What I think about video job specs.
In the old days, job specs or descriptions were…let’s face it – mundane.
You know what I mean, all formal, straight talking, sub heading after sub heading, bullet point after bullet point, word after painstakingly typed word.
It was hugely difficult to covey any character or personality in them, usually meaning that the reader switched off and scanned straight to the crux – what’s the salary and what are the package benefits.
But it went beyond that. Trying to sell the role was hard enough, how do you showcase the environment or culture of the candidate’s potential new work place?
Erm, you couldn’t, not effectively anyway.
Same scenario with ads for newspapers (who?!) Or later on the job boards.
You had to grab the reader’s attention with in the first 15 seconds or so. Unless you were a wordsmith or a bard it was, for the most part an arduous task.
Thankfully, there IS a better way.
Unless you’re a recluse in the Himalayas you have heard about this new fangled thing called “Social Media”!
I jest of course, but the biblical rise of social media has made the good old job spec or description a million times A) more enjoyable to produce and B) more engaging for the candidates.
VIDEO!
Consultants on a compatible device (ergo ANY) talking into a camera as a real human being expressing the ins outs and shake it all abouts of the role they’re offering (selling).
Of course there are some old fashioned recruiters out there who will say that face to face discussions are the best.
Yes, there’s absolutely a place for the in person approach. It’s excellent for an agency that operates solely on a local basis. The reality is though that a large proportion of firms operate not only regionally and nationally but globally.
Can those same stuck in the mud recruiters claim that a candidate in Texas needs to interview in person at their office in Slough? (other places are available I am not endorsed by the town of Slough)!
Video specs have well and truly arrived and you’ve probably seen more and more agencies utilising this method.
So what’s the big deal?
It’s no secret that people buy from people. By talking into a lens it’s almost as if you’re speaking directly to the person watching (think Deadpool!) So immediately there is a subconscious connection. People buy from people…
The consultant can convey enthusiasm and other feelings to the candidate to evoke an emotional reaction from them, and as you know people buy from people… can you spot the theme here?
Also in today’s day of technology and information bombardment, either you like it or not as humans our attention spans have become somewhat selective if that’s the right word?
Essentially it’s easier to assimilate information aurally and visually than to read and digest information. The latter requires more of an investment from the reader. The former (if done properly) is subconsciously easier to do. It’s like reading a novel written in Latin vs watching The One Show (extreme example!)
For too long the recruitment industry has had a rubbish rep. I saw a post on LinkedIn recently that echoed a lime from an Eminem track, a pissed off candidate referred to the entire industry as “blood sucking succubus”, so seeing the recruiter as a person and not just a cog in an abominable machine can REALLY help with rep too!
So, finally, here’s what I think…
I think if you don’t do video specs you’re absolutely missing a trick.
Bob Dylan once wrote “the times they are a-changin'”, where realistically they already have. You’re going to get left behind. The talent pool of today is made up of an ever increasing amount of people becoming increasingly reliant of tech and in that is Social Media.
The ability for recruiters to reach exponentially more candidates than before, coupled with the ability to ENGAGE those candidates will mean that those agencies that exploit the hell out it will, invariably fare better than those that don’t, and destroy those firms who refuse to.
Video killed the radio star…Video will help you kill it in recruiting!
Once you’ve crafted your videos, if you need help reaching more of the right kinds of eyes – I can help with that with once of my Social Media Marketing packages.
Designed to really reach and engage, perfect to reach those passive candidates.
Give me a shout to hear more about it and see if we’re the right fit.
And thanks for reading!
How To Find Those Illusive Candidates Like A Liam Neeson From ‘Taken’ Pro
Picture Source: LinkedIn.com
Hands up who’s seen ‘Taken? If you haven’t, you’ve almost definitely seen the meme.
Liam’s character tells his daughter’s kidnapper “I don’t know who you are…I possess a set of very unique skills…I will find you!”
Although most of us aren’t trained contract killers or assassins (presumably), most recruiters should also possess a set of skills, that is the ability to find that needle in the haystack, that golden balls candidate that NONE of your competitors have got on their database, that ticket to landing a 5 figure fee! (DISCLAIMER – yes candidates are people with feelings etc…).
The reality is however, many don’t. As good and effective as an agencies training might be, and the vast majority are excellent by the way – being able to find those candidates can be incredibly difficult.
These individuals are hidden, tucked away behind stable careers, good salaries, brilliant work culture, management that gives a shit and so on.
They’re not in that 12% or 13% represented in the above picture.
They’re not the ones reaching out BEGGING for a new opportunity.
Without being rude you can see that 25% anywhere. Just visit any usual job board CV database and BOOM, hello!
The issue, is that everyone’s got access, it’s like a goddamn “hook-a-duck”, the real skill lies in reaching that coveted 45%, and even dare I say those 15%.
Let’s be honest, even those “completely satisfied” candidates would possibly at least keep an open mind IF presented with the right opportunity.
“But Dan!” I hear you cry. “How do I do that?!”
You absolutely have to have a well thought out, laser-targeted and “Agent 47” style executed Social Media Marketing campaign.
“But Dan, I’m all over my Social media marketing”…Really? Then why aren’t you in front of these people?
It’s so much more than posting to LinkedIn or forums etc.
Here’s what you need to do.
- Get your SEO right! SEO and SMM are like bread and butter! For optimum results there needs to be strong cohesion between both!
- Really think about your target candidate. Where do they hang out? What are their typical interests? What are their B2C buying personas. What are their typical motivators. Pushes. Pulls. What did they eat for breakfast! (Too far?!)
- Once you’ve really drilled down in to that you have to create content that they are more likely than not to engage with.
- You’ve got to sell sell sell the opportunity as succinctly as possible with the space/time you have. Think video specs as a way to enthuse and engage.
- Sign up to the advertising facility on each of the platforms your targets are likely to be.
- Set a realistic budget!Don’t scrape here, if your client is looking for a golden balls candidate, and you’ve settled on a 20-30% fee you need to do the maths.Is it feasible to spend £1k on advertising if your fee (for some reason – this is only an example) is £2k?
- You’re going to lose money on that deal so probably not. If you can get a £10/£15K+ fee, then you’re happier to spend £3-£5K.
- Run your ads/sponsored posts.
- ..Don’t stop there. Tweak adjust. Tweak adjust. Tweak adjust again. Study the analytics. Study the conversions. Can you increase then? Are you getting enough traction? Is your content as relevant today as it was last week?
- Keep going. Once you’ve cracked it, replicate.
This method is exactly how I helped several clients create in excess of £50k extra revenue last year. If you know someone who needs to see this, give it a share. Email them the link. Shout it from your window.
If you’d like to know more on how I can help you do the same – come and say hello!
Why You Should Absolutely Outsource!
Of course, I’m big advocate of outsourcing work, after all, it’s the back bone of my business. If firms didn’t outsource their SEO to me – I’d have to get a proper job!
But I get it, you’re scared of out outsourcing. So many questions.
“How can I let go, I’m a control freak”, or “How absurd to think that an outsider can understand my business” or “Outsourcing means there’s no safety net – at least in-house means accountability”, I could go on. But I won’t.
The reality is, you have every right to be scared. There are SO many horror stories out there about errors made by or caused by an outsourcing outfit it could really make your skin crawl if you let it.
But think of it like this….
YOU are an outsourced service. YOU are an outsourcer. Yes…YOU and your business.
Where would YOU be if your clients didn’t outsource their requirements to you? You’d be in the same place I would – up shit creek!
The truth is you and I, we’re pretty similar. We are a necessary “evil”(I use that phrase lightly of course) and we (usually) are a service easily farmed out to someone else.
Think about your selling points, WHY do clients utilise your service.
· To save time
· To save money
· They’re too busy
· They’re not the experts!
Well, those are the exact same reasons you would work with me. You’ve got a business to run and recruitment digital marketing can be a slow, laborious and time-consuming task.
You want to make money, not waste it. Bad marketing is like a bad hire – it will cost you in the long run.
Recruitment is very hands on, fast paced, reactive – refer to the above point.
You are an expert recruiter. You know your shit. That’s why you clients pay you £1000’s in fees. You are not (usually) a marketing expert, and SEO expert and so on. You need the expertise a real marketer can bring.
You might argue “Well I have a Social Media Expert in-house”…do you? Or do you have someone that has a degree in Zoology who can string a sentence together and knows how to post to Instagram stories??
Because my friend that is NOT an expert. My 16 year old daughter can do that – I wouldn’t pay her £18k/pa plus because of that.
“Well I have an in-house marketing team” – that’s great, but what are you paying them for if the firm down the road are out-ranking you? Essentially, I work WITH in-house teams to deliver value, I’m not looking to replace anyone, but rather absorb some of the workload and turn that in to real results.
Finally, outsourcing your digital marketing does not mean losing accountability. This is not a sales pitch – none of my blog posts are, however I will say this; Every single client I work with has their own log in to the back end of my system.
I believe in being 100% transparent, so you can see at every step of the way exactly what I and my team are up to. That’s all I’ll say on that for now.
If you know someone that needs to see this, give it share, email them the link etc.
On that note – join me on LinkedIn, Insta or add me on Facebook and let’s see what we can do together this year.
Peace!
