Tag Archive for video

Video and Recruitment – How and Why

January 11, 2010 / Justin Hillier / 10 comments

After today’s show with Bill Boorman regarding video usage in recruitment, it dawned one me that the general view of video use is fairly narrow in terms of alternative areas of use outside of Employer Branding and Video Resumes (I hate this term but for ease of explanation for now).

Many people scoff at the thought of video as an effective tool for recruitment r employee communication, however in the age of Web 2.0 tools and companies competing for Talent, video is one of the key tools in connecting and engaging with a candidate more then most. I have blogged about this before on ERE

So here is a list of what aspects of recruitment and employee interactions that companies can use video with.

Attraction
Typical Employer Branding video’s, Day in the Life style content, we all know this so I don’t think there is that much to say. Don’t go out and produce an Oscar winning video, make it real, make it in line with your company values and culture and make it now.

Onboarding
Typical starting dates are 2+ weeks after the letter of offer has gone out, so why not take this opportunity to use video to introduce future team members. A quick 2 minute video of the new employees team saying Hi, can’t wait to meet you, or the line manager or better yet MD/CEO welcoming the candidate can go a long way to further exciting the new employee.

Most first weeks in a new job these days concentrates on training of new systems and processes. Why not use some of the many tools out there to record this training on screen with added voice. These tools are great to not only use internally but can give the new incoming employee a great head start on the systems they will be using and some of the process that is unique to your business.

Training
Sitting in a room learning something new in a class format is boring (trust me I know, I’ve taught English in a foreign country and had many in-company training sessions) Why not spice things up and have a good portion of all the different types of internal training that occurs in your business on video. Not only does this change the dynamic of the learning process but it also means that employees have access to this content at any time and potentially anywhere (stored on your intranet perhaps).

Employee Engagement and Communication
How many times have you sat there struggling to write that perfect worded email to your team or a company wide message only to get fed up and delete it all and start again. Writing is never easy and takes time to make sure that things like grammer, speling nad your message is right. How many times have you forgotten to spell check your email? ( I’m leaving those mistakes there to prove a point). Better yet, you can turn to your colleague and explain what you want to say perfectly, but on paper (so to speak) the words just aren’t professional enough.

DO A VIDEO. Make it personal and exciting. If it’s an exciting piece of information to tell, show emotion. How do you expect people to get excited every time just from yet another email. Similarly, what I would love to see companies do is Senior management send out a video to their teams reviewing the week, month or quarter. They are often more heard about then seen, so put them front personal, approachable feel back to the people that are often more maligned then loved.

Exiting
Staff leave, its only natural. So how could video be helpful if they are exiting your business. Well for whatever reason they may depart, a personalised video message from their direct manager or better yet CEO/MD thanking them for their service to the company is a great touch. Not only does that show that the company has valued your input, but how many CEO/MD’s, or even direct managers do enough to thank exiting staff for their time and service. Not everyone leaves on a bad note.

Interviews
Utilising video is a great way to enhance or speed up the hiring process. Maybe the candidate is remotely based, maybe your schedules are not lining up, maybe you want to save time and travel costs. Whatever the reason using video can add a different dimension to the early stages of the hiring process. You certainly don’t need to do this of course for every job, but when appropriate why not try it, what do you have to lose.

Screening
A past post of mine on ERE explains this one.

Candidate Video Profiles
Or Video Resumes as some people like to call them. They are going to happen, maybe not tomorrow but certainly in the very near future. The one thing that is going to make them worth while for everyone is the expectation of what Employers wish them to be. There are many BAD candidate video profiles out there. But can we blame the candidate? How are they to know what is a good video if we do not tell them what is expected.

I have also blogged about this before and this past post should also quell some of those DISCRIMINATION bandits out there screaming that it opens up to many problems.

Video is another tool in your armoury that can add tremendous value to a wide range of applications to the whole HR environment. Don’t be shy and give it a go, there is a reason that Youtube is so popular…….

Also check out Michael Specht’s views on video.

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Yesterday's cover letters can't help you today

November 25, 2009 / Justin Hillier / 10 comments

Recently on Twitter the debate has raged on over the perceived added value that a cover letter can add to a candidates prospects when attempting to secure a new job. This all started when @ExpertResumeMan suggested “cover Letters ensure resume gets read”. No doubt that the old school cover letter has the best intentions, but is it really relevant to the current internet Web 2.0 world that we live in today?

Probably not. With IM, video chat, google wave and every other new communication tool jumping into the market, is writing a traditional cover letter really going to make you stand out from the crowd. Is it the most appropriate use of what is available?

Cover letters are a disappearing art, we rarely see anymore. However, when they are well written they can provide an concisely crafted snapshot of you and tell a story that can’t possibly be told in your resume.

Through a cover letter you can explain why you are applying to a job from out of state, why you are interested in a position that doesn’t align with your past work experience, gaps in employment and additional accomplishments that would make you a top candidate. You can also give examples of your strong work ethic, write why you would like to work for the company and provide many other pieces of critical information about you that will entice the Recruiter to put your resume on top of the stack and not in the circular file.

Read the Full article here

The above text are all reasons that Karla Porter says are reasons to write a traditional cover letter. Whilst I can’t argue with any of her points, she knows her stuff, what I will say is that time and methods have moved on. Ok, so I might be a touch biased (yes I’ve said this before and I’m not shy about it) but I honestly do believe that candidates have a far better option in video available to them.

Karla pointed out that:

Cover letters are a disappearing art - Does this not tell us that candidates see little value, Employers see little value and that there are better tools that need to be explored?
They can provide an concisely crafted snapshot of you and tell a story that can’t possibly be told in your resume - Can you not do this easier with a video and actually show your personality at the same time, we are hiring people after all aren’t we?

There are many other reasons I can outline from Karla’s post that show that video is a better, more current and appropriate tool to use. But to me it comes down to 2 key points.

1. Use a tool that is current and in line with today’s technology. This show’s your ability to adapt to the changing technology landscape and that you are adept with their usage.
2. Tools such as video “show” who you are and are far more “personal” then the traditional cover letter format. What can be more personal then a video of someone then meeting them face to face, why not speed up the process.

The key to the traditional cover letters is personalisation, what could be better then an introduction via video?

P.S This wasn’t an attack on Karla, she just posted her article on this topic during the debate.

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The Humble Resume – Has is lost that personal feeling?

November 16, 2009 / Justin Hillier / 8 comments

Recruitment is an interesting beast. We are all after the same thing initially, exposure. Exposure in order to attract the best talent, exposure in order to promote our company, and exposure to portray the right perception of our company as an Employer. We are all in the business of attracting and hiring PEOPLE.

There are multitudes of methods used, and we try to be as personal as we can. We are after talent, people, the greatest asset to our business and the personal touch counts for most of this relationship. We want to talk to them, schmooze them, and convince them that we are right for them and vice versa.

Why then, is it the most simplest piece of this puzzle and process, the least personal of it all. What am I talking about? The humble Resume. Sure we get a name and phone number, but why is that the only thing we get to learn about someone initially? We are to afraid (and more so the candidate) of displaying a DOB, and god forbid a photo should be attached. What benefit could there be in seeing how a person presents themselves? We just want to know that they are degree educated, have done the same job for the last 5 years, and will work for the money that is being offered.

It was pointed out to me this morning, by someone that has never put any thought into this before, that the humble resume is the least personal part of the recruitment cycle, a candidate, an every day person, someone who wants to feel that he is a little more then skills and degrees.

Has the resume got to a point where all we want is skills and education, and the a candidates personality, goals and desires and what makes them tick is left to chance? I may be biased (wait I am a little) but adding a video profile (with the right expectations – read my previous article for more on this) to the mix would at least, from the candidates viewpoint, let them feel as if they are offering more then the skills, responsibilities and academic qualifications that we all put so much weight behind.

Lateral thinking and flexibility seems to have gone out the door. The resume has become black and white (another type of black and white) and the personal touch and feeling has been totally removed. We are hiring people, people with personalities, opinions and style, why don’t we “let them speak for themselves”.

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20,000 video applications, isn't this proof that video is the future?

November 14, 2009 / Justin Hillier / No comments

beachI wrote this blog earlier this year and even though it’s only 6 months on I actually can’t believe nothing has changed in terms of video usage within recruitment. Six months is not a long time I know, but the power that utilising video showed through-out the campaign highlighted below is outstanding. Have a read and let me know what you think.

I recently posted a blog regarding a very successful job hunting campaign by Tourism Queensland for “The best job in the world” . This campaign went viral, no job (other then Obama’s) has created so much press all over the world. The result has been 20,000 video applications since the start of the campaign, from all around the world. That’s right, 20,000, it may be The Best job in the World, but it’s a staggering number!!!!

I was recently told that the only reason that the video application is so high, is because this is what the client asked for…… A rather naive viewpoint if you ask me.

Yes the client wants to see video….but why????

Video provides a more dynamic and diverse application method that can offer more about a person then what words on paper possibly can. You can learn more about someone in 30 seconds via video, then you can in 2 minutes reading their resume (and yes I know it only takes about 30 seconds to read a resume you will tell me but you get my point).

Whilst video will never replace a traditional CV, and nor it should , it does add a greater dimension to the persons personality and potential cultural fit then a resume can. We are after all hiring a person, not the words on the piece of paper. So why wouldn’t I want to see that person in the flesh, however you can, at the earliest possible stage?

There have been 20,000 video applications to this job, an amazing number. The majority of applications have come from the US, with Italy, Germany and Britain making up the top four. But this was not the only method to apply.

What this ad shows us is that globally, candidates will apply via video if you ask them to, others will apply via a traditional CV, either way candidates will stay with what they are comfortable with, and is their anything wrong with that? What you will get from the video CV is a person,a person with personality and substance, what you get from a traditional resume is words, areas that will need clarification, and more then likely things that are missing. Video can fill in gaps and give you a greater understanding of WHO it is you are reading about.

Video applications/profiles/CV’s are happening, their is some education required about the right approach and use, but as the online recruitment strategy was a no go zone only 10 years ago, the video application world is, and should be a natural progression.

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Video Resume's, Expectation not Discrimination

November 13, 2009 / Justin Hillier / 3 comments

video resume pic
Firstly, I want to shoot down the claim that video resumes, applications or anything similar can cause more discrimination by an employer/recruiter. If ever I have heard of a more outlandish comment, this is it. The harsh reality is, is that if someone is going to discriminate, they are going to do it regardless of what medium is used or how the candidate presents themselves. If this is in their genetic make-up, then they will, you can’t blame the video, it just highlights a bigger problem.

So for those of you who are still left (which I sincerely hope is 99.99% of you) how do you position video to not only avoid the unlikely chance of a candidate claiming discrimination, yes you can avoid any misunderstanding, but to ensure that you are getting the most out of the tool as well.

Firstly, you’ll be happy to know its quite simple and something that for every other act you do in your job works for video as well. It’s all about “expectation”. Video in recruitment circles is still a very new concept for everyone, from all levels. The fact is, the level of education and understanding from all involved is still quite low.

Candidates have no idea what they should say, and Employers have no idea what to expect. A candidate is going to claim you have discriminated against them due to their video, as it’s an easy target. With no guidelines or expectations, what do we expect?

And this is where we can change the game. Employers/recruiters it’s up to YOU.

Video Resumes/Profiles or whatever we call them, need a guideline. Many candidates struggle to know what to include in a word.doc let alone a 2 minute video, so we need to guide and educate them. Employers should provide a “What we want to see and hear” advice piece as to what is it they require from a video resume/profile. By doing this you are ensuring that all (ok most) video’s have the content that they require but also that people don’t sit there dumbfounded as to what to do.

Video Resumes/Profiles provide a great opportunity to look at person’s communication skills, and evaluate if they are not only the right person to take to the next stage of the interview process, but also allow you to see how each candidate would represent “your company”. Whether you are wanting a cultural match video, skill based overview, or something left of centre and creative, the screening and decision making process can be made a lot easy and with constant review.

Now not every candidate will feel comfortable creating a video resume/profile and we shouldn’t force them to, but for those who do, why not help them. Your candidate video expectations should form part of your social media strategy. If someone is going to discriminate, it doesn’t matter what tool or part of the process they do it, it’s all the same. Just don’t blame the video.

If all parties know what is expected of them, then discrimination is something that can never be argued. Video is a wonderful tool, you just have to plan on how you are going to use it.

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Job Ads – Are you a sheep or unique?

November 11, 2009 / Justin Hillier / 12 comments

sheepFirstly I have to apologise. I would like to apologise to all of my previous clients over the past 8 years that I have given advice to, on how to write an online job ad. I would also like to apologise on behalf of all of the job boards that are spewing out the same information day in day out on how to write the perfect job ad to attract candidates. Over those 8 years I towed the company line and gave the advice which for all intensive purposes is sound. The Internet allowed us to write as much as we want and we put a framework around it.

Whilst I never led any of my clients astray, or told them something that wasn’t beneficial, that framework is now broken. Today’s internet job ads are clones of each other and if they are not, then there is nothing in the ad itself that tells you anything about what the job actually is (yes I can see you nodding your heads candidates)

Today, this is how it roughly goes.

1. Job Title – Write something that is the ACTUAL job title or something that is along the lines of the job title but catchy.
2. Short Description – Think 140-160 characters depending on the job board, those who use Twitter should be getting the best out of this now. While I’m on it why don’t job boards tweet all short descriptions into relevant silo’s. Who is going to be first to jump on that, or has someone already, if so, speak up, we want to hear the results.
3. Job Ad……………………

This is where my frustration begins. Ok, so I was trained as a recruiter a couple of moons ago, that a good job ad consisted of 4-5 paragraphs. 1. Introduction of the company. 2. Explanation of the job title and who you will report to, team structure etc. 3. Overview of job role and purpose. 4. Qualifications and maybe just maybe salary. 5. Please Please Please Apply now.

The problem is, it is so structured, and so drummed into the minds of advertisers that seek professional help from the job boards, that all creativity has gone out the window. Where has the every day language and realism gone, it seems now that job ads are just rehashed over and over again, and not just from recruiters, who are constantly doing it, but corporate’s as well.

And it’s not just me, Thomas Shaw from Recruitment Directory has noticed as well and highlighted these 2 great ads on http://shar.es/aaPMp. Great ingenuity.

So who is to blame? Do we blame the job boards, who over the last 10 years have not redefined and re-developed more functionality for job postings other then some fancy imagery (god knows video would add a wonderful dimension to each job, a 1 1/2 min advertisement from HR or the hiring manager showing you not only is this job real but we have a personality, flair and culture);

Or do we blame ourselves, for sticking to this format so rigidly, that we have now no other way of writing an ad. Print was restrictive due to cost and space. The Internet has far more capabilities to advertise, why has it not developed?

I hear every day that recruiters and corporates are swamped with applications. Most of the time the candidate doesn’t even know what it is that they are applying for, the ad is written that vaguely. We can’t blame them, every job ad sounds and looks the same, why not apply to them all?

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