Recruitment Videos: What Works for North East Employers

A useful recruitment video helps a candidate picture the work before they apply. It shows the environment, explains what the role involves and lets people hear from colleagues who understand the day-to-day experience. It should set an honest expectation, not turn every job into a generic culture advert.

For employers in Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham, Gateshead and across the North East, the production may happen at one office, a workshop, a site or several locations. Start by deciding who you want to reach and what they need to know. Then plan the film around that decision. See our corporate video production service for the broader production process.

Begin with the candidate’s questions

Before writing a script, ask hiring managers and recent starters what candidates tend to ask. Common topics include:

• What does a normal working day involve?
• Who will I work with and who will support me?
• Which skills matter most when starting?
• What is challenging about the role?
• What can someone learn or take on over time?
• Where is the work based, and what should a new colleague expect from the location?

Choose the questions most relevant to the vacancy. A film that tries to answer every possible question can lose focus. A single role-specific video may be more useful than one company-wide film if the responsibilities, location or team are very different.

Let colleagues speak in their own words

Choose contributors who can explain their work clearly and are comfortable taking part. They do not need to be professional presenters. A short conversation with planned prompts often sounds more natural than asking someone to read a script word for word.

Share the themes in advance and explain the filming process. Let contributors know how long the interview is expected to take, who will see the edit and where it may be published. Get permission from everyone who appears, and check that the statements about the role match the current vacancy details.

Ask open questions that invite examples: “Can you talk me through a task you handled this week?” is more useful than “Do you like your job?” The interviewer can follow up when an answer needs more context. The edit can then combine a clear answer with footage of the person, team or setting they are describing.

Show the real workplace

Capture relevant activity rather than a sequence of generic office shots. If the role involves collaboration, film a real planning session with participants’ agreement. If it involves equipment or a process, make sure the camera can show it safely. If customer information, screens or confidential material could appear, prepare the space and check the frame before recording.

For multiple sites, decide whether the video should compare locations or focus on one. Confirm access, safety rules, staff availability, noise, lighting and parking at each location. Our shoot preparation checklist explains what to agree before the crew arrives.

Decide which versions you need

One main recruitment film may work on a careers page. A shorter cut might suit a vacancy post, while a vertical edit may be useful for mobile social channels. These are separate deliverables: decide their length, aspect ratio, captions and call to action before filming so the footage can be composed for each use.

Plan a single next step. Depending on the campaign, that could be viewing a role, visiting a careers page or contacting the hiring team. Make sure the video and the destination page agree on the job, location and application details.

Budget and review the production

Price depends on the number of shoot locations, filming time, crew, interview planning, number of edits, graphics, captions and turnaround. Ask each production company for the same scope so you can compare the work included. The corporate video cost guide explains those factors, and our business video examples show other useful formats.

Give one person responsibility for collecting internal feedback. Ask HR or the hiring manager to confirm accuracy, contributors to confirm their quotes and the communications team to check brand details. Agree the number of review rounds and final delivery date in the proposal.

The result should help the right candidate understand the role and decide whether to take the next step. When the film shows real people doing real work, it can answer questions that a vacancy description alone cannot.