If you have been viewing more video resumes (or, what I like to call “vesumes”) recently, then you are aware of a growing trend that is replacing the standard 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper resume. And, with the speed of technology in our future, you are sure to see more.
Since I’m located in Hawaii, I have viewed a number of resumes as a part of my candidate searches, and it gives me a better picture of the candidate. Here is my advice on the 10 things that make a good video resume.
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- Video Quality. Just like a paper resume, presentation and quality are important, so attention to detail means a lot. A good-quality video resume can range from something that someone shot at home on an old camcorder to a professionally-shot video that could have been paid for, not unlike a resume writing service. These productions are much better and come with clear pictures, excellent sound quality, and an overall professional look.
- Appearance. Did the person invest time and effort in making his or her vesume instead of shooting the entire video in one sitting and at one location?
- Language and Business Acumen. Does the person on the video speak clearly and with the knowledge and business acumen that grabs your attention?
- Substance. With most good vesumes, you will have the following: an introduction, objectives, history, knowledge or special skills, education, and a summary. It won’t always come out exactly in this order, or you may be missing some of it.
- Creativity. Perhaps the best thing about a vesume is the creativity that you see with what may otherwise be a standard candidate on paper. I like to see creativity because, generally speaking, if it gets your attention, it will get the client’s or hiring manager’s attention as well.
- Background. You will notice a lot about the quality of the video and often something about the person just based on the background or location.
- Character. My favorite part of viewing these videos is that it shows the person’s character and that may play a significant role in a good fit. It is a great way for candidates to show their stuff and be creative in the process.
- Editing. Review it for mistakes, errors, accuracy, and content. If you are new to reviewing vesumes, you can miss critical errors like something in the background or something that was said or was not said. So, if you are new to watching video resumes, watch them a couple of times. It will be clear after watching it more than once whether the candidate edited the video for content and clarity.
- References. One of the best vesumes I have reviewed actually had three very credible and desirable references at the end of it. It went a long way toward presenting a high-quality candidate.
- Length. The best video resumes are not epics. I like three to five minutes in length.
