
• Content that is short - Think about video length. The average adult attention span is short, so the recruitment video should try to capture the key messages within a minute or two.

Where to Promote Your Entry-Level Recruitment Video

Once the recruitment video is complete, it should be shared and broadcast across multiple media channels, including YouTube, the organization’s website, social media, and career centers at target schools. You can also use Symplicity Recruit to create an enhanced job posting with your recruitment video embedded in the ad.

One example of a company that has successfully created compelling recruitment videos for their campus audience is PwC. On their campus career page, they have multiple videos highlighting their culture. One of the videos outlines their internship program and showcases many of the students who have participated in the program. Videos like this allow students to get a glimpse into what it’s like to work for your company directly from their peers.

In addition, employees can “like” and “share” the video across their individual networks on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. This will help to garner a wider viewer audience.

Cost-Effective Ways to Create a Recruitment Video

The type of recruitment video created will be contingent upon the budget provided. But, regardless of budget, there are cost-effective ways to create a recruitment video. The first thing to consider is leveraging company employees to avoid paying for actors. Not only will this save considerable costs, but your video will appear much more sincere and genuine.

Another cost-saving method is to use your company’s in-house marketing team for production to include scripting, filming, and editing. Also, be sure to post the video on websites that have minimal or no fee. Not all websites are free to participate or share content on, so it’s important to research this as part of the strategy and consider associated cost.

Be sure to keep the video content evergreen so it can be used for at least a year or two after production. Keeping content evergreen means ensuring you are not including any current trends, news or information in your video that will date it.

Recruitment videos are an excellent way to attract the best entry-level candidates for your company’s specific work environment. Not only do these videos promote a company’s brand on campus, on the web, and within the industry, but they also highlight the behaviors and qualities a company is looking for in an entry-level employee.

Sources:

Graves, R. (2015, December 11). SaaS: Are you Keeping you content “Evergreen”? Retrieved from https://info.thespotonagency.com/saas-are-you-keeping-your-content-evergreen