Recruitment content is bought by another department, judged on another criterion, and it answers three questions a job advert structurally cannot address.
Why an advert cannot answer the real questions
The three things a candidate really wants to know
What a day looks like, who they will work with, and what happens when something goes wrong. An advert talks about duties, desired profile and benefits, that is, about none of those.
Why the careers page fails on all three
Because it is written by somebody who does not do the job, approved by somebody else who does not know it, and edited so as to offend nobody. The result is a smooth text, interchangeable from one company to the next, and therefore carrying no information.
The local question nobody asks out loud
The language of the shop floor
Dealt with above, and it is the particularity that makes this market different. The simple rule: show, do not declare. A video where two colleagues talk naturally says more than three lines about bilingualism.
Who to film, and who not to film
Not the founder
It is the most frequent and least effective reflex. A candidate is not trying to learn what management thinks, they are trying to learn who they will have lunch with. The founder can appear for thirty seconds, never carry the video.
Who to film instead
Seven people, in this order of usefulness.
Somebody doing exactly the job that is open.
Somebody who did it and moved up internally.
The direct manager, filmed at their workplace.
Somebody who arrived six months ago, still able to describe arriving.
A colleague from another department who works with this role.
Somebody on the least attractive shift, who owns it.
And somebody who explains what they do not like, in one sentence.
What to show
Seven shots, all more useful than a speech.
The real workstation, with no tidying beforehand.
The internal walk, from the entrance to the locker room.
The break, with the real conversations.
An ordinary moment of tension, handled normally.
The equipment used, in somebody's hands.
The place where people eat.
And the end of the day, when everybody leaves.
What the department paying wants to see
Six things to hand back after release.
The number of applications before and after the video.
The share of applications taken to interview.
The cost per useful application, compared with paid adverts.
The questions that no longer come up at interview.
Managers' feedback on the quality of candidates.
And the time saved on filling the role.
What must never go in
Six elements that cancel the intended effect.
A voice-over commenting on what is shown.
Motivational music.
A shot of an empty office, taken before opening.
A promise of progression not written into the contract.
A salary stated without the conditions attached to it.
And somebody reciting a text written by the marketing department.
How to get consent from the people filmed
Seven points, settled in writing before the shoot.
Permission to film, signed by every person visible.
The right to decline with no consequence, said out loud.
The media the video will appear on.
The distribution period, with an end date.
What happens if the person leaves the company.
The right to request removal, and its deadline.
And the fact that taking part happens during working hours.
How to organise a shooting day at a company
Six decisions to take beforehand.
Choosing an ordinary day, never a visit or audit day.
Warning the team a week ahead, with the plan.
Blocking two hours, not a whole day.
Appointing somebody to accompany and open doors.
Providing a fallback location if production goes badly that day.
And defining in advance what will not be filmed.
How many videos per role
Six markers for sizing it.
One long video per job family, not per role.
Two short formats per genuinely open role.
One subtitled version per working language.
One renewal video a year, at minimum.
An extra video when the team changes a lot.
And no video for a role you will not reopen.
What to do with it
Six placements, from the most productive to the slowest.
In the advert itself, at the top.
In the replies sent to applicants.
On the job page, not on the general careers page.
In advertising targeted by trade and area.
In exchanges with schools and training bodies.
And in messages sent by your own employees, often the most effective.
What a recruitment video must show
| Subject | What it answers | The constraint |
|---|---|---|
| The real workstation | What the day looks like | No screen with data |
| A person doing the job | Who I will work with | Their written consent |
| The commute and the hours | Does it fit my life | Nothing in particular |
What is missing from nearly all these videos
The concrete. The hours, the pace, what is hard. A video that says only positive things attracts applications that leave after a month, and that cost is real.
What is never said without verification
A salary, a benefit, a contract type or a promised progression. Each commits the employer and is confirmed with human resources before release, to be validated with a lawyer at the slightest doubt.
What to measure
Six indicators, none of them views.
The number of applications received per advert.
The share of applications matching the profile.
The number of questions already settled by interview time.
The attendance rate at interviews.
The number of departures during the first months.
And the total time between posting and signature.
One last marker: this content is not judged on reach, it is judged on useful applications. An honest video reduces the number of applications and raises the proportion that lead somewhere, which is exactly what the department paying for it expects.
