Jan Söderström
Leading organizations around the world are using social media in their recruitment already, and many more will follow.
But with so many companies building their social media presence to attract talent, the question is, what can your organization do to stand out, and how can you cut through the noise and get noticed by the right people?
Well, the answer is simple: use videos!
Videos make great storytellers; they grab our attention, engage, entertain, and inspire us. That’s precisely why most of us prefer video content to reading and want to get more video content in the future.
Not to mention, we’re hardwired to digest visual content better than text—according to studies, we remember 95% of a message when it is watched, and only 10% when read. Hence, if you want to reach the right candidates and get your message across on social media, video content is the way to go.
However, producing video content just for the sake of having videos isn’t going to do you any good. If you want to see your time and efforts pay off, you have to learn how to best utilize videos in your recruitment.
In this blog post, we’re sharing our tips for using videos on social media to reach and engage with talent. Along with the tips, you'll also find great video content examples from different organizations for your inspiration.
First of all, let's get this out of the way: you don’t have to use a professional video camera or lighting equipment to make a killer video. All you need is the right idea, a positive mindset, and your smartphone (and maybe a pair of regular headphones with built-in mic for optimal sound).
Don't let a lack of expensive equipment stop you from creating video content. At the end of the day, it’s the message, not the equipment, that matters.
Not all social media platforms are built the same way: some platforms are better for certain things than others.
Depending on the platform(s) you choose, your video format, length, and content can vary a lot.
Of course, LinkedIn is the go-to platform for hiring talent, but there are other channels out there as well—YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok, Behance, Reddit, just to name a few.
Most of these platforms allow you to embed videos from other channels, meaning you can, for example, publish a video on YouTube and share it on Twitter. Yet, you wouldn’t post a vertical video on YouTube or a horizontal video on Instagram or Tiktok, so be sure to tailor your video to each platform’s specifications to make your content look its best.
The easiest way to find the right social media channel for you is by choosing the platform your ideal candidates are using the most. Say, if you’re looking for talent from Japan, you should look into LINE and Twitter. If you’re recruiting designers, consider posting on Behance, Instagram, or Pinterest.
A company culture video tells your candidates who you are, what makes you unique, and why candidates should apply to work at your organization.
There’s no one right way to create a company culture video—it’s up to you to decide what you want to highlight in your video and how to present your organization and your team.
The only tip we have for you is to be yourself and keep it natural. Let people in your video talk freely, without any scripts. Otherwise, you risk making your video look “too manufactured” and not genuine. Besides, If you pretend to be something you’re not, you’ll attract the wrong people.
Here’s an example of a good company culture video from Starbucks. The video is great because it tells real employee stories, and those stories convey the company culture of Starbucks.
You can post your company culture video on any social media channel you use and on your career site. Just make sure that your video is easy to find for anyone interested in learning about your organization.
You can either pin the post with the company culture video to the top of your page (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook) or, if you’re using LinkedIn, upload the video to your Life or What Do We Do Page.
This is how Apple shares the video on its LinkedIn page:
Instead of having your CEO talk about your company, consider putting a spotlight on your employees and letting your employees show what their day-to-day work looks like. Such videos not only show the kind of work your employees do but also tell stories of people behind your organization.
“A day in the life” videos are very personal and relatable and can be really powerful in getting the message across. Your candidates trust your employees the most, and whatever your employees say in the video matters. So, if you’re keeping your employees happy and it shows in the video, you’ll increase your chances of winning great talent.
Check out this wonderful example of “A day in the life” video from Eficode:
Just like the company culture videos, you can post “a day in the life” videos on any social media channel you use and on your career page.
Even the most detailed and accurate job descriptions might leave your candidates wondering about the kind of tasks they’ll be doing if they get the position. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. So, instead of writing what the job entails, why not show it? After all, your employees are much better at explaining what they do at work than anyone else.
To conduct an employee takeover, all you need to do is to give your employee access to your company’s social media account temporarily (for example, for a day) and let the employees share content from and about their work. Of course, make sure your employee doesn’t share any confidential or sensitive information on social media during the takeover.
Ideally, you should also prepare everything for the takeover well in advance—such as making a schedule for employees participating in the takeover and providing some tips for posting on social media—to avoid any potential problems in your workplace.
Employee takeover videos work best on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.
Here's an example from HubSpot: they have an Instagram account @hubspotlife exclusively focused on their employees and company culture, where they host employee takeovers regularly. During the takeovers, HubSpot employees post actively on Instagram Stories, sharing bits of their workday, and answering some questions about their job and themselves.
We found an older video from one of the takeovers posted on their feed, but if you want to see more of their employee-generated content, head to their Story Highlights!
Live videos are very engaging; they do great in boosting awareness and interacting with audiences. Most likely, you’ve already noticed many organizations use live videos for marketing or sales purposes to organize virtual events, Q&A sessions, product tutorials, etc, so why not use them for recruitment as well?
When executed well, live videos will not only help you engage your audience but also grow your talent network. You can use live videos to:
Live videos require quite a bit of preparation in the beginning—you should pick a topic, date, and time and then advertise the live session on all your social media feeds. Depending on the platform and your previous experience with live videos, you might experience a steep learning curve, but it’ll get easier with practice.
Before you go live, remember to ask your audience in advance if they have any questions for you or if there is any particular topic that interests them. In case you don’t get many questions, make sure you have something interesting and relevant to share, such as, application tips, employee success stories, and practical information for candidates who are already employed in another organization and/or live in another city/country.
Currently, each major social media platform has its own live video feature, so you can choose whichever best suits your needs. Also, consider saving the video on the platform you’re using, so candidates who couldn’t make it to the live session can still watch the recording.
Here’s an example of a live video from the Museum of Modern Art. In the video, one of the museum curators, Anne Umland, talks about what does a curator's job involves and how to become one:
Unfortunately, many organizations still seem to believe that the way to maximize productivity is all work and no fun, despite what studies say. Your candidates might think your organization is one of the “boring” and “dreadfully corporate” ones until you prove them wrong.
If your organization understands the value of having fun at work, it’s important to communicate that with your candidates on social media.
Do you play games at work and organize parties? Do you celebrate each other’s success? Do you have an adorable office dog to play with? Use social media to highlight how your employees have fun at work, and you'll give your candidates a peek into your company culture and reach the right candidates that best fit your organization.
Our customer Finnair made a video of their employees participating in the Don't Rush challenge. The video shows a fun side of their team, and by doing so, catches the attention of their clients and candidates. And by the way, the video was coordinated and edited by their cabin crew member Maria.
There you have it—those were our tips for reaching candidates on social media using videos. Hope this was useful. If you would like to learn more about video recruitment, check out our guide here. And if you’re looking to start using video interviews in your recruitment, drop us a line here and let’s have a chat!
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