May 21, 2019

Who are the professionals that stand out from the crowd? Those who generously share quality content. These 'thought leaders' quickly become the go-to experts and trusted practitioners in their niche. Do you want to be known for your personal service and ability to go the extra mile? You need to leverage the power of video to increase your reach, credibility, and visibility.

Storytelling

For recruiters, personal brand is everything. It’s how you engage candidates, it’s how you sell your roles and it’s how you develop relationships that ultimately lead to placements.

The best ‘personal brands’ are just people who present themselves in a way that’s genuine, credible and helpful.

The challenge, however, is being able to get through to the candidate and demonstrate to them that you are a person who they should listen to and trust. This can be very difficult to do in writing, which is why the best recruiters are turning to video to tell their stories.

Why should a job seeker trust you? What experience do you have that gives you an edge over your competitors? How do you go the extra mile for your candidates?

Use the good old STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to build a library of video stories that tell your story, include b-roll, testimonial and interviews with clients and candidates to further establish your credibility.


People trust people

Video gives you the opportunity to be authentic and talk directly to your audience, the beauty of video is that you can create that face-to-face intimacy, at scale.

Don’t be afraid of showing some of your flaws on camera. That’s part of being human. Research shows that people trust individuals more than brands, so take this opportunity to be real and genuine with your audience.


Leverage your network

This is where you can get really creative. Why just talk about yourself when you could team up with hiring managers, candidates or other experts in your field?

Interviewing someone is a great way to add value to your videos (and avoid too much horn-tooting). On-camera guests can be deployed to illustrate and give credibility to:

  • Your relationship with clients and business partners
  • Your subject matter expertise
  • Your happy customers

A few months back, our video coach and storyteller Olivia started a short video series. In her series, We Speak Video, she sits down with professionals in her field who work with video; LinkedIn connections, fellow actors and industry leaders and chats about their video practice.

Starting a short, fun video series like this is a great way to leverage your network, establish connections and whilst doing so set yourself apart. 

wespeakvideolinkedinscreenshot
 

Get active on social

You don’t have to be on every channel! Most major social platforms have options for uploading and sharing videos, each has a different audience and purpose. Figure out which platform your audience uses most often, and focus your efforts there.

 Social video generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined.

Don’t forget to adapt your content for the platform you’re using. Aspects like video length should differ depending on where you’re uploading it. Just make sure to keep your core messaging consistent across the platforms you use—you won’t be adding to your credibility if you’re an ‘expert’ on LinkedIn and a trolling cynic on another platform.

 

Just do it (someone once said)

Video’s special advantage is that most people won’t take the time to do any of this. By just creating a video, you’re setting yourself apart. Don’t get hung up on perfection. Just start creating. Sure, people are going to judge you. It’s what they do. But honestly? Who cares what they think? Your target audience doesn’t care. They like you because you are helping them.

Get more tips on building a video habit and getting over your fear of being on camera.

Happy videoing!


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Article Topics:
Talent Attraction Professional Development