Category: Entrepreneurship

Do More To Hire The Best People

In today’s job market boom, recruiting is hard. Attracting the best people is difficult; most of them already have jobs and they’re not actively looking for new opportunities. They should be, but that’s another story.

With so many startups and early stage technology companies in key cities fighting for the same talent, what can they do to stand out?

A growing trend in recruiting is for companies to create video job ads (or recruitment videos.) The videos are designed to give candidates an “inside look” into a company’s culture and team. Candidates love it because they get a feel for what a company is all about. And companies are enjoying the buzz their videos generate.

Gestalt, a US-based consulting company, recently ran a contest for its employees, asking them to produce recruitment videos. The winner was awarded $2,000. The videos are hysterical, and it seems the CEO, Bill Loftus (who was spoofed in a few of them), did nothing to control or dictate content. The result is a bunch of viral videos on YouTube that give candidates an incredible look into Gestalt and its culture.

Producing a video job ad is easier than one might think. Depending on the level of quality you’re aiming for, it might be as simple as grabbing a webcam and shooting something in-house. Alternatively, you could hire a company or freelancer to help out.

The goal is to produce something authentic and conversational in style. Imagine being able to open your company’s door, allow recruits in, and let them hang out for awhile. Talk to anyone they like. Look over people’s shoulders. It’s not really possible, but that’s the style and feeling you want to get across in a video job ad.

More and more companies are giving video a try, as a way of standing out from the crowd, and showing candidates what they have to offer. Companies need to do a better job of telling their story and pitching candidates…video can help.

This post was written by Ben Y of Standoutjobs.com