Do your job ads give jobseekers a true picture of what its like to work at your organisation?

Have you ever experimented with using video to give potential hires a new angle on your organisation?

Recruitment videos can offer not-for-profit employers real advantages in a sector where staff rate the importance of their work environment and the social impact of an organisation above the size of their pay cheque.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of 7 benefits of recruitment videos that demonstrate why they should be part of the recruitment campaigns for any not-for-profit.

1. Tell your organisation’s story

It can be really hard to tell your organisation’s story in a few lines of job ad or PD. Video offers a unique opportunity to tell the story of your organisation – some ideas could include: how it started, the impacts it has on people’s lives, or the personal stories of employees or clients and how they are affected by your work.

2. Convey and use emotion

Emotion isn’t something you see of a lot of in job ads – unfortunately most organisations opt for a more technical or descriptive ad. But getting potential recruits excited about working in a job or an organisation makes it much easier to attract top candidates for your roles. Using music, inspiring visuals, and real people and their stories, video is able to convey and generate excitement – and other emotions – in a way that plain text never can.

3. Target younger job-seekers

On-the-ball marketers will tell you that video is increasingly the choice of medium for organisations aiming to connect with people under 40. The persuasive power of the visual medium also offers recruiters the chance to persuade potential recruits of the benefits of working for their organisation.

4. Effectively integrate across the web

Recruitment videos can be easily integrated across all major recruitment channels including:

• Your organisation’s website
• Job-search websites like EthicalJobs.com.au
• Social networking sites
• Search engines

5. Showcase the work environment and introduce potential colleagues

A text position description has clear limitations when it comes to giving potential recruits a sense of your organisation’s working environment. Video provides recruiters with the advantage of being able to provide an unlimited number of potential recruits with a glimpse into the company’s working environment whilst simultaneously starting the onboarding process before the first interview.

For example:

• Give them a chance to hear from potential colleagues, or even (where appropriate) the person who previously worked in the position that they are applying for.

• Introduce them to the managers and organisational leaders who exemplify the values and culture of your organisation.

6. Demonstrate why you offer more than just a pay-cheque

Because they can convey emotion in a way written text can’t, recruitment videos can act as a powerful medium to present the core values and goals of an organisation. Through video your organisation can emphasise what you stand for and the benefits of the style and size of the organisation. If you have a diverse workforce, you can also easily show this by including employees of different age, nationality, gender and race.

7. Provide practical information about the application process

After wowing potential employees with a glimpse into the organisation’s work environment, don’t forget to provide the practical stuff – like what sort of candidates you’re looking for, what sort of background and qualifications they should have, and how and when to apply for the position.

Looking for inspiration? Click through for seven great NFP recruitment video examples to get your creative juices flowing.