How Video Messages Can Increase Your Response Rate

Recruiting top talent for your organization is a challenging task, and with so many companies competing for the same pool of candidates, it can be difficult to stand out. One approach that has shown remarkable success is using video descriptions of job vacancies to attract potential candidates.

In a recent experiment, our team decided to test the effectiveness of video descriptions in our hiring process. We found that video descriptions not only helped to increase the response rate of potential candidates, but also helped us to connect with candidates who may have been non-responsive to traditional text messages.

Here's what we learned from our experiment:

What are 1st contact video messages?

Instead of sending a text message to a potential candidate, you can send a short, engaging video to attract their attention and stand out from dozens of other job proposals. In our experiment, we found that this approach demonstrated a 1.9 boost in positive response rate for the position of Backend Developer.

Who should record such type of video?

Ideally, the hiring manager for the position should record the video. In some cases, a recruiter can also record the video for less complicated positions that don’t necessarily require headhunting. However, the effectiveness of such an approach hasn't been tested yet.

What equipment is needed?

Not much. Just a hiring manager, their phone camera (selfie-mode), a nice background (a plain one or an office atmosphere in the back), and good lighting.

Types of 1st contact video messages

• Mass outreach: If you have to source and reach a lot of candidates for the position and don’t have time for recording personalized videos, this approach is for you. You can create a very universal video that all candidates will receive.
• Personalized outreach: If you are working with a challenging vacancy on a scarce market, you should try recording personalized video messages for each candidate that you think might be a great fit for the position.

What should a video message convey?

When creating a script for your video, you can follow this structure:

1. Introduce yourself
2. Tell about a product (its purpose, how long has it been on the market)
3. What interesting challenges are awaiting the team or the person you’re looking for, what are the opportunities that make this vacancy great (this is a selling point of the vacancy)
4. Tell about a functional team (e.g. backend team composition)
5. Call To Action question or phrase (e.g. propose to arrange a short call or just say that you will be waiting for a text back)

If it’s a personalized video message, you should also mention why the candidate’s background interested you.

The duration of the video should be less than 60 seconds (ideally under 30 seconds).

Should you send a text message with the video?

It's up to you. It's okay to send just a video: it will definitely intrigue a candidate and will urge them to watch it. If you decide to complement your video with a text message, it should be short (2-3 sentences max).

How can you send a video on LinkedIn?

If a hiring manager recorded a video, you should send it to candidates from the hiring manager’s LinkedIn page.

There are two ways to send it:

1. Upload your video to YouTube and send a candidate a link (the video preview will be shown to a candidate). This approach saves time, but makes the wow-effect from receiving a video message fade.
2. Use the LinkedIn app on your phone to send a video. Unfortunately, you cannot do it on the web version. This approach is time-consuming and not really convenient. Therefore, to save time, you can send 1st contact video messages only to candidates that interest you the most, and send a regular text message to others.?

Follow-up video messages

This is another way to boost your response rate. You can follow up with a video and attract a candidate’s attention with an unconventional approach, as long as your 1st contact message to a candidate was in a text format. If you reach out to candidates from a hiring manager's LinkedIn page, the hiring manager should be the one to record this video. If you use your own LinkedIn page to reach out to candidates, you should be the one to record it. Remember that you should keep the video short, under 15 seconds.

When should you follow up? The perfect time to follow up is three business days after your first text. You don’t have to send a complementary text with a video follow-up.

Our team tried this out with over 200 passive candidates for a technical position, and the results were consistently positive. We're super excited about the success of this experiment and will definitely be using video messages in our hiring process from now on.

Have you tried something similar in your own organizations? We'd love to hear about your experiences and any tips you might have for making the most of video messages in the hiring process. Let's chat in the comments!