Recruiting and hiring have already gone digital. After all, when was the last time that you filled out a paper job application, or looked for a job in a print copy of a newspaper? It’s just another sign of society going digital as a whole. The question is, what’s next? You apply for jobs online, you submit your resume online, but large parts of the hiring process are still behind the times. For example, the resume that you submit online is usually just a digital copy of a PDF or Word document. Interviews, for the most part, are largely held in person or over the phone. However, this could be changing.
Video will likely become much more important in hiring. Many brands are already using videos as recruiting tools. Soon, video resumes and video interviews could also become more mainstream.
The Path to Video Resumes
First of all, not every industry is going to quickly embrace the idea of video resumes. More conservative industries are less likely to embrace these kinds of changes. On the other hand, companies that are in more creative fields such as art, design, or media are more likely to buy into the video resume concept.
There’s also some precedence that has been set when it comes to moving away from traditional, paper resumes. Digital resumes, including infographic resumes have been gaining in popularity in the past few years, as have other methods of making resumes unique.
In fact, a recent story broke, as this article was being written about a gentleman who was hired onto GQ’s London staff without even sitting for an interview. What got him in the door? It was a 20 page resume designed to look like a copy of GQ magazine. Even when people do submit traditional resumes, they now often contain links to blogs, vlogs, social media pages, and professional websites. Considering all of this, it certainly isn’t unreasonable to think that in the future video resumes might become the standard.
Is a Video Resume Right For You?
Should you create a video resume? The answer is a clear maybe. Like other creative forms of resumes, they are a bit bleeding edge. You should probably do a lot of research on the company that you are applying to and your industry in general before making the choice to submit a video resume instead of a traditional resume. If you are unsure, you can always submit a standard resume and then provide a link to your video resume. You can also post your video resume on your LinkedIn account and your social media profiles.
Video Resume Do's and Don’ts
If you are going to create a video resume, here are a few tips:
- Do be concise. If you go one for more than two or three minutes that’s too long. Remember that a recruiter will zip through a paper resume in just a few minutes. Give them the information they are looking for.
- Do hook the viewer with something interesting. This could be a quick endorsement from a former employer, a video demo of something that you’ve created, or images backing up claims that you plan to make about your qualifications.
- Don’t be cutesy or casual. Dress like you would for an in person interview in your niche, and address the camera as you would address the person interviewing you.
- Don’t ignore production values. When you opt to do something nontraditional, people will be looking for mistakes. Don’t give them a reason to criticize.
The Benefits of Video Interviews
When a company arranges an in person interview, they have to block out a significant chunk of time, schedule a conference room, coordinate with everybody involved in the hiring process, and depending on how wide their recruiting area is, possibly fund the candidates trip to the interview site. Because of this, many recruiters are quick to find reasons to toss out resumes if they believe that scheduling an interview will be time consuming or costly. The concept of video interviewing solves many of these problems.
If the company you are interested in is willing to use video interviews via skype or other technology, there are fewer barriers to you landing an interview. You can sit for an interview in your location while the people interviewing you might be a thousand miles away. In addition to this, it is much easier to schedule a team interview when all that is required is for those involved to get online for a few minutes. Even better, your video interview can be saved and sent to other people in the organization.
Video Interview Advice
First and foremost, dress the part and ensure that you will not have any background interruptions. In fact, you might want to do a few trial runs with a friend or family member to make sure everything looks okay. Next, be sure that your connection is sound and that your interview will not suffer from glitches. Also, remember that your video interview will likely be viewed by more than one member of the organization. Finally, relax. You’ll do better if you can. If it helps, remind yourself that the people interviewing you want you to do well.
Video interviews and resumes may not take over the world of hiring immediately. However, the entire process of recruiting and hiring is going digital. As a result, video is going to become a more viable option in the future.
Jonathan Emmen is a student and a passionate blogger from Copenhagen and regular contributor for different educational and entertainment blogs. You can follow him on @JonnyEmmen or you can also follow him on his writing blog.