What Do You Learn About a Candidate in a 10 Second Video Resume?

I hear the all the kids love Snapchat!

OK, I’ve been hearing this for over a year now, but never really found any reason to write about the product. I even downloaded the App and tried it out. I still don’t seem to have a need.

I’m an adult. Unless I’m doing something I shouldn’t, there is no need for me to have a message that self destructs in 1 to 10 seconds. I guess it might be something to give your managers who love to say inappropriate things to their staff, but then you’re encouraging them to say and do inappropriate things!

Even though I don’t get it doesn’t mean it’s not a great idea. It just means I’m old.

A great HR/talent acquisition idea

I mean, the dude who developed the idea just turned down a $3 billion offer to be bought ou! I’m sure the kids will keep using it, and that was probably a good call. Kids never give up on an App and move on to something else every 27 seconds.

The way blogging works is you have to beat the millions of other bloggers to market with your idea. They then steal your idea and write it up as if it was their own brilliant idea.

So, I’m hear to share with you the next great HR/Talent Acquisition idea for the last 30 days of 2013! Snapchat Video Resumes!

Please don’t tell HireVue or WePow, they have more money than me and will have no problem implementing this into their existing product offerings! I checked and Snapchat is the only technology partner HireVue hasn’t signed a partnering agreement with!

Here how it works:

You’ve got 10 seconds, so you have to be able to articulate your entire worth to a company in 10 seconds. For many of you this is about 7 seconds too long.
Push the circle on the bottom of the screen.
Look into camera and start talking or do whatever it is you’re going to do to show how great of employee you will be.
Select who you want to send it to.
Send.
Wait for the job offers to coming flying in!

Can you really tell much about someone in 10 seconds?

Before you laugh and say this is impossible, you know I found a company that is already doing it. File this under “Recruiting Professional with Shortest Career Ever, “ from Mashable:

Likeable Media, a social media marketing agency in New York, is also finding value in the photo sharing app — as a recruiting tool.

When applicants apply to the company — which hundreds do each month, says Brian Murray, Likeable’s director of talent and culture — Likeable’s automatic resume processor sends an email alerting the applicant his or her materials have been received. It also offers a chance to follow up with Murray in email, over Twitter, or as of four weeks ago, via Snapchat.

“When you’re applying for jobs a lot of the time, you feel like you’re sending something into the black hole of resumes,” he says.

“We’re always looking for ways to give applicants a way to be creative outside of the resume.”

For the past month, applicants have been sending Murray Snapchat messages showing off their creative sides. Likeable has received more than a dozen messages from prospective employees, and roughly a third of them have been brought in for interviews.”

Brian Murray, call on line one — it’s SHRM, and they are sending out a kill squad.

Let’s just say if your screening process of candidates has a Snapchat element to it, you should be shot!

This was originally published on Tim Sackett’s blog, The Tim Sackett Project.