Boosting Employee Retention with Video: How to Recruit and Hire for the Long Haul

Video Is Not Just for Traditional Marketing

I was recently having coffee with a fellow business owner who shared the importance of retaining employees in his business. From a financial standpoint, we’ve all heard that it is better to invest in your current employees to increase retention than to hire new employees. But what does that really translate to in terms of dollars? If you’re in Human Resources, you probably have a figure in mind. For his business, the cost of a new hire was around $10,000 — if he sees a lot of staff turnover, it really begins to add up!

So what can you do to increase employee retention? It starts at the beginning — during the hiring process. Video has become an increasingly popular tool for Human Resources departments to recruit new hires. In fact, according to a recent study, over 60% of companies now use video as part of their recruitment strategy. So what types of videos are they using, and what are the benefits?

Company Overview Videos

Company overview videos can be used to give potential candidates a glimpse into the company culture, work environment, and team. These videos can showcase the office space, introduce key team members, and provide insights into the company’s mission and values. This can help potential candidates get a sense of the company’s culture and determine whether it aligns with their own values.

The Benefit: They get a real sense of what it would be like to work for your company. If they feel aligned with your company’s culture, they are more likely to be engaged and committed in their work. This is something that can be established immediately during the recruiting process and can increase the likelihood of a long-term relationship.

Job Description Videos

Job description videos can be used to provide a detailed overview of the job position, responsibilities, and requirements. This can help potential candidates better understand the role and determine whether they are a good fit for the position.

The Benefit: This takes a written job description one step further by showing them a more comprehensive job preview. Candidates can see firsthand the actual work environment, the team they will be working with, and the expectations of the role. This transparency leads to more informed decisions and can help reduce the likelihood of candidates leaving due to unrealistic expectations. When new hires are clear about their roles and responsibilities from the start, they are more likely to feel confident and engaged in their work, setting them up for long-term success within the company.

Employee Testimonial Videos

Testimonial videos can be used to feature current employees talking about their experiences working for the company. This can help potential candidates get a sense of the company’s work environment, culture, and values from an employee perspective.

The Benefit: No one can convey the experience of working for your company like a current employee. What do they like about their work? What are their challenges, and how does the company support them? What keeps them coming back every day? These are, no doubt, questions that are going through candidates’ minds, and current employees can provide clarity for potential recruits. If they are joining a team where they feel that their contributions are valued and appreciated, they are more likely to remain committed to their roles and the company.

The Big Question

You might be saying at this point, “All this sounds great, but how much of our time and money is going to go into creating these videos versus actually just spending time in the hiring process?” Okay, so you may not have said it exactly like that, but those questions always get asked when ideas like this get thrown around. The answer, of course, always depends on whether you are hiring out your video production or trying to create the videos internally. The good news is that for the most part, the Job Description and Employee Testimonial videos are usually uncomplicated and can be shot and turned around in editing relatively quickly. That also usually means the cost associated with them is relatively low in comparison to the cost of employee turnover. And while the Company Overview video typically requires more time and expense, it can also be used for general marketing efforts. This makes it a multi-purpose asset that can serve different functions for your company.

The Wrap-up

HR recruiting videos can be an effective tool in improving employee retention rates. By communicating the company’s culture and values, providing a realistic job preview, and offering the current employees’ perspectives, you are giving potential candidates a wealth of information. Providing this information up front can help to filter out potential applicants that aren’t a good match, saving your time and theirs. If your company or job opening isn’t what they’re looking for, they can move along to the next opportunity and you can spend your time engaging with potential candidates who could likely turn into long-time employees.

From the projects we’re working on and the conversations we are having, we can see that video is becoming an essential part of HR processes. As there seems to be an ever-increasing amount of labor needed and a shrinking amount of potential candidates, using video might be the edge your team needs to find the right candidates to fill your positions. To give you some ideas, here are a couple videos we’ve created for HR departments that help them find and recruit the talent they need.