Job seekers have to go through a discovery process where they visit a long list of online adverts, job boards, social media, and even word of mouth. This makes it very challenging to differentiate the differences between opportunities, find the right fit. A good candidate experience plays a key role in encouraging job seekers to apply. SO how can hiring managers make their jobs more attractive while maintaining a good application experience? Streamlining the process is a great place to start, and video can help.
Simply put, video is more engaging.
A well-designed job ad can encourage applications, but half the battle is attracting candidates in the first place. A clear layout, well designed website, succinct messages all help of course, they fast track the user’s decision making process. A job description that goes beyond a copy/paste list of responsibilities and benefits is a clear winner. Additionally, using welcoming visuals and clear call-to-action buttons can make the process even smoother. Having this is great, but it only puts you in line with 90% of the jobs on the market just now. The next step to really stand out is video.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock you’ll know video gets more attraction online. It’s the perfect medium for communication and grabbing attention. It's true for social media but the same principles apply to the job market. It opens up imagination, lowers anxiety and increases accessibility. Using video to communicate evokes emotions that simply cannot come across in a text job ad. How do you communicate culture in a 500 word advert? Body language and tonality alone can make connections which leads to a more memorable UX and a stronger brand. Providing a visual representation of the company, videos can create a positive image, and candidates can envision themselves a role clearly and start to focus on the beneficial changes that job might bring to their life.
Clear communication makes a transparent process
Video might do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to initial attraction but candidates will stick around only if the experience is worth their time. A streamlined application process is crucial in encouraging job seekers to apply for jobs. A lengthy and complicated application process can discourage job seekers from applying for a job. By contrast a simple and straightforward process that only requires relevant information can reduce friction and ultimately result in a better candidate pool.
If you are gathering application videos from your candidates (and you should) then having a recruitment video of your own will set the tonality of the responses. When you showcase a highly polished recruitment video it could set the bar for responses quite high. Candidates might be intimidated by the thought of trying to keep to the same standard. A more grounded approach can reach just as many people, doesn’t cause any camerawork pressure, and is a lot cheaper to produce. Simply talking directly to camera and outlining the role in a simple format can result in a 700% increase in page views for a position. If you have existing marketing footage to use as b-roll then you can always utilise it, but it’s not a dealbreaker.
Having a video headlining your role with some good design to back it up puts you in an extremely strong position to score candidates. What reason do they have not to apply now?