Best practices for active sourcing with video

An inviting, personal, and direct approach to candidates

Not just to be one of many faces — that is what all candidates want during the application process. That is why it is becoming more and more established in recruiting to perceive your applicants as individuals and to address them in this way. When contacting us in the form of an active approach For ultimate recruiting success, do you go to the unique milestones in your resume of the candidate as well as on personal preferences or Similarities between applicants and companies? In addition, the company also presents itself as a “unique company” that is not necessarily looking for the best candidates on paper, but the right candidates for the future. Hardly any other medium can implement this as effectively as video messages in HR.

Three strong advantages of video addressing in recruiting are:

• Better response rate to messages
• Lower time-to-hire
• Stronger employee retention right from the start

Our recommendations for your video sourcing

As a software developer for a video app, we have gained a lot of experience with video messages in recruiting over the years, which we would like to share with you. We would also like to use a video message to show how inviting, personal, and direct active sourcing with video in practice can look.

1. The video length

As with a short message on social media or even via call, the active sourcing video should find the right balance in terms of video length. You should submit as little as possible and as much as necessary. Our best practices show that 1 to a maximum of 2 minutes per video They are well received by applicants and are happy to be looked at. For the first video, it is recommended to record and send even just 30 seconds. This motivates viewers to get in touch with you to find out more.

1. The video content

The content of your recruiting videos varies depending on where in the Candidate Journey you send them. For example, if you have already had contact with a candidate or even have the application documents available, you can go into more detail about the CV. If you are contacting the applicant for the first time, limit yourself to the most important USPs in your company and why the candidate in particular is a good fit.

In the video, you should always incorporate a mix of “courting” and “providing information” and always focus on the personal connection with the applicant and pay attention. At the same time, advertise the position and the company charmingly, while based on this, you identify the applicant as the ideal candidate for the open position.

The central message of your video should always be with humor and charm. No applicant wants to be convinced with hard facts and feel bored or invest their time in such a video.

In the first video, you must be short and to the point. A few words about yourself and your role as well as the company name. However, then focus on the meaningful details of the vacant position. Explain Why the contacted candidate is the right choice, in combination with the reasons Why the company will be the ideal new employer. Feel free to start with an open question or make a direct reference to the career path or skills of the applicant.

In the second or third video, you can keep the presentation of yourself and the company more concise and refer to the previous videos. Now you'd better focus on further benefits for employment in the company the position is so attractive and shows that you have continued to engage with the candidate. In this way, he can be sure that you think he is the ideal candidate and at the same time that the company offers the perfect new place to work for his skills and wishes.

3RD CTA

Your last call in the video should always indicate a clear contact option. Formulated, simple, and hurdle-free call-to-actions run well in every sourcing video. One option is a clear invitation “Get in touch with me” or “Let's get in touch.” Clear instructions should follow, either such as “Just reply to this message” or “Make an appointment here” including a built-in button that links directly to the calendar to make an appointment.

Want a sample video?

Watch here

Our tip for video beginners

If your resources don't (yet) allow you to record and send a personalized video for each candidate, we still recommend using active sourcing via video — even if that means that you As a first step, rely on general video speeches. Whether addressed by name or not, videos in recruiting always establish a connection between the recruiter and the viewer. 

A generally worded video could read: “Hi, my name is xxx and we at xxx are currently looking for someone on Team xxx. I came across your profile and believe that we as a company are a good fit for you because of xx and that you can use your experience and skills very well with us. We offer you xx and xx, which could be exciting for you personally and for your development. I would like to tell you more about the job and our benefits, get to know you personally, and learn more about you. I appreciate your answer to my message. Or you click on the calendar link below the video and we'll hear back to you as soon as possible during a brief exchange. ”

Do you want to know more about video in HR? You can learn more about it in our on-demand webinar recording.

To the webinar recording