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Recruitment Videos and Twitter

Jan 31 12 - 4:23PMAlex Charraudeau, Account Manager Marketing
Twitter is one of the most popular social networking tools of the moment.  With over 1736 tweets sent ever second you would think that Twitter would be overrun with tweeple trying to get a job there.   However, unlike Google who on their busiest day last year received 75,000 applications, Twitter is not the desired tech employer of choice for many.
Work for Google
In order to change peoples’ perception of this tech business Twitter have started creating an intelligent recruitment marketing strategy to drive home their brand and the values of the business.  This has included answering questions on Quora (remember that “next big” social network of 2011?), posting recruitment and work for us videos on YouTube, a “work for us” Twitter feed and they have built a separate corporate careers site.

 On Quora a question asked why someone would choose to work at Twitter over Google and this answer stuck:

“Simple answer: Twitter is fundamentally a right-brain dominated product and company. Google is an intensely left-brained, boarderline Asperger's company.”		 Twitter Jobs on YouTube 
Personality and individuality of Twitter came out. This is something that the business has tried to push in their recent videos.

Taking an answer like this as a key differentiator or USP for Twitter over other tech companies they started to launch their The At Twitter The Future is You videos on YouTube.  These recruitment videos are a tongue in cheek look at what makes Twitter different and unique.



When you compare it to a Google video you can see how the two companies obviously jar…



If you can’t join ‘em, mock ‘em.

The Join the Flock twitter feed posts out job roles and interacts with potential employees which has over 200,000 followers. This seems like a great way of getting people to know more about your business and helps to spread the job roles virally.

Join the Flock - Work for Twitter

The Twitter corporate career page (here https://twitter.com/jobs) ties together the elements of testimonials, job roles, the various twitter feeds and also their recruitment videos nicely.

If you would be interested in shooting a recruitment video, setting up recruitment social media campaigns or launching a recruitment website please get in touch.
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Steve , 03 February 2012, 11:29 AM
Made it to 1min 30 before losing will to live - man!

Nothing worse than trying to be deliberately crass in an attempt to be funny and failing...

It is in fact so bad, it's bad.
@sarahjanehiron, 03 February 2012, 11:23 AM
This is amazing!
Alex, 03 February 2012, 01:53 PM
Fair enough Steve! Did you see the Google video? More of a fan of that one perhaps?
Steve, 03 February 2012, 01:50 PM
You haven't heard about my well known hatred of small dogs and of people who eat meals at their desks then Alex? :-)

More seriously and without offence to my Rec Ad agency friends, I really don't see the compulsion to do these corp vid offerings by the likes of Google. An employer brand as strong as that (with the unsolicited job approaches volume to go with it) doesn't need the "crutch" does it?
Julia, 03 February 2012, 01:18 PM
Er, I assume the Nicki Minaj clip I picked up was not a rec campaign?

Watched the twitter 'advert' - hmm. Low on diversity. You have to be a nerdy indie kinda person to work there (zooey deschanel lite) , and I am not sure how much that represents their user base. If they don't have lots of speculative approaches I am not sure the kooky goofy zany brand will necessarily help.

I got stuck on the andsome web site recently, trying to look them up after their recent REC awards. Couldn't even access the site - with the little running man at the beginning just running on and on. All very trendy but what is the message and where is the communications expertise.

(And the 'asperger's' remark about google is just jaw dropping).
Alex, 03 February 2012, 01:02 PM
Steve - I didn't realise you had such an aversion to lap dogs or pack lunches.

Agreed that Google probably don't need recruitment videos any more... but they may have done in the past to build their profile. Now it is all about maintaining that advantage over their competitors like Twitter. But at the same time there are real problems in Silicon Valley because Google's engineers have been heading to Facebook.

Julia - Twitter have decided that they have a "corporate identity" that matches all the stereotypes that you highlighted.

I second what you said about your message and marketing only being one part of things. Having a website that works is the second part. That is where you can actually capitalise on your marketing activity.
Angela, 03 February 2012, 03:44 PM
It's so bad it could debatedly be good. Just not as good as Google's. Thanks for sharing. Might repost.
Richard, 06 February 2012, 09:10 AM
Why would you want to work for a company that's never made a profit, loses millions a year and is liable to go bankrupt (or get bought out) in the next 2-3 years?
Alex, 06 February 2012, 01:33 PM
Many web companies don't make a profit for a few years and then suddenly become extremely profitable. Look at Facebook. They didn't make any money for years and now look at them.
Working in the Silicon Valley is a huge gamble with potential for huge returns (or losses).
Richard, 06 February 2012, 01:59 PM
"Many web companies don't make a profit for a few years"

Seriously, it's been 7 years since they were founded. Most of their original investors have actually written off their losses and moved on.

I agree that they'll make a proportion of their money back when they (inevitably) sell the company but is that a good recommendation to work for them; "our business model is a total failure and someone may bail us out before the money runs out"?
Alex, 06 February 2012, 01:36 PM
I do agree with you Richard. It isn't somewhere I would want to work if I had the choice of many of the other tech businesses.
Richard, 06 February 2012, 04:38 PM
By the same token, I can easily see Facebook crashing and burning in 5-6 years time.

I'll still be trying to get me some first day shares though!
Marie, 07 February 2012, 09:35 AM
Genius! :D San Francisco is not only a bitch of a commute from the British Isles but I also make it a rule to not live within 5000 miles of a major fault line. This also unfortunately scuppered my plans to move to Tokyo and become a ninja :D Otherwise I would be there, twittering with bells on :D I hope their new campaign attracts lots of keen, talented peeps to join the flock lol
Adam, 07 February 2012, 09:59 AM
Great reasoning "left brain, right brain" that would sound great on our business cards :- PUNCHY | A right brain company.
Joanna, 07 February 2012, 01:10 PM
Sweet - I wish more companies would have the balls to do something awe-inspiringly awful!!!
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