Why you Should use Video in your Recruitment Process

In recent years, video has become a prominent part of our day-to-day life. I don’t think many people will go through their day without watching a video on their phone at some point. It is becoming an increasingly prominent medium, and even before the covid pandemic, 47% of employees were opting to use video interviews. 

Virtual recruiting is becoming more and more the ‘norm’, and video plays a huge part in that. 

More engagement 

Videos generate more engagement than text; why read something when you can get all the information much quicker through a video? Search engines will also favour content with a video element as well. In fact, job descriptions that feature a video gain roughly 12% more views than those without. By using video within your job listings, you will give yourself a competitive edge over other employers. These videos will help humanise your company, instantly putting a face to the name and creating a level of familiarity that will help you stand out to candidates. You will put across a sense of the company culture, giving a better understanding of who you are and appealing to candidates at a greater level. 

Understand your candidates

On paper, candidates may all look the same, and it can be very difficult to get a sense of who the individual is. By adding a video application to your hiring process, you will allow yourselves to get a better understanding of a person ahead of meeting any candidates, you will get a feel for individual personalities, and this will help you narrow down the applicants. Ask candidates to create a four-minute video of themselves answering a series of open-ended questions, such as ‘what drives you to get up and go each day?’ or ‘what is it about our company that appeals to you as a place to work?’ Along with the answers they provide, their body language and the way candidates present themselves in these videos will help you find qualified candidates and get a sense of how they may fit in with the existing team. 

Broader scope for talent

One of the biggest complaints candidates have in the hiring process is the travel required to get to an interview; they are likely to have to take time off from their current job in order to interview for a new one. By doing virtual interviews over video calls, you can cut out the travel element. Not only will this benefit your candidates, but also it means that you gain a wider selection of candidates as anyone can interview from anywhere; location does not matter so long as the wifi connection is good! 

Save Time

We’ve all heard the mantra 'time is money', and ultimately, integrating video into your hiring process will be a huge time-saving technique. By making use of video within your recruitment strategy, you will be making more efficient use of your time: 

• Efficient Job Descriptions – captivate a candidate’s interest by telling them in a matter of seconds why they should apply to work with you.
• Pre-recorded Applications – reduce the time taken in the selection process by getting a feel for who a person is – gauging their personality in a matter of minutes without having to set up a face-to-face meeting. 
• Cutting Out the Travel – By carrying out video interviews, you reduce the time taken out of a candidate’s day and improve their overall experience. Cutting out the travel element of an interview is of benefit to all parties as it will reduce stress and make it a more comfortable experience. 

In conclusion

Using video in recruitment can improve your entire process. You can reach more candidates and get their attention quicker, present your employer brand, increase your application rate with top talent, and speed up the process for everyone involved.

If we can help you with any aspect of your recruitment process, please get in touch.