It's A Trend: Attract Recruits with Podcasts
It's an official law firm trend: Boston's 180-lawyer Goulston & Storrs is using podcasts to recruit new talent and Pepper Hamilton, with 400 lawyers in 10 offices, plans to start doing so in the fall. Earlier I reported that Benesch Friedlander had placed a podcast of audio testimonials from summer associates online.
Goulston & Storrs rolled out 16 podcasts featuring its own associates detailing what it's like to work at the firm's office. The MP3 recordings, which can downloaded or played immediately online, are grouped into "A Day in the Life..." Having a Life... and "A Law Firm for Life...perspectives from our Executive committee."
Some of the spicier topics include:
- If I screw up, does it mean I won't get an offer?
- Is Goulston & Storrs likely to merge with another firm?
- What's it like to be a woman at Goulston & Storrs?
The recordings range from 40 seconds long to 2 minutes. 12 seconds long. Using podcasts for recruiting is brilliant marketing because:
- Podcasts speak to the iPod generation with the very language that identifies them. And it uses the method they clearly favor.
- Hearing another person give you their opinion is more effective than reading it. With a podcast, a listener can hear the sincerity.
- The spoken word offers a greater repertoire than the written word -- vocal inflections, loudness, softness, pauses and emotions.
- Podcasts are more intimate than a written blog post. There's something about someone verbally telling you a story that's makes it feel more "inside" than reading the same thing in a written memo or blog post.
- Creating a podcast is cheap and easy.
