After my post on this last year, Steve Gilbert, an awesome guy I know from Twitter, ended up reaching out and chatting with me for a bit. He sent me a bunch of links to some companies that are currently using video as part of their recruiting process.
(Here’s a great video from Facebook and one from Cisco.)
The one thing I noticed with all the videos I’ve seen is that they’re almost all from a broad, company overview perspective.
What I’d love to see are videos that dig deeper. An interview with the hiring manager. An introduction to the team. A day-in-the-life with someone who currently has that job title.
There are apparently a handful of companies that put together videos like this for organizations. But there’s no reason you can’t do this yourself!
The Technology
Creating videos like this is actually pretty damn easy! Here’s what you need:
A Digital Camera. For about $200 you can buy a digital camera that takes incredible still photos and great video. I recommend either the Sony Cybershot (I own an older model of this camera) or the Canon Powershot. You should also get at least a 2 GB memory card. (amazon affiliate links)
Windows Movie Maker. This software is free from Microsoft if you have MS Office on your computer. It allows you to break up chunks of video into clips, drag and drop them into a storyboard, and save them as a new movie. You can even add background music and title slides. Download Windows Movie Maker (Vista users click here)
A YouTube Account. They’re free. Head over to YouTube and sign-up for one right now.
What Now?
Great question! Go out and interview your hiring manager. Have her explain the job… in plain english.
Chat with the team members that whoever fills this role will be working with. Have them talk about the organization, the team, and the work they do. What do they love? What should someone coming into the team expect?
These videos are only limited by your creativity.
Once you’ve captured all of your video, get it on your computer, and start editing it using Windows Movie Maker.
I know what you’re thinking: Chris, I’m not a director. I don’t know how to put together a good video website. You’re right. And chances are your first video will only be sorta OK.
Know how people get good at making videos? They make videos! Practice makes perfect, so keep at it.
Your video should be five minutes long max. Go shorter if you can. Once you’ve edited your video into something you’re happy with, upload it to your YouTube account.
Now go share it with the world. Post it on Twitter. Share it on your employer branding blog. Embed it in your job postings on the job boards and your company career site.
Do this and you’ll be part of the cutting edge of social media recruiting.
(Via Brazen Careerist.)
For more recruiting articles, check out these articles:
- Retained In A Recession
- What Every Recruiter Can Learn From Spaghetti Sauce
- Use Social Media to Make Every Employee a Recruiter
In the modern job search, the littlest of things can make a HUGE impact. There are tons of little things that go into making a successful online job search and the more you know the better prepared you can be when you see the ideal job posting.
Today, there are consulting services and career coaches with whom you can expect to spend thousands of dollars for advice; literally, thousands of dollars for career consulting, career coaching, interview coaching, resume consulting, personal brand totobet coaching and much, much more.
But what about the rest of us, who are unable to spend the exorbitant sums needed for these types of services? What if I (the modern job seeker) have questions about my job search, my resume, and my upcoming interview?
