Can a recruitment video help a small company hire?

Why candidates want to see before they apply

A job advert answers what the role pays and what's expected of you. It rarely answers what people actually ask before applying: what's the team like, what does a normal day look like, will I fit in here. A candidate scrolling past dozens of similar-sounding adverts stops for the one that actually shows them an answer, and a small company competing against bigger names with bigger salaries has more to gain from this than anyone, because the workplace and the people are often the genuine advantage.

A candidate deciding between two similar offers often chooses based on impressions gathered well before an interview, and a video is one of the few chances a small employer gets to shape that impression directly, rather than leaving it to a generic careers page or a handful of reviews on a jobs site.

What actually belongs in the video

Keep it honest rather than polished. These are the pieces that do the work:

• Real employees, not actors or stock footage. A current team member talking for 20 to 30 seconds about why they stayed is worth more than any narrated montage.
• A day in the job. A few honest moments from an actual working day, not a highlight reel that makes every day look like a team celebration.
• Honest expectations. What's genuinely hard about the role, alongside what's good about it. Candidates who apply after seeing the tougher parts tend to stay longer, because nothing surprises them once they start.
• How to apply. A clear, simple instruction at the end. Don't assume someone will find the link; say it and show it on screen.

Length and where it actually gets watched

60 to 90 seconds suits your careers page, where someone's already interested enough to click through and wants a fuller picture. LinkedIn, Instagram and job boards want shorter cuts, 15 to 30 seconds, built to stop someone scrolling rather than tell the full story. Both can come from the same shoot: film the fuller interviews and workplace footage once, then cut a short version that leads with the single most compelling moment, usually a specific, honest line from a real employee rather than anything scripted.

Getting staff comfortable on camera

Most employees haven't been on camera before and it shows if you rush it. Give people the questions in advance so nothing feels like a surprise, but ask them to answer in their own words rather than reading a script, since a read answer sounds read. Film more than you need and pick the moment where someone relaxes and sounds like themselves, which is usually a minute or two into the conversation, not the first take. And always get their agreement on what will be used and where before you publish anything.

Filming two or three employees rather than just one also spreads the discomfort around and gives you options in the edit. If one person genuinely doesn't want to appear, don't push it: an honest video with three willing colleagues beats an awkward one with a fourth who'd rather not be there.

Whether it's actually working

The honest measure isn't views, it's the number and quality of applications after you start using the video, compared with adverts that didn't have one. If applications increase but the quality doesn't change, the video might be attracting attention without answering the real questions candidates have. If you get fewer applications but a noticeably better fit, that's usually the video doing its job: filtering out people who wouldn't have suited the role anyway, before they apply rather than after you've interviewed them.

A video keeps working when you're not actively hiring

The temptation is to make a recruitment video only when a role opens and then let it go stale. It's more useful treated as a standing asset: linked from your careers page year-round, ready to send to a promising candidate who reaches out speculatively, and updated every year or two rather than reshot for every vacancy. For a small company that hires occasionally rather than constantly, having this ready in advance means you're not starting from nothing the week a key person hands in their notice.

One shoot, several uses

A recruitment video rarely needs its own separate budget. My promo film, from €790, includes planning, filming and both a widescreen master for your careers page and a vertical cut ready for social media and job boards, and the same day's footage often works for general company marketing too, which what B2B companies should film covers in more detail.