It’s safe to say in the last couple of years, many people have been feeling a bit burnt out at work. Over the pandemic, many people have been considering a new job, whether it’s in the same industry or a challenge in a new area. Even I had this same itch, and that’s how I ended up at RY.
Resignation levels have been at their highest since the 2009 Recession. Research has shown that almost one in four people in the UK were considering a change within the next three to six months at the end of 2021.
So, the question is, with so many people looking for a new job, a new challenge, a new opportunity, how do you stand out as an employer? How do you entice people to come and work for you, and show off what makes your company unique?
Over the past few months, there’s been a significant increase in clients that have come to us with this very same question. There is a wealth of talent out there that they are looking to tap into, but how can they do something that is slightly different to capture the imagination of those looking for a job?
There is one thing that realistically isn’t going to change – job descriptions. These are the bread and butter of recruitment. You need to let people know what they’re getting themselves in for. Traditionally, job descriptions are in text form - but what we’re seeing now is a rise in films to aid the recruitment process.
A short, concise, and snappy film showing people what a role is about, what the company is about and why it’s a great place to work can create instant intrigue among the viewer. It adds another level of personality and may allow your job listings to stand out amongst the crowd.
So, you’ve decided to make a recruitment film. What next? Here are four helpful principles to get the most out of it.
1. Keep it short
The shorter you can make this film, the better. I’m sure everyone could talk about their job for 10-15 minutes, if not longer. But you’ll lose the attention of the audience after a few minutes, most likely even less.
People are busy and finding time to look for a job is challenging in itself. So, if you present them with a 10-minute film about why your company is the place to work, I can guarantee most audiences will switch off before they’ve even clicked the play button… I know I would.
So, what is the ideal length of time? I would say around three minutes. If you can get it down to 60 seconds, then even better. If you’re thinking you can’t get the level of information you want over in three minutes, it’s likely that you’re trying to fit too much in.
Remember, this isn’t about giving people the rundown of everything they will be doing within the role, that’s what the job description is for. The purpose of this file is to show a snapshot of why your company is a great place to work.
2. Do something different
There is no one way to make a film about recruitment. There are a wealth of options and ideas out there - animation, drama, mini-documentaries, comedy… the options are endless.
One commonly used format is a ‘talking head’ interview with current employees to talk about their roles. This is great, but what else can you do to stand out from the crowd? Everyone has seen talking head videos before, but without any other elements, they can become very dull.
And sure, you could add some shots around the office with generic people, but this is typically difficult for the viewer to make a connection with. To make this more interesting, you could use the same people in different scenarios – in the office, interacting with people at meetings/social events or even out and about at lunch.
Challenge your creative team to do something different. Use slow motion, high and low angles, speed ramps, crash zooms, Dutch angles, aerials etc. Encourage them to think outside the box.
3. It’s not just about the company
You need to showcase the company, but what about the people already in the role/company you’re advertising for - who are they? What do they do on a day-to-day basis? What are their interests? How has that affected their work?
Viewers connect with films their characters when more is learnt about them and what makes them tick. Embrace it – ask the people featured in your film about themselves, you can always tie this back into how they have brought that to work to make your company an even better place to work.
4. We’ve hired! What next?
Just because you have hired someone in the role doesn’t make the film irrelevant. You can still use it.
It may need a bit of tweaking to be more about the company than the role itself, but all that footage you shot and edited is still useful.
Remember, there is no right answer to what the best type of film for your company is. But that’s where we come in.
Want to make a recruitment film but not sure where to start? Give us an idea of what you are after and we can offer suggestions, find references, and of course, produce your film. Drop us a line, we’d love to chat.