Video makes communicating with people more engaging and drives real business results. In their mission to make business communications more human, the experienced workplace filmmakers at Skill Scout share the most effective way to film a “boring” office job.
Elena and I have the awesome privilege of traveling around to groups of leaders in HR and Talent Acquisition, sharing stories of how video can transform hiring.
Recently, I was in a talk where the question came up — I love what you’re doing with video, but how do we capture a beautiful, spirited video with, say, a boring office job? An Accountant? An Actuary?
First, there’s no such thing as a boring job.
Every job has meaning. Elena shares a great story that goes something like this: John F. Kennedy was visiting NASA in 1962. He takes a wrong turn down a corridor and runs into a janitor. He says:
“Hi, I’m Jack Kennedy. What are you doing?”
The janitor replied: “Well, Mr. President, I’m helping put a man on the moon.”
Yes, we believe every job has meaning. As workplace storytellers, it’s our job to uncover that meaning and share it in a way that evokes emotion. Sometimes it’s about the company’s mission. Other times it’s about fulfilling a personal passion or legacy. Maybe it’s about opportunities to make a small corner of the world a better place. One story that is often overlooked is: what does this job allow me to do outside of work? Who does it allow me to be?
Great storytelling requires empathy, curiosity and a little digging. Capturing these stories on camera will take you outside of the office and into wherever the meaning lies.
Here are a few examples of jobs that take place in an office, but are anything but boring.
Why is the work personally meaningful?
Find people who are passionate about what they’re doing. Chances are, they have a personal story for why their job means so much to them. Candidates with the same passion will see this come through and relate.
How does the role allow the company to thrive?
Even though the finance team doesn’t build vacuums at Dyson, they play a key role in the company’s success and longevity. For the right candidate, working on the finance team is a way to scratch an entrepreneurial itch and they’ll be geeked about doing this through the line item reviews that might bore someone else.
What does the job allow people to do in their life outside of work?
In this story, Karima lost her husband recently after being hired at Thermo Fisher. The company supported her through her loss, and continues to provide a work environment that supports her to be the mother she wants to be for her son.
When candidates are looking for a job, they’re trying to picture what their life will look like if they work with your company. An accountant knows the basics of what’s expected of a staff accountant. Perhaps a more important story to share is how their life will look outside of the office? Who does your job allow them to be at home? How can they show up?
How does the job allow people to impact the world?
Everybody has been informed by the work of Pew Research, even if you don’t know their name. They did a great job showing their impact in news headlines and the flow of global information in this video (clips contributed by their team, shot on a phone!).
I hope these examples get you thinking about ways of framing stories for jobs that take place in a cube or a desk, but that have emotion for the right viewer. Not all heroes wear capes, some run payroll, play with data, or answer phones. It’s our job to uncover what keeps people inspired, passionate and curious in their jobs.
Learn more about bringing jobs and company culture to life on video, and insights from filmmakers Abby and Elena on the Skill Scout blog.
How do you incorporate video into your recruitment process? Share a comment below.
Looking to incorporate video into your recruitment process but not sure where to start? Contact our editor.