A candidate decides in two minutes whether to apply, and not by reading the list of requirements. They decide by seeing where they will work, with whom, and whether the people already there look like they are staying. A recruiting video exists for that, provided it shows what is real. Here is what candidates check, example structures by kind of company, what makes them leave, and how to measure the video by applications.
What candidates check before applying
Employee reviews. The team's faces on LinkedIn. Real photos of the place. Average tenure, when stated. And, if it exists, a film where people talk about their job in their own words. A company that shows nothing forces the candidate to guess, and good candidates do not guess: they go to the company that shows.
Example 1: the plant that needs technicians
Three operators and a team lead, one sentence each on their station and why they stay. The line, the machines, the real light of the floor, the sound. A problem solved by two people. The owner on what the company refuses to do. Two minutes, plus a short cut per position.
Example 2: the services firm that needs consultants
One consultant at a client, another in a team meeting, a third on Monday morning. What you learn in a year, how you are supported, what the firm refuses to put you through. Real offices, real meetings. The founder on the path possible in three years, without numbers promised.
Example 3: the store or restaurant that needs crew
A day of the team from opening to close, no narration. The rhythm, the rush, the laughs, the break. One crew member on what made them stay. Vertical, one minute, for local networks and schools.
What makes candidates leave
Catalog smiles. Values on a wall. A memorized script. Stock footage. An empty office. A film that talks about "our people" without showing any. And a promise that online reviews contradict.
Where to distribute it
In the job posting first. On the careers page. On LinkedIn, by the employees themselves, who are the best distributors. On job boards that accept video. At trade schools and training centers. And on local networks when hiring nearby.
Measure it by applications
Not by views: by applications per month before and after, by the share of candidates who mention the film in the interview, by time to fill, and by six-month retention of hires. A recruiting video shipped with its page and its counter is measured like a campaign.
Employer brand and commercial brand are the same brand
The film that shows people at work serves candidates and customers at once. Shooting it once, well, with real people and their own words, is the investment that serves both for years. That is how Studio FLF makes its recruiting and corporate films, in Miami, Angers and Paris.
If your company cannot hire, tell us which positions: we will tell you what to show.