As a recruiter, your work gets easier when jobs are scarce, but in a job market where job openings outnumber available workers by nearly 5 million, it's time to find creative ways to get the attention of qualified candidates. Business owners and hiring managers expecting to attract talent with the same methods they've used for decades might find themselves losing top talent to the competition. Why? Because employees today are looking for a different experience. 

Nearly 1 in 3 US workers under 40 have thought about changing their occupation since the pandemic began. Reasons for this range from a better work/life balance to a more meaningful career or a new lifestyle. While these changes aren't technically linked to recruitment practices, they have a major impact on the way candidates digest your job descriptions. Individuals craving a job they're passionate about or a new lifestyle aren't likely to be wowed by dry job descriptions with outdated buzzwords and a lengthy list of requirements. They want a reason to be excited about what a new position has to offer. 

Example Job Description: 

Role: Talent Acquisition Manager 

The Talent Acquisition Manager will be responsible for finding, attracting and hiring top talent for the company. This individual must have experience in recruiting, sourcing and screening candidates.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Business Administration or related field 
• At least 5 years of experience in recruiting, sourcing and screening candidates 
• Knowledge of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) 

Responsibilities 

• Source and screen candidates 
• Manage the recruitment process 
• Coordinate with hiring managers to identify needs 
• Develop and post job ads 
• Assist with on-boarding new employees
• Foster relationships with candidates 
• Maintain candidate databases 

So, how can you make an impression that stands out from the competition? Consider the value of a video job description.

What Makes Video Job Descriptions so Effective?

The most valuable thing that makes a video job description stand out from other methods is engagement. Video offers a quick, entertaining way for viewers to easily digest content. When you consider the effects of videos on entertainment, education, and successful marketing, the idea of applying video to recruitment isn't such a leap. YouTube has 122 million active users daily, adding up to over a billion hours of content consumed across the world every day. Marketers who have tapped into the popularity agree on the effectiveness of the tool with 87% reporting a positive ROI, and 81% revealing that video marketing has a direct, positive impact on sales. Furthermore, 94% of marketers agree that videos have helped increase user understanding of their product or service.

A video job description is a brief video that provides an overview of a specific job opening. It can be described as a shareable, videoized, version of your existing job ad. The same benefits that make videos such an effective form of entertainment and marketing make them the perfect tool for job descriptions. Consider how these benefits could enhance your recruitment process.

• Increased Engagement: CareerBuilder research reveals that job postings with video icons are viewed 12% more than postings without a video and receive a 34% greater application rate. Video engages job seekers with a clear visual image of what it's like to work in your organization and the employees they'll be working with.
• Project Company Culture: 77% of job seekers consider a company's culture before applying. Video content provides a transparent window into the sort of culture and collaboration candidates can expect.
• Show Off Unique Benefits: In today's hiring market, the right benefits may be more important than salary. Video images can quickly highlight how unique benefits improve the lives of current employees.
• Build Trust: Brand stories, employee testimonials, and behind-the-scenes visuals can help offer transparency and build trust in your organization.
• Use Videos Across Multiple Platforms: Job seekers search multiple platforms across a variety of devices. A single video job posting can be used on your website, across multiple job posting boards, on a variety of social media sites, and generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined.

What to Include in Your Video Job Description

 Your video job posting isn't supposed to be a shiny advertisement glorifying your company. It should offer a transparent view into what the position actually requires and how it will benefit qualified applicants. For this reason, your video needs to be short and to the point with these essential details.

A Clear Job Description

Your job posting should include a recognizable job title, a description of day-to-day work, and specific task requirements. A video job description can offer a visual representation that quickly describes a summary of the position's responsibilities, qualifications, expectations, while showcasing the workspace, current employees, and company culture. Other vital characteristics of a transparent job description include salary and travel requirements.

Insight into Your Company Culture

While a long blurb in a written posting about your company culture may get overlooked, or even perceived as over-the-top, videos offer a transparent look into the way your employees work together and the day-to-day atmosphere a new employee can expect. 38% of new employees say they'll consider quitting because of company culture. By offering visual insight into company culture, a video can offer job seekers a sense of familiarity that makes them feel as though they've already visited your company. 

Qualifications that Create a Perfect Fit

Print job postings typically list education and experience requirements but fail to focus on soft skills and other qualifications that could make candidates a good fit for the role. When current employees describe their responsibilities, they're more likely to mention skills that make them good at their job than their past experiences. This offers candidates a way to relate instead of the intimidation that a list of qualifications might evoke.

Development Opportunities

A desire for employee training and development opportunities is one of the top reasons employees move to a new company. If you offer education opportunities, cross-skilling and upskilling that results in promotions, video presents a quick way to offer visuals of these attractive perks. Consider the impact of a single image of educational opportunities or a side-by-side view of an employee turned company leader to a prospective recruit. A job search represents more than a single choice, it's a long-term life change that your video should address.

Best Practices for Video Job Descriptions

For companies that have never utilized the power of video, creating a video job posting can seem like a daunting task. However, authentic video job descriptions shouldn't be complicated or lengthy. They simply need to capture a transparent view of the way your company operates. Consider how these tips can help you plan and produce an engaging video job description.

• Understand your audience. A key point of video is the power to engage. To accomplish this, you'll be interacting directly with your audience. Identify your target audience with research into what your ideal candidate cares about, what principles they value, and what skills they possess. 
• Begin with a hook. To catch your audience's attention immediately, use the first 10 seconds of your video to provide an interesting opening point that demands attention. Whether you use an image, a question, or a startling statistic, make sure it's relevant to your company and the role you're trying to fill.
• Create a clear message. Your goal is to find a qualified employee that will align perfectly with your company's culture, mission, and goals. Yet, you also have to find a way to stand out from the competition. Create a clear message that describes what makes your company stand out as an employer and the type of qualifications needed from your ideal employee.
• Include visual storytelling. Images offer a powerful chance to show candidates how your employees benefit from the way you run your company. When your video can offer specific insight into personal stories about company successes or how employee lifestyles benefit from organizational structure, you can connect emotionally with candidates.
• Keep it brief. The average length of an online video is 4 minutes and 20 seconds. Job seekers are busy individuals with a lot of options. Your video should only be long enough to provide the most important information while retaining the candidate's interest. Begin with engagement, add value, and lead up to next steps before your top talent moves on to the next posting.
• Involve your employees. When you're trying to write a compelling job description, ask an employee who fills a similar position for advice. Happy employees have insight into what makes their job a pleasure and what makes your company unique. Furthermore, potential candidates are more likely to trust employees than upper management.
• Be authentic. Forget glitzy advertising. Transparency is key when it comes to retention after your new candidate begins working in your organization. A bait and switch video is more likely to cost you in the long run when you have to fill the role more than once.
• Include subtitles. Many job seekers are looking for a job switch while maintaining their daily responsibilities. This means headphones aren't always an option. While your video needs quality sound, subtitles can enhance clarity for job seekers using mobile devices in a variety of situations.
• Include a call to action. If you capture your ideal candidate's interest but fail to include instructions to apply, you've failed to reach your objective and likely lost the chance to regain the candidate's interest. Don't forget a short CTA at the end of your video to direct viewers to apply for the job.

Need Help with Video Job Descriptions?

Creating a video job description doesn't have to be difficult. In fact, you can use your existing job posting to have an engaging video created for you. Above all, a recruitment video needs to be clear and authentic. That's why you don't need an expensive film crew and a complicated process. Lumina is an intuitive platform that bridges the gap between HR and marketing with instant conversions of your current job listings into short, branded videos that attract candidates and empower recruiters. All you have to do is input your email to receive a tailored job posting within 24 hours. Get ready to hire like it's 2022 with modern videos that make recruitment a breeze. Request your free Lumina video today.