What's Better Than a Handshake? A Video Introduction!

How do you create a memorable first moment, before you even meet someone? For many of us, our LinkedIn profile is what a new colleague, client or connection bases their first impression on. What does your LinkedIn say about you?

Your LinkedIn profile is a 21st century digital calling card. It’s who you are, how you help people, your strengths and your personality quirks—if you’re a recruiter your LinkedIn profile is often the reason why a client or a jobseeker has decided to reach out to you. 

The way you and your company’s LinkedIn profile looks has a significant impact on the impression a prospective candidate or client forms when considering approaching your organisation. 

96% of recruiters use social to vet candidates.

We know most recruiters use social to vet candidates, has it occurred to you that the reverse is true also? In today’s competitive job market, job seekers are vetting hiring managers and recruiters too.

Video is a critical component of your digital brand. Not only does video augment search,  it differentiates you and helps you make connections with your target audience, without so much as a handshake!

Creating a compelling video biography doesn’t need to be hard, or expensive, there’s a few key elements to consider before you begin your project, which I’ll walk you through now.

Determine your objective & define your target market

Maintaining a sharp focus is important, so ask yourself what the purpose of the video is. Are you trying to reach passive candidates? Recruiting for niche roles? Looking for new business? Letting your team know how your work supports them? Your objective should drive the content of your video biography.

I created a video recently talking about why I joined a start-up—I’m hoping to recruit soon so my objective was to communicate why I find working for a new business so satisfying and challenging.

Knowing your target market is important in determining the voice and tone of your video. Often, you will serve multiple segments, so direct the video to the most important group and be sure to relate to that group.

Draft a script

Once you’ve defined your primary objective and target market, write a script using the tone, voice and vocab that meets your objective and resonates with your audience.

Communicate your expertise and engage the audience, so the script should reflect your credibility while showing your personality. Focus on your skills, and your differentiators—why should the viewer consider you over another recruiter? Maybe it’s your passion for Rugby, your practical experience in UX design or your sense of humour—let your authentic self shine through.

Use images and secondary footage (video overlay) to showcase your work and achievements. Aim for a one-minute video, no more than two-minutes. This is not a ‘reading-your-CV-out-loud’ exercise—keep it short!

Here's a great example of a video introduction from one of the Randstad team.

Practice

Become familiar with your script, but don’t memorize it. Practice what you are going to say before you record so you feel comfortable and sound natural yet authoritative.

Don’t read from a script or note cards, it makes you look untrustworthy as you are avoiding the gaze of your viewer. If you’re filming in the VideoMyJob app you can load your script or talking points to the built-in teleprompter which makes staying on message super-easy!

Equipment and setting

Recording a video bio is something you can do with minimal equipment and experience. Your smartphone has an HD camera and tools like the VideoMyJob app help you make an on-brand and slickly edited video without having to watch a million YouTube 'How to' videos.

Choose your background carefully as this says a lot about your professionalism:

• Find a dynamic space i.e a cafe, reception, something with colour and depth.
• Poor lighting can undermine video quality, so experiment with different lighting sources. Our hardware kits have a built-in light which can really help to level out lighting issues.
• Pay attention to noise level, if your audience is struggling to hear you, chances are they’re not going to bother watching till the end. Find a quiet place, or at least somewhere you’re not going to be drowned out by coffee machines, banging doors or the clatter of kitchen.
• Invest in a tripod or a stable mount for your phone.

Record and review

Dress for and address your target market. If you never wear a tie or straighten your hair for work, don’t do it in your video. Take a deep breath and push record. Plan on 3-5 takes, use authentic language and be yourself, that should help limit the retakes!

Remember, the purpose of the video is for your target market to get to know you better. You’re trying to achieve authenticity, not perfection.

Title and post

Be sure your title includes keywords so the video is searchable and its purpose is clear. A description for YouTube hosted videos is essential, be clear about keywords and next steps (call to action). 

Don’t forget to add your fab new video to your LinkedIn profile, your email signature, your company About Us page or your intranet listing!

Everything your team needs to create & amplify branded video content. In one app.