Video Resumes: A 21st Century Tool with Ups and Downs

Video resumes are becoming more and more commonplace in today’s job market. Many people became familiar with the concept of a video resume when a Yale student submitted his version of one to UBS in the fall of 2006. While his video resume became a joke on Wall Street due to the fact that he included footage of karate and tennis playing, this video also caught the attention of job seekers and recruiters alike. His bold albeit boastful entry brought the concept of video resumes front and center.

What is a video resume?

A video resume is a one to three minute long video during which a job seeker highlights his or her hard and soft skills. The video offers the opportunity to bring across elements such as enthusiasm and the chance to highlight career accomplishments in a more concrete and visual way. For example, IT professionals may be able to demonstrate their technical finesse while also showcasing the fact that they are strong, competent communicators, which is typically hard to convey through paper alone.

Creating a video resume does not require complicated equipment. You simply need a computer that is equipped with an external or built in webcam or is hooked up to a video camera. External web cams can be found for relatively low prices starting at around $30.

Technology may bring your resume to the Internet, but it is your hard work and planning that will make it stand out. As high tech as the video resume may seem, there is not a replacement for good old-fashioned planning and rehearsal. It is important to prepare a script for your video resume, but to know it well enough that you come across conversational. If you plan to sit down and get your video resume done on take one, think again. An effective video resume will be rehearsed and tweaked many times before being uploaded to a site.

There are many avenues through which job seekers can post their video resumes. Jobster, YouTube, and Vault are just a few of the larger sites that offer the ability to post a video resume. Smaller services in the video resume game include 62ndview, HireVue, and Resumevideo. While having a resume posted on YouTube requires that employers scan the site for potential job candidates, Resumevideo actually sends out video postcards to prospective employers, mainly in the area of non profits.

The up side of video resumes

In an increasingly technological world, the idea of virtual resumes is not surprising. In an increasingly competitive job market, for boomers and college graduates alike, the video resume offers the opportunity to set oneself apart from the crowd. While a paper resume is scanned in 10 seconds in hopes of tossing it in the “no thanks” pile, a video resume cannot be so easily dismissed.

How many times have you sent off your paper resume feeling uncertain that the real you will not shine through? “If I could just get five minutes with them, they would know how perfect I was for the job,” you muse. A well-done video resume offers you just that opportunity. The video resume is particularly effective for jobs which require high levels of communication. A video resume instantly demonstrates the job seeker’s ability to communicate.

Finally, the video resume cannot be thrown aside as quickly as a paper resume. The novelty of it may hold the attention of that recruiter or human resource rep a bit longer than the traditional paper resume. A video resume cannot be scanned over; it must be watched all the way through in order to hear and see all the information.

The down side of video resumes

While video resumes offer a unique way to showcase your talents, they can also present unique problems for employers and job seekers alike.

One of the barriers for video resumes may be the lack of technology on the receiving end. Just as sending resumes electronically as an attachment can cause problems with viewing, so can sending a video file. If an employer has trouble opening the file, it will quickly be passed over. Or, if it can be viewed, it may not come through clearly enough. Another issue related to using video resumes is time. While the job seeker may like the idea of having a potential employer watch the whole video, the employer may have 100 two minute video resumes to watch. That is a big chuck of time.

Perhaps the biggest problem with video resumes is the potential for intentional or perceived discrimination. Hiring firms and human resource professionals already take steps to avoid biasing opinions by removing photos from resumes. Video resumes present a host of liability issues.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission states that there “could be a disproportionate exclusion of applicants of color” by employers using video resumes in the screening process. This type of liability issue puts the value of video resumes in question as human resource professionals may choose to disregard a video resume to avoid any potential liability issues.

Another issue related regarding liability in terms of hiring discrimination, is the issue of equity regarding video resumes. Is it fair to require video resumes when some people may not have access to the technology to produce one? If some applicants have video resumes and others do not, is there an unfair advantage? Again, some of this depends of perspective. For the job seeker aiming to stand out, the whole idea is to be unique in a sea of candidates. For the employer, the issue of fairness may be raised.

In a world that is ever-changing, it is not surprising that the video resume is taking on a larger role in 21 st century hiring practices. Generation Y has brought us MySpace and YouTube, so it only makes sense that the way we apply for jobs would keep pace with the way we communicate with each other. But, as with any new form of technology, there are pros and cons that must be weighed to determine if the video resume is the right tool for you, depending on type of job you seek.

Sources consulted for this article:

1. “Video Resumes: Hot or Not?” Workforce Management
   Accessed: 12-29-07
   
2. “Video Resume: The Future of Job Applications, or Just a Fad?”
   Dice: The Career Hub for Tech Insiders
   Accessed: 12-19-07
   
3. “Video Resumes: Pros v. Cons” JOBcentral/National Labor Exchange
   Accessed: 12-29-07
   
4. “It’s a Wrap. You’re Hired!” Time
   Accessed: 12-19-07