Why Video Is Essential to Recruitment Marketing in 2020

You have 1 min 36 secs to create an impression on a candidate through recruitment marketing videos. Here’s why you need to use each minute wisely.

Last Updated: July 26, 2022

Are you using recruitment marketing videos to their fullest potential? If not, 2020 may be the year to get started. In this article, we discuss:

  • Stages of the recruitment funnel that you can transform with video
  • 4 reasons why recruitment marketing videos should be a recruitment staple in 2020
  • Tips and tools to get started

In 2020, companies must go the extra mile to strengthen their employer brand in a tight hiring environment.

Recruitment marketing videos have proven beneficial in this regard, helping to attract candidates at the start of the recruitment funnel. Videos can also be used throughout the recruitment process to deliver a more engaging candidate experienceOpens a new window .

Before we discuss exactly why you need recruitment marketing videos in 2020, let’s look at the various application areas to consider.

Learn More: 5 Examples of Brilliant Recruitment Marketing Campaigns You Can Learn FromOpens a new window

Stages of the Recruitment Funnel Where Video Intervention Makes Sense

If we look at candidates as we would a consumer, recruitment Opens a new window can be broken down into four stages: awareness, interest, desire, and action. Video can bolster recruitment marketingOpens a new window across all four.

  • Awareness: Short videos to share on social media, which depict the employee experience at your company, can make job seekers outside your region/immediate domain aware of the employer brand.
  • Interest: Videos embedded on your website and career pages showcasing the company culture inspire interest in what you do and how you do it, making candidates more likely to apply when an opening is available.
  • Desire: Video job descriptions that make candidates feel like they would be a good fit speak directly to candidates and call for action.
  • Action: Video applications and video interviews give candidates the flexibility to connect from anywhere, at any time, at their convenience and make the application process more candidate-centric across the recruitment funnel.

As you can see, recruitment marketing videos aren’t just glorified ads for a company. They holistically engage with your talent pool and build a lasting relationship.

Learn More: Top 8 Recruitment Marketing Trends for 2020 and BeyondOpens a new window

4 Reasons Why You Need Recruitment Marketing Videos

While video has been a popular recruitment marketing tool for a while now, employers simply cannot ignore it in 2020. Here’s why:

1. Gen Z prioritizes video as a key method of brand discovery

The top platform for discovering new brands (in other words, awareness) has changed dramatically over the decades.

How does Gen Z Opens a new window find their brands of choice, both to purchase products and to find employment?

Research suggests that Gen Z is rapidly turning to video for brand discovery and engagement. More than half of Gen Z in an international surveyOpens a new window of 2,000 cross-generational respondents said that they want videos to portray their areas of interest.

In short, employer brands looking to make an impression on Gen Z talent entering the workforce in 2020 must necessarily use video.

2. Recruitment marketing videos convert static content into a story

What better way to foster engagement and build relationships via storytellingOpens a new window ? However, this isn’t always so easy. A job description for a senior-level position that might run up to 1,000+ words risks becoming dense and uninspiring.

By converting the job description into a coherent narrative (i.e., a story), recruiters have a better chance of holding candidate attention and evoking an action from the best talent.

A survey Opens a new window of 576 respondents found that nearly 31% of HR professionals find it challenging to tell interesting stories about “boring topics.” This is where recruitment marketing videos could change the narrative.

Instead of listing job requirements as static text (incidentally, 38% of HR professionals find it difficult to “write creatively”), you can have a video where the business unit manager, the team lead, and the recruiter discuss the various aspects of an open position or simply those of working with the organization.

3. Recruitment marketing videos can increase the number of views and applicants per job post

With so many companies vying for the best talent available, it can be challenging to get your job ads viewed in the first place. Imagine a scenario where the job is absolutely perfect for a candidate who simply scrolled over because the title did not catch their attention – this would be a lose-lose for everyone.

That’s why it is a good idea to embed videos in job ads, as well as embed a video emoji in the job ad title. Interestingly, a report by CareerBuilderOpens a new window (email required) found that job postings with video icons on the CareerBuilder platform got 12% more views than ones without video.

And the benefits don’t end there – CareerBuilder Opens a new window users who embraced the power of recruitment marketing videos achieved a 34% uptick in application rates!

4. You can leverage VR to create immersive recruitment marketing videos

We have been discussing the mainstream adoption of VR for a while now, but 2020 could be the year when this technology takes off.

All signs point in this direction – according to one estimateOpens a new window , the VR market will expand at an astonishing 48.7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the next five years! This could be because affordable VR hardware is now easily available. In 2019, the Oculus Quest headset got a $400 launch, making it accessible to young professionals around the world.

In other words, the climate is just right for VR usage among your intended candidate pool. 360-degree videos that take advantage of this technology can deliver immersive and compelling experiences to candidates.

Recruiters can even partner with providers like 60dgreesOpens a new window to create VR-enabled recruitment marketing videos at low costs (360dgrees is free forever for up to three videos).

Learn More: How to Create a Great Branded Recruitment VideoOpens a new window

Getting Started With Recruitment Marketing Videos in 2020

You can use several tools to create recruitment marketing videos, making it possible to get started even if you do not have video marketing skill sets within your organizationOpens a new window . Here are a couple of options to consider:

  • HinterviewOpens a new window : A video engagement platform for recruiters that lets you create videos, share them through links, and gather real-time feedback through emails.
  • CammioOpens a new window : A platform to create videos about open positions, where you identify topics, submit smartphone clips on each topic, and Cammio weaves it into a video story.

Let us leave you with a simple #ProTip: modern candidates want to connect with your employer brand through video, and you have 1 minute 36 seconds (on average) to tell your story. This dataOpens a new window from Skill Scout’s 450+ employer videos across YoutTube and Vimeo reveals the importance of short, crisp, intelligently created recruitment marketing videos in 2020.

By using the right tools and identifying points of video intervention on your recruitment funnel, you can address the four factors mentioned and build a winning recruitment marketing strategy this year.

What is your preferred tool for making recruitment marketing videos? Tell us on FacebookOpens a new window LinkedInOpens a new window , or TwitterOpens a new window . We’d love to hear your views on this topic!

Chiradeep BasuMallick
Chiradeep is a content marketing professional, a startup incubator, and a tech journalism specialist. He has over 11 years of experience in mainline advertising, marketing communications, corporate communications, and content marketing. He has worked with a number of global majors and Indian MNCs, and currently manages his content marketing startup based out of Kolkata, India. He writes extensively on areas such as IT, BFSI, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, and financial analysis & stock markets. He studied literature, has a degree in public relations and is an independent contributor for several leading publications.
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