天空之城 2007-6-19 10:37 AM
Top 5 Things To Watch Out For In Recruitment Videos
Recruitment videos (or video job ads as I often call them) are definitely growing in popularity. We’re seeing more and more of them crop up. Often they focus on an overall company environment, but there are numerous examples of videos being produced for specific jobs as well. T"L9AaMR
As [url=http://www.standoutjobs.com/][color=#088ece]more video job ads[/color][/url] find their way online, it’s going to become more important for candidates to know what they should look for in those videos. After all, [i]a picture is worth a thousand words[/i]. Very often recruitment videos are less about what the people are saying, and more about what imagery is being shown.&i9ouw0oZ6J
Sarah E. Needleman speaks to a number of these issues in a recent article for The Wall Street Journal’s Career Site, [url=http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/usingnet/20070321-needleman.html?mod=RSS_Career_Journal&cjrss=wsj][color=#088ece]What Job Hunters Should Know About Online Recruitment Videos[/color][/url].
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She makes a number of good points. Based on my experience producing video job ads for [url=http://www.standoutjobs.com/][color=#088ece]Standout Jobs[/color][/url], I have some additional ideas as well. Here are 5 things to watch out for in recruitment videos. ~ EUhG6Ke
[list=1][*][b]Work Environment.[/b] This is tops on the list of things a recruitment video shows you that you’ll never get from a text ad or other form of recruiting. What’s the office look like? Clean? Nicely designed and decorated? Lots of cubicles, or do they have an open concept? Some videos may even show outside the office which can be interesting; you’ll get a real feeling for where the office is located and the surrounding environment.[b]The People.[/b] Most good video job ads will show you the people working at the company. It’s even better if those people are speaking in the video. Candidates always want to know, [i]“Who will I be working with?”[/i] So show them. Don’t use recruiters or “sourcing managers” (as they might be called), and don’t just use the CEO or upper level managers. When looking at the people in a video, pay attention to their attire and age, these are good indicators of the company’s culture. [b]The Extras.[/b] Visually, what else are you seeing in the video? The more a company shows you, the better. In many cases this can include screenshots (or even brief demos) of their product or website. This works particularly well for software companies. Instead of just talking about what their software does, they can show it to you, and talk about key elements that are unique and interesting. [b]Video Style.[/b] This might be harder to judge, but the style of a video is a good indication of a company’s culture. When a company produces a video job ad they should be representing their employment brand as accurately as possible. A fast-paced, heavily edited video tells you it’s a fast-paced, perhaps frenetic environment. A softer, quieter video with more relaxed, unscripted interviews has a completely different feel. Watch the video a few times to pick up on the overall style. More than anything, the video has to feel authentic. [*][b]Video Quality.[/b] Video quality isn’t the most important thing in the world. But a higher quality video does make a difference. The first impression a candidate gets will be based, in part, on video quality. To a degree, the video quality gives you a sense of how important the company considers the video, and by extension how important they consider the people watching it. So quality is important, but don’t completely judge a book by its cover.[/list]Being a visual medium, video gives candidates the opportunity to look beyond the basics of job requirements or what a company does. Candidates should be given an “open door” into a company; to see the team, environment and culture. If that’s not coming across in the video, if you’re not getting a [i]feeling[/i] for the company and what they’re all about, then think twice before applying.