The Research Behind Employer Branding Videos

Chris Hoyt: I know we’re getting ready—we’re going into the end of the year. This is the home stretch to be done. So, Maury, I gotta ask you—do you have fancy plans for Christmas? Visitors? No visitors? What are you doing?

Maury Hanigan: Oh, always visitors. I love company. I am a Christmas decorator—I’ll confess. I decorate the place from head to toe. I’m trying to scale it down, not succeeding very well. But I have stopped buying decorations. My husband’s already drafted the divorce papers—just in case I invest another dime in Christmas stuff. So with that hanging over my head, I’ve been really restrained.

Chris Hoyt: You may have a kindred spirit in Jerry’s house. Jerry, want to share a fun fact?

Gerry Crispin: I downsized a couple years ago when I moved. I went from 50 tubs of Christmas stuff to 12. I’m very proud of that. But all 12 tubs have been opened—and in my relatively modest home, every room is loaded with stuff to keep my wife happy. It’s Christmas.

Maury Hanigan: If you need a few more tubs full, every year I try to jettison a few out in the yard. We do a big neighborhood yard sale. But there’s too much sentimental stuff—it’s hard to let go.

Gerry Crispin: I know, it’s very hard. And when I do it, I have to sneak it past my wife quickly—otherwise it gets saved again.

Chris Hoyt: Fun facts about Jerry: in his previous home, the basement literally looked like Mrs. Claus’s surplus closet. Just tubs and tubs of Christmas stuff. And one beautiful thing about Jerry and his wife—year-round, they drink from Christmas mugs.

Maury Hanigan: Ahh, lovely.

Chris Hoyt: Jerry, did the Christmas mugs make it to the new house?

Gerry Crispin: Oh yeah, absolutely. They’re sitting out and that’s what I use. I love it.

Chris Hoyt: I love it. Okay—Christmas is coming, it’s the end of the year, but we’ve got some fun stuff to talk about. Maury, you’ve done a little bit of work that deserves a spotlight. Are we ready to get started?

Maury Hanigan: Ready.

Announcer: Welcome to the CXR channel, our premier podcast for talent acquisition and talent management. Listen in as the CXR community discusses a wide range of topics focused on attracting, engaging, and retaining the best talent. We’re glad you’re here.

Chris Hoyt: All right, welcome everybody to the Recruiting Community Podcast. We do weekly insights and updates in the form of a conversation. We are your hosts, Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

Gerry Crispin: Ho, ho, ho!

Chris Hoyt: There you go. Oh, you’re claiming Mr. Claus, I see how you are.

We’ve invited Maury Hanigan of Spark Start—also a CXR community and solutions member—to connect on new research she’s sponsored regarding the impact of video on candidate quality, recruiting efficiencies, and candidate experience.

We read the report, and she showcased it at our leadership summit in Tucson about a month ago. A lot of folks got excited about the details. It’s not a small sample—this is substantial and notable.

A quick note: we’re streaming on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch. You can find all our episodes at cxr.works/podcast. If you’re with us live on LinkedIn and have questions, drop them in the chat. Say hi, ask about the survey or the research.

Jerry, anything you want to add before we bring Maury in?

Gerry Crispin: No, I think you covered it.

Chris Hoyt: All right, let’s welcome Maury back in. Maury, let’s put you in the big chair.

Maury Hanigan: Great, thanks!

Chris Hoyt: So Maury, we know you as CEO and founder of Spark Start. You’re a recruiting strategist. But I also know you as someone who leans in—a fan of hard work and progress in this industry. Why don’t you give everyone the elevator pitch—who are you, and why should we listen?

Maury Hanigan: Good question on that last part! I started in marketing at Procter & Gamble and then Pepsi. I’m a marketer by training and mindset. I believe good recruiting should use the same tools as good marketing. Marketers have long known how to engage and persuade people—they use video. But recruiting still relies on text. That’s a huge mismatch.

For the last 13 years, Spark Start has focused on making it easy for companies to use video—so they can connect better with candidates and improve efficiency. We’ve got around 40,000 videos on the platform. I’m a data junkie. I’ve seen what works, what doesn’t, and how adoption looks across industries.

Chris Hoyt: I love it. So we highlighted this in the show description: your research ties video to higher-quality candidates, recruiting efficiency, and enhanced candidate experience.

Let’s start with the methodology behind the report. Can you tell us how the study was structured—and the scale?

Maury Hanigan: Sure. There were almost 10,000 candidates—9,958 to be exact. This was independently conducted by the Sourcing Institute, with Shelley Shearer. Spark Start sponsored it—we wrote the check—but we weren’t involved in the process.

Spark Start was the platform used to record and deliver the videos. Here’s how it worked: half the candidates received a recruiter message and a job description. The other half got the same recruiter message and job description—but also a 20–30 second video from the hiring manager.

Not a long job description video. Just a short clip—“Hi, I’m Chris. I run the XYZ team. If you’re passionate about ABC, I’d love to see your application.” That’s it.

It was a very clean A/B test. Same timing, same city, same job descriptions. Conducted in Q2 this year.

Chris Hoyt: Let’s talk results. The report says video-enhanced outreach led to a 35%+ increase in candidates moving to interview. That’s huge.

Maury Hanigan: It is. And it’s not so much about what’s in the video—it’s that it slows candidates down. When someone sees their potential boss on video, it personalizes the role. They’re not just reading a wall of text—they’re thinking, “That’s who I’d be working for.”

They also spend more time on the page—double the time. That means they read more. And they ask fewer “low-value” questions. In Shelley’s words: fewer stupid questions. Like, “Is this job remote?”—when the job post clearly says it’s hybrid in Austin.

Chris Hoyt: Two things strike me: First, candidates actually stop and digest the job—something leaders are desperate for. Second, the impact is tied to who is on the video. Not a spokesperson. The actual hiring manager.

Maury Hanigan: Yes. For job-specific videos, hiring managers are the only ones who really work. Maybe a coworker helps, but candidates want to hear from their boss. That’s who they’re going to learn from. That’s who affects their day-to-day.

We’ve even tested how demographics affect responses. When we asked women and people of color if seeing a white male hiring manager would dissuade them—they said no. They just want someone who respects them and supports their career.

Transparency wins.

Chris Hoyt: For those listening, grab the report at sparkstart.com/sourcing-efficiency.

Let’s pivot to efficiency. The report says outreach effort was reduced by 26%. How did that play out?

Maury Hanigan: All the way through the process. Outreach was down 21%, screens down 32%, assessments down 11%, and 7% fewer rejections—because candidates opted out early.

That means recruiters talked to more qualified, interested, and available people. Fewer wasted conversations. And the quality of the candidate pool went up.

Gerry Crispin: That’s a big deal. It also means that when you do reject someone, you need to do it well—respectfully. Because they’ve already formed a connection with your brand.

Maury Hanigan: Absolutely. Transparency creates expectations. If they’ve seen a human being on video, they expect humanity in return.

Chris Hoyt: Let’s talk about long-term employer brand impact.

Maury Hanigan: Companies often say “our people are our biggest asset,” but you wouldn’t know that from how they recruit. If your hiring managers are smart, respectful, and knowledgeable—put them out front.

You can scale this. We’ve made it so every hiring manager can record a short video. It gets embedded directly on the job post. It’s easy.

And you don’t need professional production. Candidates actually prefer authentic over polished.

Chris Hoyt: I agree—authenticity wins. And it gives insight into the culture and leadership style of the org.

Maury Hanigan: Exactly. Let your people talk. Every function and personality is different—and candidates recognize their tribe. Developers find developers. Finance people find finance people.

Gerry Crispin: I remember years ago at a CXR meeting, Nike showed a video from their Head of IT recruiting talent. It was so compelling. And now we can do that kind of thing at scale.

Maury Hanigan: Yes, people are going to make videos anyway. Might as well provide the tools, guardrails, and approval process to do it well.

Chris Hoyt: Last question, Maury. If you were going to write a book about this research and topic, what would the title be?

Maury Hanigan: Getting Basics Right. Video is not new or complicated. It’s core tech. Like having Google Maps on your phone—why get lost when the solution is right there?

Chris Hoyt: I’d read that. And who gets the first signed copy?

Maury Hanigan: The person who just decided not to invest in Spark Start. Ha! But seriously, we’ve doubled our business this year. There’s momentum.

Chris Hoyt: Congratulations! That’s wonderful. Everybody, don’t forget: sparkstart.com/sourcing-efficiency for the report. Maury, hang out in the green room. Jerry—wave us out.

Gerry Crispin: Double thumbs up!

Chris Hoyt: We’ll see everybody next time.

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