In a YouTube world, the ‘recruitment’ video (or HR or talent branding video) is a must-have for any company looking to acquire the best talent out there. But done right, the production process can also solidify corporate culture and even bring  diverse employee groups closer.

Sierra Wireless, a global Internet-of-Things tech leader, began their latest HR branding process in 2016. Deborah J. Nicols,  (Director, HR Strategic Programs), and the other HR pros at Sierra committed to a step-by-step process that would take them through every part of their employee culture.

Step one: Listen to your people.

“This was an extensive creative process that included holding focus groups to define our Employment Value Proposition (EVP).” says Senior Human Resources Advisor Michele Co. Working with Unicycle Creative’s Lorne Craig, they personally facilitated groups in Vancouver BC and Carlsbad California, and moderated groups by teleconference in Paris and Shenzen, China. An online survey for employees in other locations made sure everyone who wanted to participate could do so.

Sierra Wireless video fighting evil Star Wars

“There were some cultural differences across locations.” says Craig, “But there were definitely consistencies as well, and these were what we used to define the pillars of the EVP.”

Step Two: Use production dollars where they will be most effective.

With global locations to represent, sending a video crew jet-setting could easily escalate a budget into six figures. Yet D.I.Y iPhone video might not be consistent enough to represent the leadership position of the brand. The team decided to source quality videographers in each location, quarterbacked by the creative and production team in Vancouver.

Employee Video Paris SierrasWireless

Veteran broadcast producer Shelley Stevens helped coordinate scheduling, budgeting and transfer of video files through the cloud. Storyboards and video samples were circulated and discussed. The decision was also made to shoot without sound, using voiceover and music provided by Vancouver’s GGRP studios.

Finally, the videographers were also contracted to shoot high-resolution still images for other campaign elements.

“We needed content for our new careers website, and for designing assets for our recruitment campaigns.” says Michele Co. The team ended up capturing local employee culture across the spectrum, including yoga in China, surfing in Carlsbad and biking in Vancouver.

Employee video creative Sierra Wireless

Step Three: Get everyone involved.

One of the most important steps was what we called the ‘Pre-Production Huddle.” says Creative Director Craig, “We had a lunch and learn for employees where we showed video examples, answered questions and let them know the kind of shots and attitude we were looking for. It became a creative rallying point, with people offering location and prop ideas… people went from apprehensive to excited.”

On shoot day(s) the video teams took extra time to help people feel comfortable in front of the lens. There was real laughter and a lot of genuine smiles to go around.

Employee Video Sierra Wireless Hong Kong

The end result: A recruiting video that also works for retention, morale and team building.

“The creativity and unique ideas of the whole team were truly inspiring,” says Michele Co, “We found that going through this process with Lorne and Unicycle Creative not only brought our employees together globally but it also helped us realize how proud our people are to work at Sierra Wireless.”

All of this was made possible by the skills and dedication of a world-class video team: Albert Normandin (Vancouver), Chris Parr (Carlsbad), Neil Snape (Paris), James Goldman (Hong Kong / Shenzen) Matteo Saradini (editor) and GGRP (sound).

So if you have a recruitment video on your to-do list, remember –  it pays to take the time to listen, plan and enjoy the process.


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