9 of the best recruitment videos and why they work

Today, high-quality recruitment video content has become a powerful way to inspire potential candidates, encapsulate your culture, and drive job applications for brands.

According to recruitment research conducted by Hire Rabbit, job listings accompanied by videos were shown to have been viewed 12% more than job listings without videos and received around 36% more follow-through applications.

The best recruitment videos are really culture films, they allow people a window into life at your business. Here are some great examples of recruitment campaigns and why they work.

1. Jobs.ac.UK | Working in Higher Education Means More

Some shameless self-promotion here! But this award-winning recruitment video we created for Jobs.ac.uk is worth blowing our own trumpet about. 

For this, we focused on interviewing real people from different universities about their roles and what they like about working in higher education. These testimonials then spun a core idea, why do people love working in higher education? A career in higher education means more:

• More opportunities
• More balance
• More purpose
• More experience
• More like-minded people.

Real people, real testimonials, and real campuses act both as proof and inspiration to encourage clickthroughs to their job site.

Through these videos, Jobs.ac.uk were able to raise the bar and achieve:

• Over 2 million impressions
• 56229 clickthroughs to the website
• 15540 new users of jobs.ac.uk.
  
  

2. Miami police EPIC Recruitment video

You may be thinking "wait, is this an episode of Brooklyn 99?". Don't worry, I'm with you. This editing style seems like a strange choice (I doubt you want to imagine your local police department acting like goofballs).

But crucially, once you get past the humorous, offbeat intro, you'll find the video mainly focuses on real testimonials from the Miami community. It's fun, engaging, celebrates Miami, and is highly shareable, which is likely what led to the brain-melting 50,000 views it received in just two months.

3. HPMG US: Since Day One

HPMG US has opted to focus on telling the rich history behind their brand, which emphasises the pride their team feel about their roots. The script is complemented with a slideshow of fascinating vintage photographs, expertly evoking feelings that a job at HPMG US is a meaningful career choice.

4. H&M: We are One Team

H&M's recruitment video is deliciously on brand, stylish, and simple. Focusing on its values, the film creatively uses red thread to show the connection between H&Ms team members while celebrating their individuality.

Since they're a clothing brand, the red thread is a really nice touch here. It reminds us of the root of their finished products, giving a nice element of craftsmanship. Really beautiful stuff.

5. Working at DropBox

DropBox said "what if puppets did our recruitment video?" and this absolute corker was born.

This is a creative and unique approach to the typical "employee interview" style of recruitment videos. We're still hearing from real employees so there's still that powerful sense of social proof, but the imagery is much more entertaining than just talking head shots of their team members.

It also got me thinking about what my puppet would look like if I worked at DropBox. Probably Animal from The Muppets.

6. McDonald's Anime Commercial

Mcdonald's Japan is demonstrating that they absolutely know their audience and what they like with this one. The ad's Anime-style is clearly targeting young people and teenagers looking for their first job, as Anime is incredibly popular among this demographic in Japan.

It's beautiful to watch and tells a heartwarming story that inspires and motivates the viewer. Some of the comments on Youtube have even demanded that they make this into an actual Anime series. Now that's a success story!

7. Ford College Recruiting

The fluid style mixed with live-action footage are hard to look away from in this recruitment campaign for college students. It gives Ford a personality, while the messaging highlights its commitment to innovation.

8. Another Generic Recruitment Video | Fiverr

Likely inspired by the Generic Brand Video by Dissolve back in 2014, this recruitment video by Fiverr is painfully self-aware. It's incredibly funny to see employees stage their work day at the Fiverr HQ as the talk-track over-explains in a dry, blunt manner.

 The twist in this generic office job tale? This 'generic recruitment video could have been shot anywhere', as you can work from anywhere if you're the best at what you do, a message that highlights the whole freelancer business model of Fiverr. 

9. Google Intern's First Week

This video provides a window into life as an intern at Google from day one. It's a little lengthy, but hey, this is Google. If any brand is going to get away with bending the rules, it's Google!

With this video, the viewer follows the story of the interns as they showcase behind the scenes at Google. As a nice touch, it also emphasises the support and encouragement that these interns get at Google in subtle ways. The result is a powerful recruitment video that feels personal, insightful, and motivating.

Final thoughts

There's no one way to attract candidates to your business. In fact, if these recruitment video examples have taught us anything, it's that video is such a versatile and malleable format. Video can supercharge your recruitment by providing a motivating and inspiring window into life at your business for candidates.

With the many recruiting challenges HR professionals and business owners are facing in 2022, great workplace culture needs to be at the forefront of your recruitment campaigns. At Skeleton, we can help you plan, produce, and promote your recruitment video to help you reach the right people for your team.