The Video Resume Or Digital Resume: The Best Hot New Job Search Tool

On my first part-time summer job after receiving my masters degree in 1994, I worked for an ad agency. One day, we received what appeared to be a 3.5 inch computer floppy disk, but when the receptionist opened the package further, we saw a video encased in the small disk.

The company owner accessed the video and found a talking resume provided as a cold-call foot in the door to an advertising career– The job applicant had sent a short presentation of himself filmed as a head shot, with him reviewing his qualifications, education, and experience. He told us why he should be hired and what he could do to increase sales and client base. The boss put the Video Resume on the 6 o’clock news and both the ad company and the job applicant received fame and some free publicity.

In 2007, the Video Resume rushed to become the Number One Hot Way to get a job.

In October 2006, Aleksey Vayner submitted an 11-page resume and video called Impossible is Nothing to a well-known human resources department – USB Bank. Vayner described himself as a multi-sport professional athlete, the CEO of two companies, and an investment adviser.

The video shows him lifting 495 pounds, serving a tennis ball at 140 miles an hour, and ballroom sport-dancing. For a finale, Vayner appears in a karate uniform and breaks six bricks with one strike. The video was a little over the top, but got a lot of attention on Wall Street and a lot of laughs, because it was not taken seriously.

Job seekers are copying his style. As of February 2007, YouTube had 1,600+ entries listed under résumé. Not all are serious, but the best are effective. A recent Washington State University graduate entered a 5 1/2-minute video on YouTube in the fall of 2006; it took 45 minutes to film and about the same to edit. It impressed a public relations firm enough to interview the job seeker in person.

There are several Video resume companies active at this time. Resumevideo sends online postcards of job seekers non-profit employers. 62ndview if for both job seekers and employers. HireVue sends webcams to job seekers for answering real-time interview questions. Employers can view these clips online, saving time and money in this early screening process.

Some recruiters are worried that Video Resumes will open up lawsuits by candidates claiming discrimination bias based on race, gender, or age, all indiscernible on paper. A case in 2000 at Princeton showed orchestras' bias in hiring male musicians -- When screens were put up, as is common practice in auditions today, all gender bias disappeared. When bosses saw the applicants, they hired mostly males.

Once only on VHS tapes and (one floppy disk in 1994), Video resumes are nor downloadable to PDAs and iPods, with more technology to come.

Other recruiters video resumes get to decision-makers more easily than other media now and it will continue to get easier with advancing technology.

Anyone with a video camera, film or digital, can videotape himself, have it processed and hosted on a server for $89, according to Swapjobs.com, an Internet job exchange. Swapjobs.com will send a link back to the job-seeker to add to e-mails to potential employers. If they have Microsoft Windows, they can click on the link and view the resume. Swapjobs.com launched Video Resumes in 2000, with 10,000+ currently in file. Also look at MyWorkster, Jobster, and LinkedIn.

A Video Resume is a 2- minute automated “elevator speech” that is used to capture the interest of potential employers. The first 10 seconds are crucial in employer impact. If this portion is not interesting, the rest of the video won't be seen. (Think about how quickly Simon Cowell often makes a decision during American Idol auditions. It's the same with digital and paper resumes.)

Jobseekers use their video time of 90-120 seconds to highlight experience, examples of on-the-job successes, and qualities that fit employers' needs. Footage of a candidate performing job duties or receiving an award are big plusses.

Charts and graphs help if they are professional in appearance and meaningful (no fluff). Video Resumes are effectively useful for the range of occuations in IT, sales, executive, and creative jobs similar to graphic design, film, video production, and art - visual samples are very useful.

Above all, well done Video Resumes set job candidates apart from others, because they use action – a real attention getter that is usually much more interesting than a paper resume.

If you don’t like the idea of a Video Resume, an alternative is to build a resume website. Costs can be low, starting with an Internet service provider that provides a free webpage with their Internet access service.

Tips to Help You Prepare a Professional Video Resume:

1. Dress professionally, in appropriate interview attire. Use good manners and no slang.
2. Keep your video resume short: 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Make it grab the viewer’s attention.
3. Look at the camera!
4. Do not talk too fast.
5. Make sure there is no background noise.
6. Practice what you' will to say ahead of time and speak confidently.
7. Start by mentioning your name, first and last.
8. Focus on your professional achievements, not personal ones.
9. Discuss why you would be a good employee and what you can do for the company.
10. Thank the viewer.

VIDEO RESUME INTERNET SITES

• Video Resume Tips - How to create a professional video resume.
• Video Resume - The video resume describes skills and experience and supplements a paper resume.
• Jobster - Jobster users can insert a You-Tube hosted video resume, demo reel, or other career-related video into their profile.
• ResumeBook.TV - Upload your video resume for free. Advice on how to make a video resume
• MyWorkster - MyWorkster users can link to a Video Resume from profiles and send to networking contacts and employers.
• WorkBlast.com - Upload up to three versions of your resume (video and/or text) for free.
• YouTube - Upload your Video Resume!