When asked what they’re looking for in a career, veterinary graduates say what you’d expect. Themes like work-life balance, team culture and high standards of care are common responses, according to gradstalk.com. But if you listen more intently, you’ll hear a less-familiar theme. Many candidates want to work in an environment where core values are not just talked about but are lived out day to day. Buzzwords like “work-life balance” and “team culture” frequently appear in employers’ job postings, leaving candidates wondering, “For real?”
When employee recruiting is so vital and competitive, some veterinary practices are turning to video to connect with candidates about topics that are difficult to convey through written text alone.
Here are six reasons that video helps recruit top talent.
1. Video Brings Clarity
In the same gradstalk.com interviews, most candidates highly valued mentorship. However, follow-up questions indicated a concern about whether a practice’s use of the word “mentorship” aligned with their definition. Generally, candidates want access to experienced colleagues but do not want to be hand-held. Addressing the concern in writing can be tricky and might leave candidates feeling skeptical.
A well-crafted video can solve the problem in a few seconds. One way a hospital owner can accomplish this is by recording an interview with an associate veterinarian who recently joined the practice. Include a short sound bite or two to give job candidates an idea of what mentorship looks like in action. Candidates will be more likely to trust a recent mentee rather than the mentoring practitioner or practice owner.
2. Video Helps You Stand Out
Job postings don’t typically include video. When they do, the videos are often client-facing and don’t address candidates as a unique audience. Including a video produced specifically for candidates signals that your practice is invested in the recruiting process and wants to find the right person.
3. Video Helps You Keep Attention
According to Wistia, analytics show that the average person spends more than twice as much time on web pages that contain video than those that don’t. While a video doesn’t replace the need for a well-written job posting, it does help capture candidates’ attention quickly and motivate them to read the written content.
4. Videos Help You Communicate Visually
We’ve all heard the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Video takes that to an entirely different level.
5. Videos Help You Connect
When was the last time you read a job posting and thought, “I could see myself working here”? Most job postings connect on a cognitive level only, but a well-crafted video can prompt an emotional response. This is important because, according to Dr. Peter Noel Murray in his Psychology Today article “How Emotions Influence What We Buy,” emotions are an important aspect of decision making.
6. Videos Give You Credibility
Candidates are often skeptical of job postings that sound too good to be true. This can be mitigated by including team member interviews in a video. Sometimes it’s not what you say but how you say it. Interviews can communicate tone, providing additional depth and meaning that might otherwise be absent.
Get to Work
Ready to make a recruiting video? The good news is it’s not as difficult as you would expect. As with any project, start with a clear vision. Identify your primary objective — what do you hope to communicate? Next, brainstorm how to accomplish the objective through video. Watching other companies’ recruiting videos can get your creative juices flowing and provide opportunities for reverse engineering. For examples of veterinary recruiting videos, visit www.gradstalk.com.
After you know what you want to create, bring your idea to life.
Here are some options:
- Make it yourself: Quality video-making tools are within reach, literally. Your smartphone can capture and edit a great-looking video. (I recommend using a full-size computer for editing, if possible.) While you don’t want your video to look amateurish, a little homemade flavor can go a long way in capturing a genuine tone that’s appealing to candidates.
- Hire a professional: We all have talents, but videography might not be yours. Hiring a video professional will ensure that your video’s quality matches your practice. A professional can bring an outside perspective to a project, helping it connect better with job candidates. Make sure the videographer you choose has a good grasp of the unique needs of the veterinary industry.
- Keep it simple: For practices with limited time and budget, a video-making tool is available through NAVC Retriever and Veteos, where practices can personalize a recruiting video in minutes. These videos can be created when posting your job on NAVC Retriever or by visiting www.veteos.com/retriever. (Full disclosure: I work for Veteos and the NAVC is the publisher of Today’s Veterinary Business.)
Video is only one aspect of a successful recruiting effort, but it can have a significant impact in attracting job applicants. So, if you’re having a difficult time finding candidates, a video could give you the boost you need to find the perfect person for a job.
HOW TO PRODUCE A BETTER VIDEO
No matter how you create your recruiting video, here are eight ways to ensure that yours is as effective as possible:
- Show, don’t tell: Turning a written job posting into a video script might be tempting, but remember that video is its own art form. A well-crafted video will communicate what can’t be captured through text alone.
- Go off-script: Nine times out of 10, a video that feels genuine is better than one that strives to precisely communicate information. If you aim to capture your team’s passion, ask “why” questions rather than show up with a script.
- Be distinctive: Consider including differentiators in your video, especially those that can be captured visually. If you have a nice-looking hospital, include wide-angle interior and exterior shots. If you’re located in an interesting or picturesque area, add images from your surroundings.
- Go easy on the technology: Don’t waste valuable time mentioning your hospital’s specific equipment or services. Instead, include these in the background while focusing on the human-animal bond. Don’t worry, candidates will notice.
- Keep it short: While interested candidates want as much information as possible, video is not a great format for exhaustive detail. Keep your video upbeat and engaging, and use other aspects of your job posting to communicate details. Videos of two minutes or less are generally recommended.
- Be on your A-game: As you record video footage, be sure that medical, safety and sanitation protocols are followed. Also, job candidates don’t want to see anxious patients.
- Get feedback: When your edited video is nearly complete, ask for reactions from several people in your target audience. They should be colleagues from outside your hospital. Consider adjusting the video if you receive similar feedback from several sources.
- Use your video: Once the video is completed, upload it to recruitment websites, embed it on your website’s jobs page, and consider making it a targeted ad on Facebook and LinkedIn. Get as much mileage out of it as you can.