Come Recommended: In this age of technology, tech-savvy job seekers wonder if a well-done video resume might assist them in their attempts to find employment. The answer to that question is sure, a video resume can help you if it’s done well, but it can also hinder you big time if it’s not done well or can’t be opened.
12 comments:
I think that a video resume is an interesting idea, but this article makes a good point about its usefulness and its potential problems. First of all, many employers simply may not take the time to watch it. Some employers specify that they don't want any extra information or submissions than what they ask for in the job posting. Videos can be problematic with different browsers and different operating systems, and if a video doesn't open for an employer or they have to download a new program, it won't look good. Because of all of this, I think it's very important to be incredibly selective in how a video resume is used.
I'd be really interested to see if any alumni have used a video resume in the entertainment industry and gotten feedback for it.
This is pretty straightforward stuff, but I can see how it would make a big difference. In the same was a resume has to be attractive, neat, and clean, a video resume is all that but to much more scrutiny. In a video, people notice things much more, and there are many more things to notice. A resume with a misspelled word is bad, but a video with a mispronounced word, background noise, or any other issue in that vein is even worse. The things that stick with me in a video are the key elements and the overall gist. So if the key elements are right, but not presented in a good way, 50% of my take-away will be that negativity. I also don't tend to apply to jobs where a video resume would be beneficial.
Video resumes are pretty intriguing. On the one hand, I think it would give a good glimpse into someone's personality along with a bit of their mannerisms and ways of doing things. It's also probably more memorable than reading a person on paper -- you actually get to see the person and hear what they have to say. It's just more stimulating. On the other side, it doesn't keep things as even. I mean this in terms of initial prejudices -- maybe the person watching the interview is automatically biased against the interviewee because of how they look, or how they sound, etc. I could see there being issues with race, gender, etc.
I think that video resumes are an interesting idea, but, I wouldn't use one. In my opinion there is too much room for error. THere always the danger that it could be sloppy, or your pronunciation could be bad. When typing a resume up spelling and formatting are things that can automatically be fixed. Also, a typed resume only gives certain information about your skills and work history; if you were doing it on video, you'd be offering up so much more unnecessary information that could cost you the job.
I think it's really presumptuous of an applicant to use a video resume. I've done a very little bit of resume culling, and if I had had to turn on my computer, load a video, then watch it and judge it, I'd just put it aside. Different employers are going to be looking for different things on a resume and its really annoying to make them sift through that.
In my opinion, a far better use of resources would be to spend time making your paper resume stand out and writing a really wonderful cover letter. That surely couldn't take more time than recording a video, and can't possibly offend any reasonable people.
The bottom line is it's a huge risk as a candidate to make your prospective employers do anything extra to look at your work, you should be putting in the extra effort, not them.
The fact that technology is becoming such a big part of society and a video resume is now an option is a little crazy to me. Personally I would not want to have to submit a video resume, there are so many possibilities that could go wrong. It seems like a lot to rely in a video to get you a job. This reminds of an episode of How I Met Your Mother where Barney uses a video resume that is just him standing saying important words with green screened events happening behind him, it makes me laugh that the is what people could do for a job. It seems simpler to just have a typed out resume and an interview to go along with it.
This isn't the first time I've heard of a video resume, but I do agree with the article. A video resume would actually take much longer for a recruiter to look at. If a recruiter looks at a resume for all of 30 seconds, then how would they ever want to watch a video since it would take 30 seconds to open. Now, I'm sure there are a few instances that a video resume could be helpful, but I can't really think of any. The only exception is when a video is required, such as for the show "Survivor". However, things like that always have systems in place, most employers would not. Ultimately, one's time would be better spent preparing paper documents and practicing for the actual interview.
I think that it would be a great addition to your professional website. The key thing though as the article mentions is that it must be done well. It can't be shoddy and must be impressive visually as well as content wise. I don't think that this would work for certain fields, probably not Stage Management, but maybe animators, designers and people who have many visual images and video clips of work that they would be able to incorporate.
Whenever I think of a video resume, I think of the one in the Legally Blonde movie and that episode of How I Met Your Mother when Barney makes one for Robyn. Neither of these examples seem professional or like they would actually help someone get hired. I understand that both of these examples are supposed to be comical, but I can't be the only one who thinks of those whenever someone says, "video resume." I can only imagine this working for a job that takes place on-screen. It just doesn't seem like a practical idea to me. Videos take a while to download, they take time to watch, and I'm sure most of them aren't very good. Sometimes technology is good, but in this case I think people should stick to the traditional ways.
I think a video resume could be really good if done well but I agree with the article that it is too hard to do one right that it might not be worth it.
Problems can encompase anything from logistical problems of getting it in the correct format so anyone can open it to figuring out what the content will be.
Additionally, I think it could make it so that people instantly judge you because of how you come off on camera, when the should be looking at what you have worked on and in what capacity.
The use of a video resume is an interesting idea that I believe is too dangerous to risk. Not having any idea what a video resume is before reading this I found that what I was reading was a dangerous way to close your chances for a job before you even meet with the person. I think that there is nothing substantial that would make a video resume any more appealing than a paper resume which has less room for error.
I'm not that big or a fan of a video this video resume idea. What is great about the old fashioned paper resume is that it is very easy to read and hold on to. For example, if I'm at a job interview I can easily hand the interviewer my resume for them to read as the the interview is going on. However, with a video resume we would have to pause the interview, so that they can watch my resume. In other words, having a video resume can just create a really awkward situation.
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