Video Resumes… The New Resume

Students graduating in this decade are having such a hard time starting a career in what they went to school for. I know firsthand how hard it is. It has taken me two and a half years to get there. But if I had thought of something better than a paper resume, I think it would have helped me a lot. Have you ever thought of creating a video resume? Has someone ever told you, “You have an amazing personality and if only these employers could meet you, you would wow them.”? Yes, I know, me too. So creating a video resume could be a great thing for you to try.

Now there are some industries that this probably would not be a good

idea for but for a creative industry, such as marketing or production, this is great! Even for a teaching position, you will be able to showcase yourself in a video instead of a piece of paper. We have some tips to help you create the right video resume.

The first tip we have for you is make sure your video resume is appropriate. Do not just create a video resume because you are bored

and you have a camera. You want to create a video resume because it makes sense to the job you are applying to. Sending a video resume to a company in the banking or health care industry might not be a good idea, they just might not get it. Video resumes make sense for many communication and production roles.

Tip two – Do not just read out your entire resume…this is meant to show your creative side. We do not want your hiring manager to be bored watching. This is a way to showcase who you are, what you do and you get to show your personality through your video resume.

Video resume tip three; these are not meant to be long. Keeping it short is your best bet. Sticking within two minutes is where you are going to get the most people to watch your full resume. I have heard that using a video resume is like your own personal life trailer. This gives them a glimpse into your life, talk about your passion and your goals and you are good to go.

Again BE CREATIVE!!! Think and plan how you are going to pitch yourself to the company. Be creative but professional, use humor, use whiteboard animation, use cartoon- the sky is the limit.

One last tip; this is going to be sent out to employers, so if you are watching it and it would embarrass your family or friends, I suggest you rethink, re-plan, redo and before submitting!!