Videos, Vlogs and Q&As: HR Professionals are the New Content Creators

Let’s be honest: everyone has certainly wasted hours of time on TikTok, YouTube and the like. The short or long videos simply manage to captivate you again and again. Companies have long since recognized this effect. Moving images are not only successful in attracting potential customers, we now also find funny or profound stories more frequently in recruitment.

The career pages of companies are a contact point for young talents and experienced professionals in the respective industry. In order to inspire them, companies must also adapt to the constantly changing zeitgeist. The former DAX 30 companies were recently expanded to become the DAX 40. We have taken this development as an opportunity to scrutinize the recruiting strategies of the major players in the German economy for the second time. Back in 2019, we meticulously analyzed the career pages of the DAX 30 at the time and uncovered some exciting findings. If we compare the results from almost three years ago with the most recent ones, entertaining and interesting developments and trends from the current period come to light.

Trend #1: Convince with Strong Images

A website without images and long paragraphs of text is unlikely to captivate anyone. If we look into the eyes of a smiling employee instead, it is much easier to arouse our curiosity to continue scrolling. Consumer goods giant Henkel is leading the way. The Düsseldorf-based company’s recruiting page welcomes visitors with film sequences of real employees, enticing them to browse.

Companies such as Hello Fresh and Beiersdorf also achieve full marks when it comes to visuality. This is hardly surprising, as they have cleverly played to their advantage: Their products are tangible, can be experienced and are full of stories and emotions. Hello Fresh, for example, shows pictures of balanced-looking people preparing – how could it be otherwise – healthy food. Applicants can thus directly immerse themselves in their new, fit life, which the food subscriber promises.

Beiersdorf, on the other hand, combines many traditional brands. The various products immediately create their own story in the mind of the viewer. Whether it’s the memory of our mother putting Nivea on our faces as a child or our first lip balm from Labello, which had a special value as a teenager. These companies with products that are rich in tradition or can be emotionalized have recognized their trump cards and are using them. This puts them a big step ahead of others.

Trend #2: Define and Communicate important Values

Particularly emotional and appealing image concepts move with the times. The car manufacturer VW, for example, announced its commitment to diversity and inclusion on its careers page in November. In recent years, these issues have increasingly been brought into the spotlight. This increase in attention gets a lot of things rolling. More people are daring to put their true selves out there and value acceptance. Many companies now define these values as part of their DNA or anchor them as a guiding principle. For example, VW has managed to ensure that a single glance at its careers page is enough to recognize that diversity is one of its core values.

Trend #3: There is no Way around Moving Images

In times of TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and the like, short videos are becoming increasingly important. This trend can also be observed on career sites. This in no way means that HR staff now have to perform TikTok dances. Whether it would go down well with the young audience or quickly become cringeworthy remains to be seen. The fact is: videos provide an even deeper insight into the company.

Our third-placed Beiersdorf, for example, portrays the working day of Lisa, team leader in production, or gives sympathetically authentic insights in its vlog-style “Room Tour” with Assistant Brand Manager Jonna through parts of the Hamburg office. It’s not for nothing that influencers and content creators have cleaned up the field from behind in the last ten years: real and unfiltered insights into life are what we want to see! This type of video also allows applicants to immerse themselves in the corporate world and imagine: “What would it be like if I worked there?”

Our two frontrunners, Henkel and Delivery Hero, also play in the premier league when it comes to video content. Henkel uses the well-known and popular Q&A format, in which questions from the community are answered, in this case by Sylvie Nicol. This format reminds viewers of their favorite YouTubers and makes the Chief Human Resources Officers seem approachable. This is reflected in the Group’s image and makes it more human.

DAX newcomer Delivery Hero has rewritten the rules of the game once again: With its 360° tour of the Berlin office, website visitors can literally get a taste of office life and wander through the corridors of their potential new employer. Video formats, moving images and other visual innovations are therefore indispensable for convincing and approachable recruiting.

Trend #4: Tech Topics are no Obstacle for Catchy Videos

Anyone who now thinks that only companies with emotional products can use the possibilities of such formats is wrong. Software giant SAP shows that even tech experts can turn the tables. With a humorous video in the style of a computer game, the company from Baden-Württemberg shows the professional history of an employee. In the style of a computer game, “Working at SAP (It’s a Funny Story)” tells the story of how the video game-loving girl first became a UX designer and later the software developer of a self-driving electric car. The short film sequence uses the stylistic element of the fourth wall, addressing the viewer directly. Fun, approachable and contemporary: tech topics don’t have to be boring!

Conclusion: Don’t shy away from New Formats

If you want to attract young talent in today’s world, the best strategy when it comes to images and videos is: more is more. These formats have the ability to convey statements, opinions or attitudes at a glance without much ado. A wide range of content variations, such as videos, vlogs or virtual tours, offer great creative potential to score points with the young target group. No matter which format you choose, one thing is certain: “out-of-the-box” thinking is rewarded and enables even giant corporations such as the DAX 40 to present themselves in an approachable way.