Bosses use YouTube to recruit talent

A jobs site has seen a 927% increase in the number of hirers using a tool that lets them use YouTube footage to give candidates a 'film preview' of what they can expect.



Gumtree says its new application that plays clips from the video giant is being snapped up by a growing number of businesses that want to woo tech-savvy job-seekers.



The clips, which tend to average 3 minutes in length, are being hailed as virtual job ads, whether they are professionally-shot films or low-budget handy-cam footage.



Typically they feature bosses on a 'walking tour' of the office – introducing staff, showing the desk where the candidate will sit and offering a general 'feel' of the business.



Some of the posted clips by service-sector hirers, increasingly engaged in a war for talent, even feature canteens, and after-work activities, such as sports teams and cocktail bars.



For candidates, virtual job ads bring similar benefits to the recently developed e-mother device, in that they reduce the chance of nasty surprises or culture shocks on the first day.



The good news for employers is the cost: the traditional HR approach of recruiting for a £30,000 post costs an average of £4,000, including agency fees, admin and interviews.



But Gumtree hirers pay just £20 to upload their virtual ad, aside from the price tag of making the film, which is minimal if they choose the handy-cam route.



The site says the influx of companies uploading to YouTube is evidence that the labour market is changing, as the onus is on employers, not just candidates, to make a good first impression.



Employers have embraced the site's tool because they say candidates who respond are hungry for the job, having glimpsed the opportunities to be had 'behind closed doors.'



They also can avoid thumbing through a stack of CVs before having to shortlist candidates that may, or may not, be up to scratch. Employers claim the tool is helping with retention too.



Sophy Silver of Gumtree said: "Company show reels are the next big thing in recruitment.



"A three minute video can give an applicant more of an insight into what a boss and the company are really like than a half hour formal interview."