Kathryn Doud

This is a new idea for me: video resumes.  Writing a resume and cover letter can be stressful enough, but a video starring me (all my nervous “umms” and fake smiles included)?  I’m not sure about this, but I went ahead and did some brief internet research on the fad.  Let me know what you think because I’m still not convinced…

How do you write a video resume?  What are the parts of a video resume?

This is what you should include in your video:

• Introduce yourself: name, location, desired location
• Mention professional accomplishments- you don’t need to discuss personal life (In fact- steer clear. That could get weird.)
• Make sure you can answer these questions: Why me?  Why would I be a good employee? What is unique about me? (My selling point: qualifications I have, that others may not.) What would my former co-workers or boss say about me?
• Make sure to come across sounding/looking personable, but professional.  Be relaxed- not too serious! Your body language and tone of voice are important—If you sound awkward, nervous or annoying on video, you would have been better off on paper.
• Thank the employer before wrapping it up.

Look at suggestions for preparing to record a video resume: http://www.videoresumecharlotte.com/Tips_for_Video_Resume.pdf

How long should a video resume be? Keep it concise, about 1-3 minutes long.  The person watching it shouldn’t feel like it’s dragging on, but it should also fill them in on significant information about you.

Where can I see some video resume samples? Just type “video resume” in You Tube and you’ll get tons of results. The first one to come up for me was by Gautam Banerjee who won a video resume contest in 2007 with vault.com. His looks really professional and is definitely worth watching: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jnCic3RPn0

 How much does it cost to get a video resume made professionally? I don’t know if that Gautam Banerjee guy had a professional record his video, or a talented friend, but based on the site for a company called Bigler Productions, a basic promotional video could cost from $600 to $800.  You would have to be pretty serious to invest in a professionally filmed resume.

 Can I make a video resume?  Technically, it’s pretty simple to make a video resume using a webcam, camcorder, or digital camera.  But you don’t want it to look like a 6^th grader filmed and edited it, so it wouldn’t hurt to learn some basic techniques.

Anyone can post a video on You Tube (hence the name and tagline), but some sources pointed out that employers probably won’t waste time searching YouTube in hopes of finding a candidate to interview.  They recommend sites like Workblast.com or ResumeTube.com which specifically post video resumes.

However, a young man (whose video resume was mentioned in a blog on Time.com) posted his video on YouTube, was noticed and had a promising interview.  His video wasn’t bad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL1mUuYAPkI

 Can I make a video resume series? I didn’t notice any video resume series as I perused the internet, but if you are looking for jobs in two different industries- it is recommended that you make two separate videos, instead of combining them into one.  The video should be geared towards your experience in that area, and you want to be able to say specifically what you would like to apply for.

 Is there a business opportunity in the making of video resumes? Apparently, not really.  According to ehow.com, there’s a site called filmmyresume.com for anyone who would like a pro to record their video resume—but I can’t even find this site.  A blog by Lisa Cullen on Time.com blatantly said that what looked like a promising business opportunity completely petered out.  Researching the fad of video resumes (sort of like I was trying to do), she called a videographer whose site advertised filming for video resumes—and he laughed because he had received NO calls for his services.  This might not be a business worth trying to get involved in.  Even basic digital cameras can record videos which can then be edited on a laptop – so why pay someone else to do it?

Who are the major players in the video resume industry? Websites like vault.com and workblast.com seem to be big as places to post your video resume in hopes that an employer will check in at sites like these.  As for videographers, I don’t think video resumes have become a major thing for them—weddings and other events generate plenty of business, I’m sure.

Who should have a video resume?  This seems to be an individual decision.  Some suggest that a video resume will make you stand out against other applicants.  Others say it’s unnecessary and may even cause unintentional discrimination by the employers, who may be influenced by the way you look or speak.  Watching a video can also be tedious for employers, who cannot skim a video for specific content (such as, accomplishments) like they can a paper resume.  So, it’s your call.  Is it worth it?