As quarter four winds down, recruitment marketers and employer brand leaders are already mapping out their approach for next year. And the number one priority heading into 2026 is clear: finding qualified candidates in a market where expectations are high, technology shapes every step of the journey, and candidate behavior continues to evolve.
But the teams that consistently succeed aren’t relying on more job posts, more tools, or more paid spend. Instead, they’re embracing more effective communication — the kind that cuts through noise, builds trust quickly, and gives candidates the clarity they need to confidently move forward.
And that starts with meeting candidates where they already are.
Why Finding Qualified Candidates Requires Understanding Today’s Digital Behaviors
Candidates aren’t consuming content the same way they did even two years ago. They aren’t reading long job descriptions or navigating heavy career pages first. They’re researching through mobile, video, and AI-powered tools before they ever apply.
Consider how candidates access information today:
- 96% of internet users browse on mobile
- 94.6% of internet users watch online video content weekly
- Candidates spend 6 hours and 39 minutes each week watching short-form video — far more than the 4 hours and 51 minutes spent watching long-form
- 80.3% rely on search engines to find information, including informal video content that increasingly appears in search results
- ChatGPT alone saw 489 million monthly visitors as of August 2025, with interview preparation now ranking as the 11th most popular generative AI use case
This shift matters. Candidates aren’t waiting for recruiters to send details — they’re proactively searching, comparing, and preparing.
That means “finding qualified candidates” isn’t just about attracting talent; it’s about being discoverable and informative in the formats candidates already trust.
Video: The Most Effective Tool for Attracting and Converting Qualified Talent
For years, employer brand teams have talked about “storytelling,” but storytelling has changed. It’s no longer long-form content or highly polished campaigns — it’s short, informal, authentic video that helps candidates see the people, teams, and work behind a role.
Informal video has two major advantages:
- It aligns with how candidates consume content
- Short, manager-recorded clips give candidates clarity on personality, expectations, and team culture — all in a format they already spend hours engaging with every week. And because so much video content surfaces in search, informal clips support SEO, helping more candidates discover roles organically.
- It strengthens candidate confidence and reduces misalignment
- When candidates get early visibility into the real people behind a job, they self-assess earlier — meaning the right candidates step forward, and the wrong ones step back.
This early filtering is one of the most effective ways to improve quality without increasing recruiter workload.
The Data: Why Video Leads to Better-Qualified Pipelines
Beyond engagement metrics and digital behavior, video directly impacts pipeline quality and recruiting efficiency.
Teams using an advocacy platform that supports authentic, employee-driven video see:
- 26% reduction in sourcing time, thanks to faster, more relevant inbound traffic
- 35% more qualified candidates progressing through the hiring funnel
- Stronger candidate satisfaction, driven by transparency and trust
When combined with the fact that nearly every internet user consumes video weekly — and that they are increasingly using tools like search engines and AI to evaluate roles — it’s clear why video isn’t just a content trend. It’s the most practical path to finding qualified candidates at scale.
Q4 Is the Time to Prepare for a Stronger, More Efficient 2026
As you finalize your planning for next year, ask yourself:
- Does your content strategy match how candidates search and learn today?
- Are you using the formats (video, mobile-friendly content, informal clips) that candidates actually prefer?
- Do your job postings show enough human insight for candidates to self-qualify early?
- Are you empowering employees and hiring managers to participate in authentic storytelling?
If not, Q4 is the ideal moment to build that foundation.
You made it to the end! This means you’re clearly committed to seeking out new ways to take your employee ambassador program to the next level or even thinking about starting one! Employee ambassador programs need tools that protect your people and bolster the efforts put into building a safe environment for employees to share their stories. That’s where SparcStart comes in. Its patented, award-winning technology helps you share authentic employee videos confidently. With consent controls, built-in approvals, and seamless integration into your ATS to auto-embedding videos on your career site to tracking social engagement within a secure platform, SparcStart is the leading point solution. Without sacrificing authenticity, SparcStart helps you scale safely without sacrificing authenticity. Because when employees know they’re being respected and protected, they’re more likely to speak up. And that trust? It pays off. Book a demo to learn more now!