How to Make a Standout Recruitment Video for Any Work Model

Published on

October 21, 2024

Estimated reading time:

14

minutes

Recruitment videos are powerful tools. They help companies attract top talent by standing out in a crowded market. Whether your company has gone back to the office full-time, embraced a fully remote workforce, or opted for a hybrid approach, recruitment videos need to communicate your company’s values, vibe, and mission effectively, regardless of where or how candidates will work.

A well-crafted recruitment video doesn’t just showcase open roles; it highlights your mission, values, and day-to-day work life, giving potential candidates a genuine sense of what it’s like to work with your team.

Whether you’re aiming to boost your employer brand, highlight flexibility, or reach out to tech-savvy talent, a strong recruitment video will help attract top candidates by communicating your company’s unique position in your industry. Let’s dive into how you can create a recruitment video that connects with all types of candidates and enhances your overall recruitment strategy.

Capture your company’s mission, vision, and values virtually.

Your company’s mission, vision, and values form the foundation of a great recruitment video. These core aspects communicate who you are, what drives your team, and why candidates should want to join you. However, capturing this essence in a remote or hybrid environment can be challenging without the visual unity of a shared office.

To create a connection, focus on showing how your team embodies company values in various remote settings. If work-life balance is a priority, for instance, showcase this by featuring flexible work settings or glimpses into personal routines that keep work and life balanced. Highlight virtual events, team meetings, or informal chats that reflect the company’s camaraderie and support. Showing team members in their unique workspaces—a home office, a favorite cafe, or even outdoors—illustrates the individuality and freedom your company culture supports.

Gorilla Tip: Use “day-in-the-life” clips from different employees to create a cohesive story that reflects your mission. This interview-style approach brings out candid moments, which resonate with potential candidates, particularly those looking for remote or hybrid roles. These moments, combined with high-quality visuals, can authentically communicate the company's personality.

Make your brand shine without an office backdrop.

An office was once the cornerstone of company culture, with tours that highlighted everything from meeting rooms to game rooms. For some companies, flexible work has shifted the focus from the space to the people. This shift presents a unique storytelling opportunity to put team members at the forefront of your recruitment video.

To make your brand stand out without relying on physical settings, emphasize what makes your culture distinctive. Feature employees discussing growth opportunities, company values, and why they enjoy being part of the team. Let team members share what excites them about the work, especially the company mission, collaboration, or flexibility that supports their day-to-day productivity and well-being. Storytelling that centers on team members, rather than on office perks, shows that your company prioritizes people, purpose, and connection.

Gorilla Tip: Add branded graphics, overlays, and dynamic visuals to bring your company’s identity to life. These elements can reinforce your brand and keep viewers engaged, especially when office settings aren’t available. Branded visuals create a memorable experience, ensuring your company stands out to potential candidates after they’ve viewed your video content.

Keep It Real but Refined

Authenticity is essential in attracting top talent. Candidates want to see real culture, not a carefully staged version that feels disconnected from reality. However, for recruitment videos, “authentic” doesn’t mean unpolished. A strong recruitment video balances real moments with a professional presentation.

Capture genuine interactions, such as team meetings, collaborative projects, or casual virtual gatherings. These clips give a glimpse into company life while letting candidates picture themselves on your team. Mixing these with polished visuals, interview-style segments, and thoughtful editing will tell a story that feels both genuine and professional.

Gorilla Tip: Partner with a production team that understands the balance between real and refined. Gorilla Creative’s team has helped companies maintain authenticity in their videos, ensuring they reflect the true spirit of the brand while staying polished.

Achieve Consistency Across Different Settings

If your team works from various locations, visual consistency can be a challenge. Different backgrounds, lighting, and tech setups can disrupt visual harmony and distract viewers. To ensure a cohesive feel, use post-production techniques, like color grading, branded overlays, and transitions, to bring a unified look across all clips.

Consider adopting specific color schemes, fonts, or branded graphics to create a visually cohesive style that represents your company. By using consistent transitions and effects, you can make sure the final video feels professional, polished, and aligned with your brand, helping viewers focus on your people and story rather than on varied backgrounds.

Gorilla Tip: Professional editing, like color grading and audio leveling, can create visual harmony across different settings. These techniques make a recruitment video look cohesive, polished, and ready to represent your brand.

Case Studies: Highlighting Success in Different Work Models

Effective recruitment videos can vary greatly depending on the work model they represent. Here’s a closer look at three standout recruitment videos that successfully showcase different work environments, each capturing the company’s culture while adapting to their specific work model:

In-Person ExampleCareers at Branch (produced by Gorilla Creative):

Branch partnered with Gorilla Creative to produce this Telly Award-winning recruitment video that showcases their motto, "Build, Grow, Win, Together." The goal of this video was to highlight why Branch was a great place to work and build your career. Even though the video was filmed entirely on-location in their Redwood City, CA office and features employee interviews and office b-roll, the video wasn't intended to explain what Branch does, flaunt their perks, or highlight their office culture. The intended outcome was for candidates to see Branch as a place where they could come and be supported to do the best work of their lives.

ExampleZenDesk All-Remote Culture Video:

We love this recruiting video from ZenDesk. It does a great job of letting their brand's personality show through in subtle ways, conveying important information to candidates without having to be overt about it. They use a combination of company b-roll, stock footage, motion graphics, and stop-motion animation to tell the ZenDesk story through the lens of employees. Something we love about this video is the very subtle way they acknowledge that ZenDesk appears to offer hybrid or remote work arrangements. By including information on the topic, they addressed an important question that candidates want to know about. By avoiding overly specific information, they kept the video more evergreen and give themselves room to evolve without making the video outdated.

Example - One Day, One Microsoft

Microsoft’s recruitment video, "One Day, One Microsoft" feels like equal parts celebration of the people who work at Microsoft and a love letter to remote working. It highlights an "all in" stance on a fully remote workforce and gives viewers an in-depth look at the lives of the people who work there. By tapping into their huge employee base, they leverage user generated content (UGC) to capture video that would otherwise be nearly impossible to produce. They embrace a raw, unpolished aesthetic for the sake of authenticity. While this choice doesn't always work, it succeeds here because the content and storytelling is so compelling. This video demonstrates Microsoft’s support for flexibility, diversity, and productivity, appealing to top remote talent worldwide.

Why Recruitment Videos Are Essential for Attracting Top Talent

Recruitment videos are essential in today’s hiring landscape, helping companies attract top talent, showcase open roles, and communicate their unique culture. Studies show that job listings with a video have a 34% greater application rate than those without, proving that videos drive more engagement and interest among job seekers.

A recruitment video lets you communicate directly with candidates, often reaching them on platforms they’re already using, like LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. Video marketing is an incredibly effective way to engage potential candidates and promote your employer brand. Candidates today want to know about your company’s day-to-day culture, and values, and how you support employees’ work-life balance. Regardless of whether your company works in-office, is fully remote, or opts for a hybrid arrangement, a well-executed recruitment video can bring these aspects to life, becoming one of your most effective tools for attracting the talent you want.

FAQ: Your Top Recruitment Video Questions Answered

1. What’s the primary purpose of a recruitment video?

A recruitment video goes beyond the basics of job listings. It does the job of showcasing who you are as a company, what your team values, and what your day-to-day culture looks like.

Potential candidates want more than a job description—they want to understand your company’s culture. This deeper look helps candidates picture themselves working at your company and gives them a feel for what makes you unique. Think of it as a chance to spotlight your employer brand and attract top talent with a personal touch.

2. How can recruitment videos improve our employer brand?

Recruitment videos boost your employer brand by showing the human side of your company. Video highlights help potential candidates connect with the people they might work with and show how the company supports work-life balance, creativity, and collaboration.

With video content, you can capture real moments, team celebrations, or even a customer service win. This authentic look at your company draws candidates who feel aligned with your values. In fact, research shows that job listings with videos get a 34% greater application rate because they make your brand more approachable and memorable.

3. Why are recruitment videos particularly effective for remote work roles?

Remote work can feel impersonal to new candidates, so a recruitment video helps create that personal connection even before someone applies. Video highlights, like day-in-the-life segments or team meetings, show what it’s like to work remotely with your team.

Plus, remote job seekers want reassurance that your company offers the support, tools, and flexibility they need to succeed. A video makes your remote work setup clear, showing that even without a shared office, your company culture is strong. For tech companies hiring remote teams, this visual approach speaks volumes to candidates who value both flexibility and teamwork.

4. How can recruitment videos improve job listings?

Recruitment videos make job listings much more engaging and informative. Video content attracts potential candidates by showing them what their workday could look like and the impact they could make.

Videos also highlight the team’s strengths, the company’s culture, and what you expect from the role. This makes job listings more appealing and gives applicants a clearer idea of the team vibe and company mission. As a result, candidates have a better understanding of the position and are more likely to apply if they feel connected to what they see.

5. What creative ideas work well in a recruitment video?

Creative ideas make a recruitment video memorable. A day-in-the-life segment can show potential candidates what the day-to-day actually feels like. You can also feature virtual team-building events, celebrate employee wins, or show team members in action on a project.

Interview style segments can work well too, letting employees share their own stories and personal reasons for loving the job. For tech companies, you could showcase cutting-edge projects or innovative tools the team is using. These elements provide a clear picture of what it’s like to be a part of the team.

6. How can recruitment videos support a video marketing strategy?

Recruitment videos fit perfectly into a larger video marketing strategy. They help promote your employer brand across multiple platforms, like LinkedIn, YouTube, and your company’s website. By sharing video highlights of company events or employee testimonials, you increase visibility and make your company attractive to job seekers. Recruitment videos can also help align your messaging across marketing and HR, creating a consistent and engaging brand experience that attracts top talent.

7. How do recruitment videos enhance the employee experience for potential candidates?

Recruitment videos provide a preview of the employee experience, which is crucial for attracting top talent. By showing potential candidates what it’s like to work with your team, a video highlights the culture, benefits, and day-to-day activities that make your company unique.

For instance, including clips of team celebrations, remote work setups, or group projects gives viewers a genuine feel for what they can expect. This transparency not only attracts top talent but also helps candidates self-select if your company feels like a fit for their goals and personality.

8. How can recruitment videos support a recruitment strategy for tech companies?

Tech companies face tough competition for skilled talent, so a recruitment video can be a game-changer. A recruitment video can highlight cutting-edge projects, innovative tools, and the collaborative environment tech candidates often seek. It’s also a great way to showcase remote work or hybrid work arrangements, which are especially popular in tech.

A video allows tech companies to promote flexibility, growth opportunities, and their company culture, which are top factors for potential candidates. For tech roles, a recruitment video that shows your commitment to innovation and employee growth will be a powerful tool in attracting the right people.

9. How does a recruitment video impact video content and video marketing metrics?

Recruitment videos enhance video content metrics by increasing engagement. Videos in job listings or on social media tend to attract more views compared to text-based posts. This is because video content is often more engaging and memorable, which means it will likely be viewed multiple times. It also encourages potential candidates to interact with your brand in a meaningful way, boosting your video marketing metrics and contributing to a cohesive recruitment strategy.

10. Why use an interview style for recruitment videos?

A recruiting video told through the voice of employee interviews is one of the best approaches for recruitment videos because it feels personal and authentic. Employees can speak directly about their experiences, giving potential candidates a real glimpse into what they might expect. This approach works well because it combines the professionalism of a structured interview with the warmth of employee stories. Whether employees talk about customer service, day-to-day work, or the impact of remote work, this format brings authenticity to the video, making candidates feel like they already know the team.

11. What role does work-life balance play in recruitment videos?

Work-life balance is a big factor for today’s job seekers, and recruitment videos can highlight this aspect beautifully. While not every company will want to address this topic or showcase a point of view on it, showing flexible hours, remote setups, or even employees enjoying their favorite hobbies can help candidates see that your company values balance.

12. How can recruitment videos help with specific job roles like customer service?

For roles like customer service, recruitment videos can highlight what it’s like to interact with customers, resolve issues, and be part of a supportive team. A day-in-the-life segment focused on customer service can show potential candidates the teamwork and skill required. Showing how the company values customer satisfaction can appeal to candidates passionate about helping others. This focus not only attracts candidates with the right skillset but also those who align with the company’s culture of customer care and quality service.

13. How can recruitment videos help with attracting niche roles in job listings?

Recruitment videos are great for showcasing niche roles that might need more explanation. For instance, if you’re hiring for a unique tech position, a recruitment video can help clarify the role, tools, and team structure. Highlighting niche roles with video content gives you a chance to show off specific projects, collaboration styles, or even tech used by the team. This approach adds depth to job listings, helping potential candidates envision themselves in the role and giving you a stronger chance of finding the right fit.

Bring It All Together with the Right Production Partner

Creating an effective recruitment video for your company requires more than just technical skill—it takes storytelling, creativity, and experience. Working with a production team like Gorilla Creative can make all the difference. We’re here to bring your company’s unique mission and values to life.

Why Gorilla Creative? We’ve been helping companies attract top talent through compelling recruitment videos for years. Our experience goes beyond the camera—we’ll guide you through every step, from initial concept to final edits, ensuring the video resonates with the talent you’re looking for. Whether you want to connect with remote candidates, promote a hybrid culture, or highlight in-office perks, we’ll design a video that aligns with your brand and makes an impact.

Ready to take your recruitment strategy to the next level? Contact Gorilla Creative today to create a recruitment video that attracts the talent you need. Let’s make something memorable together.

Author:

Eric Stracke

Eric is the Co-Founder and Creative Director at Gorilla Creative. He earned a B.S. in Digital Film and Video Production from the Art Institute of California, San Francisco. He finds great satisfaction in the creative process of producing a video from concept to completion.