6 Reasons to Use Video Content in Your Job Ads

By Firefish Software

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Black and white photo of a girl holding a retro film camera.Poor job application processes disengage candidates. For businesses hoping to attract the very best talent, this presents problems. Skilled candidates have choices and it’s not unusual for them to be applying for several jobs at once, perhaps even juggling more than one offer, too.

So, it’s important to make job adverts, and in turn the vacancy and business, attractive. One area that provides ample scope for this is multimedia content. Video can make a huge difference, and if you’re not using it, you’re limiting the potential of your adverts to resonate with the right candidates.

According to research compiled by Ongig:

"…candidates spent more than triple (316%) the time on a video job ad (2 min. & 54 seconds) than they did on a text job ad (55 seconds). And when a candidate plays the video on a video job ad, the user spends an average of 5 minutes & 23 seconds viewing that job (an increase of 487%)."

Make Your Videos Count

With all of this in mind, it quickly becomes apparent why good video content can be so effective. It’s immediate, it’s easily consumed, and it can provide far more information than a simple text based ad can.

Here are 6 excellent reasons to use video in your job ads:

1.      Tell a Story

The best way to sell something is through a story. It lets you create an emotional response, making it easier to convince someone to get on board with what you’re offering.

Video presents a great opportunity to reach and engage with candidates. It’s tangible, it lets them imagine the job in a more visual light, affecting whether or not they choose to apply.

2.      Promote Company Values

It’s easy to tell someone what you do well; it’s far more effective to show them. Video lets you promote less tangible aspects of your workplace. It lets you share your brand’s mission, its values, and its vision.

Candidates can buy into your trajectory, they can see what makes your business unique, and they can get a better handle on your identity. In the long run, this can increase retention rates as candidates know what they’re applying for, alongside what they can expect from your workplace.

3.      Show Off Company Culture

Your company culture is increasingly what marks an employer out as attractive. Candidates want more than just a job. They want to work at a place that has purpose; somewhere that has goals; somewhere that’s enjoyable.

Video content provides a window into a business and its culture, revealing the sort of working life that candidates can expect.

4.      Share Current Employee’s Opinions

Interviews with current employees is an effective way to use video content. It lets you show candidates what their potential co-workers think of your business. But, you have to make sure that your employees are honest and transparent. Candidates don’t want staged interviews with people spouting brand values, toeing the company line – they want to know with as much accuracy as possible what your business is truly like.

Recruiter.com shares this perspective:

"Interview your employees about what they do at their jobs, what a day is like at your company, and the kinds of projects they’ve worked on in the past. Chances are that all these descriptions straight from your real workers — on top of a lively rundown of the job’s duties — will give potential candidates a better idea of what they’ll be doing at your company. Moreover, making your workers a part of the description will give candidates a better idea of what the culture of your company is like."

5.      Highlight Perks and Incentives

Video lets you show off some of your company’s perks and benefits. For example, did you take your employees paintballing? Include video of that in your workplace ‘showreel.’ Everything that you can add to make a candidate’s decision easier and more informed will not only be of use, but it will also make it more likely that you’ll get applicants who are attracted to your culture, and what your business stands for.

6.      Encourage Social Sharing

Video content can increase the chances that a job advert will be shared on social channels. It’s a more immediate snapshot of a workplace and its culture, and it can promote your employer branding.

Candidates are more likely to link to and share an excellent video, than a stuffy old job advert. This will further your reach and increase your potential pool of applicants.

Some Tips…

There are plenty of benefits to using video in your job adverts. But there are some things to keep in mind too.

Think About Where the Video Will Be Seen

If your video ends up on YouTube, for example, make sure that the candidates’ journey from watching the video to hitting apply on the job application is as simple and streamlined as possible. You don’t want to lose anyone due to a poor application process.

Workplace Showreel

This would be my top tip: create a workplace showreel. This could contain shots of your workplace, a typical day in the office, images of the perks and incentives that your employees enjoy, alongside a description of the job in question.

Make sure to be creative with your content. Job ads are a piece of your bigger brand picture, so make them reflective of who you are. Make them attractive to the right people, the ones you want to add to your team.

Creative approaches to hiring lead to excellent job interviews. You attract interested people, ones who get what you’re all about. It makes the whole process that bit easier resulting in more effective, relevant, and better engaged applicants.

Plus, hardly anyone is using video content to promote and sell a job vacancy. So if you do, you’re marking yourself out from the competition and you’re promoting your business, and the job itself, via a far more compelling medium. 

 

About the Author: Working as their Content Guru, Andy Mckendry plans, writes, and edits articles and blog posts for Firefish Software. He holds an MA in Professional Writing, and in the early mornings is known to gravitate towards the nearest coffee pot.

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