What Twitter’s horrific recruitment video says about the state of Silicon Valley

As much as it deserves a tirade about professional recruiting, brand positioning, and using human relations as a public relations tool, the video that Twitter released recently as a recruitment tool will do one thing very well.

It will work.

Forget the fact that it was intentionally, professionally done unprofessionally. Forget the cheesy attempts at satirical humor that may or may not elicit a chuckle depending on the disposition of the viewer. Forget the clear buy-in by CEO Dick Costolo. Instead, let’s consider that it will be the second most-watched video Twitter has put out in nearly a year and will accomplish what it’s meant to do: get top talent around the world to consider working for them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vccZkELgEsU

The war for talent in Silicon Valley is fought daily. Outrageous perks and aggressive headhunting highlight the growing need for geeks. Twitter’s attempt to reach them may be unorthodox, but it exudes the right messages. Fun. Non-corporate. Willing to take chances. Intellectual (in a quirky way).

It’s everything many talented geeks look for in a job. There are many things that go into recruiting. Silicon Valley is the rare exception where the standard suit-and-tie, wine-and-dine approach is ineffective. The top talent in Silicon Valley wants engagement, excitement, and ingenuity. They want to work for companies that are stable but willing to take risks. This sort of video will only work in one arena.

Thankfully for Twitter, they’re smack dab in the middle of that arena.