By Craig Spinks

A lot of practices are short-staffed and have difficulties attracting candidates. If you are one, you have probably even calibrated your job postings to say all the right things–your practice provides high-quality patient care, a great team culture, work-life balance, mentorship, competitive salary, and benefits–but it does not seem to be working.

One thing I learned while interviewing recent veterinary graduates from The Ohio State University and Colorado State University for a video project¹ is including these buzzwords in your recruitment material only goes so far. Indeed, candidates want to know there is substance to your claims. Alas, how can you convince candidates your practice really does embody these things, especially for the more nebulous qualities, such as “having a great culture” and “work-life balance?” After all, they’re only words.

Video content

One thing that can help is video. You might already be familiar with a couple of its benefits, including engaging candidates longer.² A less obvious benefit that is perhaps even more powerful is video can help substantiate the claims you make in a job posting without using words. With video, you can communicate not only through the content itself, but also through the tone in which the content is presented.

For instance, a technician’s sincere tone while discussing your practice’s great culture will be received much differently than the same written words. This is because video can more directly connect with viewers on an emotional level. Emotional connection is important because humans generally make decisions with their emotions first, then back that up with rational thought.³ So, if your job postings only communicate rationally, you are likely missing out.

Creation

Using video as a part of your recruitment strategy does not have to be complicated. Luckily, the bar for quality is set pretty low for videos online (thanks to social media and YouTube!), and videos that feel homegrown can actually be more effective than highly produced content.

I recommend you start by making a simple video (See: “DIY it!”) using video equipment you likely already have access to (a smartphone). Your video can be as simple as a single shot without any editing or titles, or you can use free software on your smartphone or desktop computer if you want to splice together multiple shots or add titles. If you get stuck, there are countless free video editing tutorials on YouTube. Be careful to avoid the temptation of over-complicating things, though. Unless you consider yourself a video expert, it’s almost always a good idea to keep your editing simple (avoid overusing the effects/filters/transitions you will discover in video editing software).

Management

It is tempting to include the same information in your recruitment video as the job posting. While there is nothing wrong with this approach (it is true, candidates are more likely to watch than read⁴), this approach will not take full advantage of the medium’s unique strengths. I would recommend asking yourself, “What can I include in a video that cannot be communicated in writing?”

Candidates will likely watch your video before reading much text within your posting, so ideally, the content of your video will connect with them differently than the text, which will, in turn, motivate them to take a closer look at the written information in your posting (See: “DIY it!”).

I also recommend you keep the content of your video pretty “high level,” or focused on an area where your practice really thrives (your differentiator), rather than cramming as much content as possible in to it.

Distribution

Once you have completed your video, make sure you are getting the most out of it. How you display it will depend on the job posting platforms you use. For some, you are able to add (or “embed”) your video so that it can be watched directly on the job posting or company profile page. For platforms without this functionality, you can include a link to a webpage that includes your video (e.g., the careers page on your website). Avoid directly linking to your video on YouTube or other social media, as you don’t want potential candidates to be distracted by other content on those sites.

Your recruiting video may also be great for advertising open positions. Include your video when you post to message boards and consider using it in paid ads on social media where you can target your campaign to meet the demographics of your open positions.

Making your own recruitment video can be a lot of work and may feel a little overwhelming but remember that an effective video doesn’t need to be complex or look professional—a simple concept will often be the most effective. Your extra effort will go a long way to help your practice stand out in the crowd. Good luck!

Craig Spinks is a video producer who specializes in veterinary video production and emotional marketing, co-founding Veteos in 2017. Its growing staff has worked with numerous veterinary practices and industry partners and has received 23 NAVC Vetty marketing awards, including “Best in Show – Nonprofit” in 2019 and 2020 and “Judges Choice” awards in 2018 and 2022.

References

1. GradsTalk.com
2. https://wistia.com/learn/marketing/video-time-on-page
3. Murray, Peter Noel. “How Emotions Influence What We Buy.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 26 Feb. 2013, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/inside-the-consumer-mind/201302/how-emotions-influence-what-we-buy.
4. https://www.techsmith.com/blog/video-statistics/
5. CareerBuilder