It’s time consuming, costly and difficult to find the candidates you want to employ.
We make a business of making hires, but it’s still a grind.
Our approach and one that is underutilised by businesses is to use video in the 3 stages of the hiring process. Before, During and After!
Want to learn more? Then here’s a closer look at how you can incorporate video into your recruitment strategy:
1. Create a Recruitment Video
The first step can be completed before a hire takes place.
Picture this: a captivating video that provides a glimpse into your company’s culture, values, and mission.
The recruitment video serves as an authentic introduction to your business, setting the stage for potential candidates.
You can share insights from existing team members, highlight the work environment, and convey your company’s unique identity and goals.
A well-crafted recruitment video will create an immediate connection with candidates and inspire them to see a career with your company.
Here’s an example of a recruitment video we did for one of our clients.
When we make hires for our clients at Comton Group we often need to sell the benefits of working for your business. For candidates that are not already working in the industry, they have no idea if the sector is for them, let alone if your business is a great place to work.
Video can be the differentiator between your job opportunity and a competitor’s vacancy. Moreover in the current market, it’s the difference between you and a role in a completely different market sector.
A corporate video doesn’t cut it when candidates are doing research about your business. These videos lack personality and are produced to showcase products and service offerings to clients. They do not typically give any insight into why someone may want to join your business, and they often lack any personality which potential candidates are looking for when they consider working with your business.
Here’s another example of a recruitment video we produced for one of our clients.
A recruitment video to differentiate this business from the competition.
The goal with this video was to show exactly why the business was a great place to work. The business looks exciting, forward thinking and the staff sell the company, not the management.
When hiring staff for this business we use the video in the recruitment process. Candidates buy into the company because they can see and hear what the company is like. It results in fewer no shows at the interview stage, and a higher percentage of offers being accepted for our client.
It’s like test driving a used car. Once you’ve driven a particular car, you bond with it, you want that one. The rest of the forecourt becomes irrelevant, it’s the same with your job opportunity, if you give the candidate a test drive of your business they are often sold on your job which is crucial if they get multiple job offers!
Some of our Media clients have also seen the value of candidates watching video content of their businesses before they interview:
My eureka moment was when people who applied for a job mentioned in interview that our LinkedIn presence was the reason they wanted to work for Van Leeuwen. We come across as people oriented.
JILL CLEMENTS | BUSINESS MANAGER ENERGY | VAN LEEUWEN UK
A second client of ours has embraced using video and now create their own recruitment videos in house. They have had a similar experience at the interview stage:
I know that the content we put out – irrespective of it being about recruitment or not – has created a connection with candidates.
They feel like they already know us, which definitely plays a part in them coming to an interview at Hydroscand.
Step two is to use video as the first step in the recruitment process.
It is typical that more than one person will make a decision on a new staff member, but it is often difficult to get more than one person together to do an interview. Time delays or long recruitment processes can kill off an enthusiastic candidate. Worse still, they can work to a competitor’s advantage if they have a quicker hiring process
SO if you record the first interview with a candidate or a number of candidates, you can re-watch them and send the videos to other key personnel in your business.
You also don’t need to have 2 to 3 people in the room to do the first interview.
Any one person can record the first interview using Google Meet, Zoom or Microsoft teams and if the candidate looks like a fit, you can share the video and quickly plan a follow up face to face or another online interview.
Video Interviews can be recorded and then shared with hiring managers
Companies have been using text-based CVs for years, and although a CV is still of value, it’s simple to elevate the hiring process with video and it builds great buy-in from the candidate.
By encouraging candidates to take part in video interviews and allow them to respond to specific first interview questions, you get a quick insight into a candidate’s presentation, communication skills, and personality.
You also gain valuable insights that go beyond the traditional CV. This method not only enhances the screening process but also helps you identify individuals who align with your team’s culture.
At Comton Group, we set up our business to utilise video hiring in the recruitment process. We wanted to stand out from our competitors and it allowed us to gain traction from many companies in our first year of trading.
Some of our clients still prefer the CV first approach, but video hiring is definitely a process that if applied to your businesses recruitment process can increase the speed of an application to an offer, but also serves as a useful tool to prepare for a second interview, and allows persons not present at the initial interview to see and hear a candidate at a time to suit them.
For more information on how you can use video interviews in your process, please chat to our team, and if you want to work on a retained basis with our business, we can offer a video hiring service for you.
3. Send Offer Videos
The third way you can use video in your hiring process is at the offer stage.
Once you’ve found the perfect fit for your organisation, make their onboarding experience extraordinary by sending them a personalised offer video.
This video is more than just a formal job offer; it’s an opportunity to welcome your new team member in a completely new way.
Tell the candidate why you’re excited about their joining, highlight key details about their role, and you can even offer a glimpse into the supportive environment they’ll become a part of.
This personal touch creates a positive and memorable onboarding experience, ultimately increasing the likelihood of a candidate accepting your offer.
When we hire staff at Comton Group we invite new starters to come in and meet our team before they start.
We often have a meet up at lunch during their first week so that they can meet the whole team, but short video messages are a simple and effective way to build a relationship with a new starter before they join your business.
Using video messages at the point of making an offer could be the difference between your offer being accepted or not.
So what do you think about using video in the recruitment process?
And will you be trying any of our three ideas next time you make a hire?
