The war for talent is on, and attracting the best and brightest requires well-written job postings, job portrayal videos, and a strong recruitment game. Most hiring managers are well acquainted with job postings and recruitment strategies, but realistic job portrayal videos have only recently gained steam.
These videos are also called recruitment videos, job preview videos, or day-in-the-life videos, and they show prospective candidates what to expect when they apply for a job. Job portrayal videos provide candidates with an overview of the positive and negative aspects of a role in a company. They are relatively short, typically around four or five minutes.
They aren’t training videos, so they don’t go into every aspect of a job. They simply give candidates a feel for what the job entails and a look at the company’s culture. This guide explains the benefits of realistic job portrayal videos, provides tips on making ones that applicants will respond to, and lets you know how Rock Creek Productions can help you create a realistic job portrayal video that will exceed your expectations.
What Are the Benefits of Realistic Job Portrayal Videos?
Realistic job portrayal videos improve the recruitment process by adding visual details to job postings, enabling companies to attract people who can better understand their prospective positions. Here are just a few of their benefits:
Create Extra Exposure for Job Listings
Realistic job portrayal videos help prevent candidates from scrolling past a job listing. One study indicates that job postings with videos attract 12% more views.
Thins Out the Candidate Pool
People who are desperate for work will often apply to any posting, and they jump ship once they realize the position is not what they were looking for. Realistic job portrayal videos reduce the number of people blindly applying for positions.
Helps With Retention
Some candidates don’t realize that a job isn’t the right fit until after they have been hired – at which point the company has wasted time and money on the recruitment and onboarding process. People who have watched recruitment videos know what to expect. They are more likely to stick with the job.
Improves Organizational Fit
Company culture also plays a significant role in a worker’s experience, and if someone is not a good fit, they won’t be comfortable or work well with the rest of the team. Realistic job portrayal videos show candidates what to expect in terms of responsibilities and organizational culture.
This approach ultimately saves businesses money by improving the recruitment and onboarding process and boosting retention. Replacing an entry-level employee costs 50% of their annual salary, and replacing a senior-level employee costs 125% of their yearly salary, research shows. Using recruitment videos to attract engaged people who fit into the organization can help businesses avoid the cost of low retention.
How to Make Realistic Job Portrayal Videos
The benefits of realistic job portrayal videos are wide reaching, but businesses need to make these videos properly if they want to reap as many benefits as possible. Here are some key tips for creating realistic job portrayal videos.
1. Talk With Managers and Workers
Talk with the person doing the job and their supervisor to get an accurate sense of what each role in a company entails. Workers can provide a firsthand perspective of their role, while managers can make sure no essential tasks are overlooked.
2. Be Positive, but Realistic
Job portrayal videos should attract people who are really going to enjoy the job. Depict the positive aspects of the job, but at the same time, don’t gloss over the less alluring aspects — be realistic.
3. Showcase Perks and Benefits
Let employees talk directly to the camera about what they like about the job. This may include the tasks or responsibilities they enjoy and benefits such as flexible schedules, paid vacations, the possibility for advancements, or supportive managers.
4. Highlight Organizational Culture
Job portrayal videos don’t need to explain a company’s culture, but they should highlight it. These videos can illustrate a company’s hierarchical structure and level of formality by showing what people wear to work, including short interactions between workers and management or filming scenes in the breakroom.
A realistic recruitment video should do more than just explain a position in a company. It should showcase the company’s brand and use imagery to drive home details about the company’s mission statement and its internal culture.
What Are Some Mistakes to Avoid When Making Realistic Job Portrayal Videos?
Recruitment videos are necessary for businesses competing for talent, but the wrong approach can reduce the positive impact of these videos. Try to avoid these common pitfalls:
– Taking a DIY Approach
Job portrayal videos are often a candidate’s first point of contact with a company, so they need to look professional. DIY videos don’t make a great first impression and might cause top candidates to look elsewhere.
– Creating Unrealistic Portrayals
Only showing the positive aspects of a job gives candidates unrealistic expectations. They may leave once they become familiar with the less appealing requirements of the position.
– Being Too Detailed
The video doesn’t need to train workers. It just needs to provide an overview, and ideally, it should be easily digestible to people who are sifting through multiple job opportunities.
Working with a team of production specialists helps ensure that job portrayal videos are as accurate as possible. A video production team can interview employees and managers to create a video and spend a day shadowing an employee or making a recruitment video based on the clients’ specs. They have the experience to ensure the videos do their job effectively. Working with professionals always helps to streamline the production process and ensure that the final product is what you are looking for.
Your Source for Realistic Job Portrayal Videos
Job portrayal videos can be an effective way to attract the right candidates to a business. Rock Creek Productions takes a creative approach to all our work, and we can help you make stunning recruitment videos. Contact our offices to learn more about our cinematic storytelling approach and how our video skills can help your business.
