Career Dev

Are Video Resumes for You?

Written by Kay Kelison CIR, ACIR, CDR

Video resumes offer a new way to get your foot in the door with a growing number of employers today. But are they working for you, the talent?

Video resumes are short videos of the candidate basically selling themselves to employers.

To be clear, a video resume is NOT your resume on video. It's actually a short promo giving a “preview” to the employer of who you are and to take a look at your “real” resume online which you can provide a hyperlink within or on your video account. Pretty cool right?

When you are creating these videos think of it being a short sales pitch by answering the question "why should you hire me?" Use your webcam, camcorder, etc.; most folks film their own video. Using sites such as YouTube or Vimeo has made uploading your video easy for you and for potential employers to view them.

With the new mobile phones allowing you to perform video chat will definitely make recruiting more personable and something not to be ignored by both candidates and employers. You'll still need your conventional paper resume though, yes folks; we still have to keep records of our efforts. Since video resumes are used primarily to attract attention, helping candidates stand out among the rising competition on the socialosheres©. (yes,I just created that word)

It remains to be unclear whether this new format will take off with actual employers and recruiters, or it will take over the way we talk to one another, especially in the mobile atmosphere. Why not? Given a low risk on the part of the employer, it's easy to see how this unique format can add a new perspective to the old school recruiting….the paper resume.

Are video resumes worth all this hype? Well, when considering the huge dollar investments supporting new technology by so many companies big and small, video resumes may be worth considering on that factor alone. This growth wouldn't happen without the potential time savings for job-search sites such as indeed, etc and employers.

If you are thinking about creating a video resume of your own, your advantage will be increased exposure. Employers will be more likely to view a short 1-2 minute snippets and make it count than comb through a ton of paper resumes. Although all that's required to record your own video is some sort of digital video recording device that can upload to the Web, it helps to know what you're doing.

Some individuals in higher-level executive positions are even hiring producers who charge up to $$$$ for a professionally produced video. Honestly, you really don’t need to spend a dime to come across professional.

So my recommendations would be: Put some forethought in the planning and scripting for this new technology, most know that it’s still in the infant stage. No doubt, the format will evolve considerably in the coming years. ----------------------------------------------------------

About the Author

Kay Kelison is a seasoned researcher and social media strategist; creative, strategic and passionate with 12+ years of exceptional experience with such companies as T-Mobile, Amazon, Wachovia, Saltmine, Start-Ups, and is a Principal Sourcer/Research for Bing/Online Division Services for Microsoft. Knowledge of web 2.0 technologies and social media platforms. Proven aptitude identifying opportunities, implementing solutions, and increasing visibility through video, blogs and social networks. Experience with international teams and diversity initiatives.

Responsible for strategy and development of marketing Internet-based social media / social networks communities, including the development of Mobile Recruiting, Blogs, MySpace, Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and online video spaces such as Vimeo, YouTube. Accomplished Published/Speaker engagements which include executive round tables, business marketing and leadership teams, MBA, and SourcCon, etc She is a part of the Pacific Northwest Sourcing 7 SIG which is a sub-group of Pacific Northwest Recruiter Association, this group is to enhance our local strategic Talent Engagement community by leveraging expertise in the areas of Sourcing, Research and Social Media to attract the right talent to our organizations.

Kay Kelison CIR, ACIR, CDR | Talent Sourcer

Advertiser and Publisher Solutions Group (APS)
Office 425-707-2702/ kaykel@microsoft.com / advertising.microsoft.com

and her blog http://kaykel.posterous.com/