8 questions to ask before you start your first job ad video (and the answers)

Making a video to communicate your next job ad doesn’t need to take a huge amount of time behind the camera. But like any piece of communications work, you don’t just chuck any old content out there - marketing guru Simon Sinek has famously talked about understanding why we’re doing what we do is essential.

Starting with why provides the path forwards.

So, let’s make like Simon Sinek and think about why we’re acting, and let’s make a rubric for creating simple, effective HR videos. (Oh, and completely off topic, but if you haven’t seen THIS video from Simon Sinek, you need to take a 3.5 min break right now and do it. One of my favourites. Now, back to making videos!)

Your 8 questions to create job video ads:

Set aside at least 20-30 minutes and think through each of the questions:

1. Why are you hiring?

• is it because you have a vacancy to fill
• because you’re expanding and need a bigger team
• is it time to start this year’s graduate recruitment drive?

2. What is most important about this job ad today?

• Does a vacancy need filling ASAP?
• Maybe you want people to know it’s a job that is fully remote, so you can accept applications from anywhere in the world?
• Write out what one or two things are most important to you about this vacancy.

3. What do you want candidates to do when they have seen the video?

This is what marketeers describe as a “Call to Action”. Have a chat with marketing about the best way to tell your candidates to apply! They will help you set out *how* to turn viewers into applicants

4. Where will this video go?

You should know where your candidates tend to come from, but also ask marketing if they have insights about which social media channels have the most traction with your audience

Connecting with your ideal candidates

• What type of candidate do you want to attract?
• If you’re looking for engineers, will you explain what programmes and work styles you use?
• Maybe you want people with technical skills and enquiring mindsets?
• How would you communicate that in a video?

5. How do you want the viewer to feel?

Excited? Included? Warm? Dynamic? Write them out and consider what type of language would your ideal candidates find interesting?

6. Who should ‘front’ the video?

Team lead? Head of department? Who would connect best with your targets? Try to balance out wanting someone who is comfortable on camera, along with someone who the applicant might, fairly soon, work with!

7. How about production values?

• You don’t need a fancy background; just in the office, or at a desk. People want the content, not high production values :)
• There are two types of video you can create - a super short attention grabber, where you want potential candidates to simply click through a link to read more.
• Alternatively, you can create a longer video (say, 60-90 seconds long), where you can gauge real interest in the role - say telling viewers that the role exists, why it’s interesting, what the key duties are, and where to go to apply. This length of video is great if you’re looking to assess the level of interest in the job.
• Not sure which is best for your first effort? Start simple - go for a quick 20-30 “we’re hiring! click below!”.

Keeping your talent pool warm through short videos.

One of the challenges in today’s market is the competition for talent; candidates need to know that their application is wanted.

Remember that today’s unsuccessful candidate could be tomorrow’s brand advocate.

Your job is to let them know that they are wanted and needed.

8. Need ideas for short videos to keep your talent pool warm?

How about:

• CEO on what’s coming up in the next few months
• Team lead on the view ahead
• New joiners on their experience of joining and the company culture
• Mid-level, longer term team members talk about culture and career progression
• How staff are supported with their career growth
• How hybrid working works for your company

Not sure what this could look like?

Here's an example of what you might find after working through these prompts:

We’re hiring product engineers; we want the right people rather than speed, so we’re going to make a 90 second video that explains what we do, the names of the packagers the team use etc. Ideally someone from the engineering team will ‘front’ the video, because we want the viewer to imagine themselves working with that team - not with our HR team.

After watching the video, the audience will be directed to a landing page that has the job description and instructions on how to apply.

From video ad to structured interview

And then, when you’re ready to interview someone, make sure you give them a super top class amazing structured interview!