Why bother to call you for interview when the employer’s curiosity is already satisfied?

You will have heard a thousand times that the whole purpose of a resume is to get you an interview. A resume should focus on all your best skills and qualities and achievements and entice an employer to meet with you in person so that you can expand on these things by answering, and asking, a series of questions. Focus on the wrong things in a video resume, however, and you may never have the chance to redeem yourself. In some ways, a video resume is like a one-sided interview – but it only answers some of the questions that the employer might have in his mind. If he does not like what he sees in your video, you not only miss out on the interview experience, but also the face-to-face opportunity to demonstrate the value that you can bring to his company by addressing his questions. No matter how good the camera or how well-prepared the script, there is absolutely no substitute for meeting a candidate in the flesh.

Having sounded as though I have just given video resumes a right royal slating, there is, however, no denying the need to move with the times. Like every other marketing tool in the book, if done well and used correctly, I have no doubt that they can be extremely effective. To achieve this though, takes superlative performance and the ability of the applicant to really portray his/her personality. It does though, take a mighty leap of faith to make yourself so very visible without having the opportunity to read and counter the reactions, both verbal and non-verbal, of your ‘interviewer’.

Although they are increasing in popularity amongst jobseekers, there is precious little information available on how effective video resumes are. If you have any experience, either as an employer or an applicant, of using this medium, I would love to hear your comments.

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