The Best Day in the Life Videos
Stories that reveal what it’s really like to do a specific job at your company, combined with insights into culture, are powerful. That’s why A Day in the life Video is a must-have in your employee storytelling content library to attract top talent.
Candidates want to know two things, right off the bat. Firstly, they want to learn about your overall culture. Secondly, they want to see what it’s like to do their job at your company. Therefore, the better you illustrate those dual realities, the better you influence candidates to take an action. “Day in the life” employee stories that incorporate both elements are great content for filling your important positions.
Additionally, when you provide a clear picture of the day-to-day employee experience, you’ve set the right expectation for candidates once they join your team. And, when you faithfully represent your real culture, you avoid dramatic turnover and increase retention. What your candidates see is what they get once they join.
And, if they like what they see, candidates can see themselves on the team. They’ll opt-in to a reality that draws them in.
Real stories from team members
It’s all possible when you uncover, capture and present stories from team members full of specifics about what they personally enjoy about their role and working at the company overall. When both on-the-job and company culture realities are supported by stories, candidates receive the best picture of what it’s like to be a member of your team.
Importantly, if roles you’re filling have changed dramatically in the COVID-19 pandemic, your content must correspond. Whether team members are working virtually, or other aspects of the job or culture have shifted, it’s possible to capture the new reality. You can develop content remotely through avenues like our Virtual Story Sessions offering.
Here are some of our favorite examples of team member stories that give a clearer look at the position—and the culture—than a mere job description can provide.
Show the full reality of the role
An effective Day in the Life Video gives candidates a realistic insight into the role – both the desirable and less desirable aspects of the job. This story from Great Clips® Salons shows how as a general manager, Hannah has to balance staying organized and traveling amongst her 11 locally owned salons to manage and upskill her stylists. And by showing Hannah at home, in her car, and at one of her salons, candidates get insight into the hybrid work experience.
Biomedical engineer position and purpose
Maggie provides her perspective on working as an engineer at Pfizer (pre-COVID and in the device division). She shares details of your role and a story of how her team pulled together when a critical need arose. Additionally, Maggie’s story connects to their team value proposition. Real employee stories that show how team members connect their personal purpose to the team and organizational purpose allow top candidates to make those connections, too.
Show how collaboration happens
In this video featuring an Activision Blizzard engineer working within the popular franchise, World of Warcraft, Elsbeth walks through how she collaborated with designers, localization, and audio teams to build a new process that ultimately improves the player experience.
Bonus: in addition to showing great insight into the engineering role, this video also connects back to one of Activision Blizzard’s core values, “Think Player First.”
Ship repair skilled trades team connection to mission
This video is a composite of stories from members of the ship building skilled trades team at BAE Systems. There are beautiful visuals of the shipyard, explanations of the employees’ roles and their career path to BAE. Most significantly, the employees share how their roles connect to organizational mission and purpose, and the impact that connection has on culture.
Physicians’ daily interactions with patients
These Ochsner Health System physicians shared some of the most important aspects of their work days: their time spent with patients and focusing on patient care. These stories link the meaning they find in their profession directly with their daily experiences at this particular hospital.
Project manager role and adjustments for COVID-19
At Stories Inc., we not only advise other companies on ways to capture culture and employee experience, we do it for ourselves! This example from our Virtual Story Sessions content library features our project manager and content strategist Anna sharing about her job and the changes to role necessitated by the pandemic. And, as she’s an expert at uncovering stories, it’s no wonder she personally communicates so well the culture she’s experiencing now.
Another aspect of culture content that you really need in 2023: stories that show your company’s committment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Our worksheet and guide shows you the content elements you need now.