Entry description:
Catch an Employer's Attention With a Video Resume
by Victor Luckerson - TIME magazine employment reporter
Many job applicants feel that if they could just get past the initial screening process and land a face-to-face interview with a hiring manager, they'd have their chance to shine.
Getting that toe in the door has gotten harder than ever in today's market. Matthew Epstein, a 2008 graduate of the University of CentralFlorida, created an online video presentation to both display his skills and provide a glimpse of his personality — and it eventually landed him a job. Epstein initially began his viral campaign last summer to get hired by Google's marketing team. He launched a website called Google please hire m.e. and made a pitch video that featured him lounging in a mansion in a blazer and boxers.
The video gained more than 1.5 million views, and he used an awkward fake mustache to brand himself and his website. "You look at me and all you see is a man with an awkward mustache that makes angels weep," he tells Google in the video while sipping from a glass of wine. "But I'm more than a man with a mustache. I'm a lover, a product marketer, and a digital strategist with a passion for bringing products to market online and off."
Epstein's quirky approach did snag him an interview at Google. And though he ultimately didn't get a job there, the effort did earn interview offers from 80 companies (including Microsoft and Amazon); brought some 400,000 people to his website; and nabbed worldwide media attention. Pretty useful accolades for young person trying to break into the marketing field.
Now he's working at SigFig, an online startup that helps users track their financial investments. "I was only unemployed for a month but I personally know friends and family who have been unemployed for 6+ months," he wrote on his blog after landing the job. "If there's one thing I learned from my campaign it's that you can't give up when things seem hopeless." Epstein's not the only one providing potential employers with video introductions.
Jared McKinney, a rising senior at Brigham Young University-Idaho, created a video resume where he walks the viewer (potential hiring mangers) through his past experience. "I used this short five minute video to show the experience that I'd had and also help give employers a feel for my personality," McKinney said. "Then I just applied everywhere I could think of that was looking for a social media/ advertising/ marketing/ promotions/ copywriting intern."
Now he's a social media intern at a firm in Utah. "At the interview they mentioned that they were impressed with my video resume, and could tell that I was resourceful and had good experience," he said.
A carefully targeted video presentation can show bosses your creativity and dedication. Let the web's culture of sharing help propel your name and brand into the consciousness of employers.
How a Good Video Resume Leads to a Good Job
By Miriam Salpeter - owner of Keppie Careers
Video interviewing is the latest trend in human resources and hiring. It offers employers a low-cost way to engage job seekers and get to know them using the power of web cameras and other mobile technologies.
Earlier this year, Aberdeen Research found "54 percent of organizations that are adopting video have a continuous or long-term talent acquisition strategy in place."
As companies become more comfortable with video technologies, job seekers may want to consider how to take advantage of the power of video to engage the hiring manager by using a video introduction, also known as a video resume.
Companies such as the nonprofit Music Saves Lives have successfully incorporated video introductions as part of their hiring and candidate screening process for volunteer positions. Chief Executive Officer Russel Hornbeek says: "By requesting and watching the videos we have found those that truly have enthusiasm for our life saving programs. It's great to be able to have our on-site touring staff recognize the volunteers chosen for the event we have them scheduled for."
These video introductions are becoming more common in customer-facing industries such as retail, hotel, and hospitality because they offer the hiring manager an opportunity to observe the job seeker's customer engagement and relationship skills in action.
However, it's possible to successfully connect with a recruiter in a more traditional industry with a video introduction. Mike Ramer, president of Ramer Search Consultants—a professional recruiting firm specializing in the financial, energy, biomedical, and human resources fields—agrees that video resumes are a useful way for some candidates to demonstrate their professionalism and to help them differentiate from the crowd. According to him, "If I received a video resume, I would review it, and if it's impressive, it can absolutely help the candidate."
CEO Richard Linden agrees. "These online video introductions are a great way for corporate recruiters to get to know the job seekers beyond the traditional resume and online social networking profile," he says. "Many companies don't like to be contacted face-to-face until the interview. Video introductions allow job seekers an opportunity to build a relationship with the recruiter and on the recruiter's terms."
Linden suggests you follow these tips to create a video resume that makes a good impression:
1. Appearances are everything. Comb your hair, dress appropriately—in a suit and tie if that's the norm for your field—and consider removing piercings and covering tattoos if your field may frown on them. Be sure to prepare your entire environment; for example, you don't want your piles of laundry to show up in your video's background. It's best to eliminate all clutter and personal objects, such as photos, unless you purposely want the employer to focus on them. (For example, you're applying for a job at a pet food company, and you place pictures of your dog or cat as "props" in the video. Or, if you're applying for a job at a company that makes running shoes, and you happen to have images of you running in a marathon in the background.)
2. Short and sweet. While you may love yourself enough to fill up a 10-minute video, most employers only skim a paper resume. There's no way they're going to watch something that long. Keep it to around 30 to 60 seconds and no more than two minutes. Your video gives viewers a sense of who you are and how you communicate.
3. Don't be afraid to be creative. Your video gives you an opportunity to demonstrate charisma and passion you'll use while working for them, so don't use this chance to simply read your resume aloud. The best use of a video resume is to show your personality and sell yourself. The more creative the job you're seeking, the more creative your video can be. For example, if you're applying for a design job, show some of your work. Want a video-editing job? You should have a knockout video, fully complete with several effects that display what you can do. The sky's the limit when you aren't confined to paper, but do keep in mind the target audience. If you're in a very conservative field, your video should err on the conservative side.
4. Highlights only, please. You have a limited amount of time to impress a viewer, so don't waste it describing or highlighting experiences, skills, or talents that aren't relevant to your target job.
Now you're ready to create your digital masterpiece to showcase your best skills. Linden also suggests job seekers connect with employers on multiple channels to further demonstrate their professionalism and interest in the position. "These industries are extremely competitive and a video introduction can be the difference in helping you stand out from the competition."
