Here’s a staggering statistic to start your day: When Cisco rolled out a series of short recruitment videos, those videos got 800% more engagement than the company’s typical text-based job postings.
More companies than ever before are using recruitment videos to attract top candidates. And for good reason.
Recruitment videos work. On job sites, they entice job seekers to apply for open roles. On social media and as LinkedIn video content they increase your company’s reach and help attract top candidates.
To help you gather inspiration, we put together a list of the best recruitment videos, plus tips on making your own recruitment videos for LinkedIn and beyond. And as a bonus, we included two editable recruitment video templates you can use to get started.
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What is a recruitment video?
A recruitment video is a short video telling potential candidates about a job opening in an engaging way. A recruitment video is usually posted on job sites like Indeed, as well as on a company’s website, LinkedIn, and social media. It can be a job-specific hiring announcement or evergreen content like a company culture video.
Why recruitment videos are effective
We know recruitment videos work well for the companies that use them. But why?
Recruitment videos are so much more than just job postings in video format. They are an engaging, vibrant way to showcase the very best of your company. There are many reasons why recruitment videos work so well, but here are the three most important reasons.
Video stands out
Candidates read dozens of job descriptions and start seeing the same selling points over and over again. Phrases like “great company culture” and “amazing perks and benefits” begin sounding like buzzwords.
Recruitment videos don’t have this problem. On job sites and social media, video always stands out from text-based posts. But above and beyond that, recruitment videos are still a bit of a unicorn.
According to Smashfly, 80% of HR leaders use video testimonials, but less than 5% use video job descriptions. Recruitment videos help your company rise above the noisy job market. A boring, text-based job posting becomes more vibrant, and candidates can actually see what it’s like to work for your team.
Video puts a human face to your company
Recruitment videos also help put a human face to your company.
Today’s workforce looks for jobs in which they feel connected to their managers. Millennials especially want to work for someone they feel is invested in their future. Showing an actual manager or the CEO in your recruitment video is a quick way to form a connection with a potential candidate.
Video increases your reach on social media
The best part of recruitment videos? Their potential viral factor. No one takes the time to share employment websites. But a well crafted, funny recruitment video is very shareable on social media.
Remember how we said Cisco got 800% more engagement on their job postings when they included video? That wasn’t a one-off. Video consistently gets more reach on social media.
- Videos on social media get 1,200% more shares than text and image content combined
- Video posts on LinkedIn get at least 3x more engagement than text-based posts
Take it from some of the best recruitment video examples listed below — video recruitment increases your reach and adds to your company’s value in the eyes of candidates.
9 of the best recruitment video examples
The best recruitment videos not only attract candidates, they augment your company’s image. Here a list of some of our favorite recruitment videos.
1. Dropbox
Talk about putting a face to your company! Dropbox’s puppets do an excellent job of upgrading a typical recruitment video by removing stodgy, corporate talking heads in favor of adorable, quirky puppets.
Dropbox still gets their message across, discussing the company’s perks, office culture, and job benefits. The little details and humor bring a lot more personality to the Dropbox brand than your average recruitment video.
2. Shopify
Instead of focusing on the broad strokes of work life at Shopify, this recruitment video highlights one specific event — hack days. Hack days aren’t unique to Shopify; many companies have them. But what makes this recruitment video so effective is that it uses the hack day story to feature company culture and the inclusivity and creativity of Shopify employees. Also, bacon.
3. Twitter
Oh, Twitter. This mockumentary style recruitment video is less about the perks of working at one of the top tech companies in the world and more about the culture.
By virtue of being Twitter, they have to do very little to sell their brand. Instead, they use their recruitment video to target potential applicants that will fit well in the office. It’s an engaging and entertaining video that gets straight to the heart of Twitter’s fun, sarcastic company culture.
4. Starbucks
On the opposite end of the spectrum from Twitter, Starbucks makes their recruitment video very personal. The company focuses on students and recent graduates who are just beginning their careers and highlights the company’s opportunities for growth and mentorship.
This video is targeted toward entry level job candidates looking for a sense of security and an easy, welcoming transition into adulthood.
5. GrubHub
GrubHub gets it just right with this one. The food delivery company features employees in its recruitment video, but with a twist. In the video, employees share “what they bring to the table” in terms of talents and contributions. Pretty standard fare for a recruitment video.
But being the foodies that they are, the featured employees also share (drumroll please…) their favorite takeout foods.
6. US Space Force
Memes and mockery over its origins notwithstanding, the US Space Force does serious — and seriously inspiring — work. The people behind the branch’s recruitment video know this, and they banked on it. The video strikes the right balance of inspirational without being cheesy, and it speaks directly to that now-grown-up kid who saw awe when they looked at the stars.
7. Fiverr
You’ve got to hand it to Fiverr on this one. The spend the entirety of this hilarious recruitment video poking fun at, well, recruitment videos. On one hand, we learn very little about working for Fiverr.
But on the other hand, we learn everything we need to know: the company is fun, creative, and a little bit irreverent. For many job candidates, this will strike the right cord.
8. BambooHR
BambooHR focuses its recruitment video on one specific aspect of company culture: work/life balance. The video explicitly states employees aren’t expected to work more than 40 hours a week, then goes on to feature real employees talking about their passions and interests outside of their jobs. It sends a strong signal about the value the startup places on the employee experience.
9. Zendesk
The recruiters at Zendesk understand something about job seekers: the office where you work matters. It’s where you spend a good majority of your life. This recruitment video features the Zendesk headquarters office and its surroundings front and center, giving job candidates a good sense of what their day-to-day work life will look and feel like.
Plus two bonus recruitment video templates
In case you’re wondering if we can’t count up to 11, not to worry. Along with those nine great examples, we’ve thrown in two recruitment video templates that you can customize and use in your own hiring and recruiting.
Each of these templates is customizable and brandable. (With Biteable, branding your videos is easy. The brand builder feature fetches your company colors from your website and automatically applies them to your entire video.)
10. Recruiting ad template
Use this video template to make your own recruitment ad for a specific job opening.
11. Team culture recruitment video
This recruitment video template is the perfect place to highlight the unique culture of your company or of a specific team within the larger organization. Show job candidates what it’s like to work on your team.
Check out all of Biteable’s hiring, recruiting, and onboarding video templates.
How to make a recruitment video: Tips and tricks
Recruitment video production doesn’t have to come with a high price tag. As Twitter’s video shows, you don’t need to hire a fancy agency to get your point across. Instead, focus on your company’s culture as the selling point.
As you make your own recruitment video, follow these best practices:
Put the candidate first
Think about the types of candidates who you want to attract. Starbucks decided to target its recruitment video toward young employees looking to grow into a career. Shopify focuses on creative, innovative minds who want to be part of a smaller team.
Your open positions will change, so create a video that will outlast whatever jobs are currently listed on your site.
Show some personality
Try to find a way to showcase your company’s unique culture and personality — how your company is different from all the rest. Dropbox’s recruitment video is a great example; though their company offers similar perks to other tech companies and corporations, their use of puppets makes their culture stand out.
Don’t try to be too gimmicky though. Candidates are looking for an office in which they can be happy, not a place where they have to do trust falls every Tuesday.
Include a call-to-action
Lastly, don’t forget a call to action. Recruitment videos have great entertainment value, but if they don’t lead to more job applicants, they aren’t a good investment. Your ultimate goal is to attract the right people to apply for your open positions. Craft a video that speaks to your target candidate directly, and make it easy for them to apply.
Pro tip: Include a clickable call-to-action directing candidates straight to your careers page. Use Biteable’s call-to-action tool to easily add a clickable CTA button to the end of your video.
Make your next recruitment video with Biteable
Making a recruitment video is easy with Biteable on your side.
Brandable templates and video scenes, unique animations, and done-for-you editing tools take all the guesswork out of making a video. Add a voice over or record new video footage without ever leaving the app. Automatically apply your company colors to your entire video with the click of a button.
When you’re done, share your recruitment video far and wide on all your platforms with a single, trackable link.