Whilst there are no statistics around the extent of the pending shortage of Allied Health professionals in Australia, one thing is absolutely crystal clear – the shortage will be significant.

For Allied Health practice owners, this means finding good practitioners is only going to get more difficult. Particularly in the professions of Physiotherapy, Osteopathy, Podiatry and Occupational Therapy.

Making matters worse is the fact that there are so many businesses out there for practitioners to work in. In case you’re wondering how many, take a look at SEEK. At any one time in Australia there are between 17,000-21,000 Allied Health Practitioner jobs advertised on SEEK. Including over 10,000 job ads for Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists alone.

So how do you stand out from the pack, and get found by good candidates?

Creating a short video where you outline the uniqueness of your practice, will get candidates’ attention, and separate you from the pack. Not only can it result in more high-quality applicants, but also applicants who connect with you and your message.

The first thing you need to do is identify the unique elements of your practice. Every practice is different, and every practice will appeal to certain candidates over another. Some elements to consider might be:

• Are you located in a particularly desirable location?
• Do you specialize in certain treatments? Or certain patients?
• Are your employment conditions more family friendly or flexible?
• Do you offer extra leave or support further education more than the average?

There are dozens of possibilities in reality! Once you identify your practice’s characteristics you must include these in your video.

Here are my top four tips on creating an amazing recruitment video:

1. Ensure that the video is carefully scripted

You need to write, and re-write what you’re going to say, and let someone whom you trust critique it. You need to not only use the right language that speaks to the types of candidates you’re seeking, but also includes all the necessary information, such as:

• The types of roles available
• Location
• Main activities/tasks involved in the role
• What’s different about your Practice, including facilities
• Appealing aspects of the job and the business that might excite them
• Culture
• The recruitment process

2. Choose a style that you are comfortable with

Traditionally there are two types of recruitment videos

1. A Live video where you (the owner) talk about the unique aspects of your practice and why a candidate may want to work there
2. An Animated video which cleverly outlines all the aspects of your business that may appeal to candidates

When choosing what is best for you it is important to consider the audience, context, purpose and whether you want to be in the video. Some things to consider about these two options are:

Live Video

• The practice owner speaking directly to the camera creates a human connection and warmth to the message
• There is the opportunity to showcase people in your organization
• The video can help candidates feel aligned to your culture and branding

Animation

• No need to rely on human talent – particularly if you personally don’t feel comfortable being on camera
• Animation packs in a lot of information into a short package
• Very effective at making complex information sound simple
• Not reliant on real life conditions such as availability of particular people and places

3. Keep it brief – you don’t have to tell them EVERYTHING!

Aim for your video to be 2 – 3 minutes long. This is why it’s important to carefully prepare a ‘tight’ script. Include only the necessary bits of information and nothing superfluous. And make sure you repeat the most important 2-3 points in your message. Start with a hook, then move into the main information, then a call-to-action.

4. Use a professional video production company

Doing it yourself on an iPhone doesn’t work nearly as well. Using a professional videographer clearly costs more, but when you see the end result, you will be glad you did. The video you produced should be used for several years and will save and/or make (depends on how you view hiring) your practice a lot more than you ever paid for it.

Creating a short Recruitment video will separate your practice from the pack, and not only result in more high-quality applicants, but also the right type of applicants who connect with you and your message.

Once you have your video, it needs to go on your website. Also, LinkedIn – where you should re-post every 2-3 weeks so the message stays near the top of people’s feeds. You can also post on Facebook and other social media pages. Believe it or not the best candidates are rarely looking on SEEK!

Recruitment can be a real grind for Allied Health Practice owners; but only if you make it that way. By always having your line in the water, with a great recruitment video which is regularly seen by many, you should receive a constant supply of good applicants, whilst other practices are screaming that they can’t find any good people.