What’s up with video resumes?

In the last few months the chatter around video resumes has skyrocketed.  New sites are springing up ranging from services to help you create the video to websites providing  posting services for your videos.  If you read some of the blogs on the topic, there is a lot of confusion over  whether or not an employer actually wants to view your video, and what it is they want to see. 

Current online videos seem to range from the absurd (the snowboarding, boardchopping guy) to the boring (the talking heads with no expression, essentially reading their resume).  So it would appear to me that we need some sort of guidelines.  Nothing too constricting, but some help in identifying what should actually be in a video resume.  Individuals are concerned that they  themselves are not ‘camera friendly’, that they don’t want to have their videos viewed by the entire world, that they are time consuming and difficult to prepare.  Is it about showing that you’re different?  Is it about them seeing how you look, your personality, your communication style?  Is it in lieu of a traditional resume?  Should you cram in all your strengths and experience? How long should it be?  How short should it be? Where should I post it, or should I be emailing it out?  These are all great questions, and over time the process will for sure sort itself out.  Much like today’s traditional resume has a ‘standard’, we’re sure that videos are headed the same way.  And we’d like to push that process forward.

Added to the uncertainty for the job seeker, employers have expressed concern over viewing resumes as a potential for discrimination based on gender, age, or race.  Some corporate counsel have advised their clients to delete any videos received.  And recruiters have expressed concern that a video resume is going to slow down their process way too much.  While they can scan a resume in a few seconds, it’ll take much longer to watch a video. 

We doubt that video will become the medium of choice for the initial screening of applicants.  But we do think that video is another means to evaluate candidates already in the pipeline, and to prepare for the interview. 

 

Posted by Chris Fogarty – FiredUP Careers

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Advance your career. The basics remain the same.

Technology is converging with the career development process, and it has a lot of people wondering about what they need to do to find new opportunities and advance their careers.  Social and professional networking sites, blogs, online professional portfolios, video resumes, niche job boards/resume sites…..it’s beginning to look like a full time job to manage your own career.   But before you jump in to ‘join’ the evolution of online career management, step back to some of the key basics that transcend technology. 

1.  Know thyself, really well.  This isn’t a one time ‘assessment’, it is the ongoing process of paying attention to who you are, what you need, and what you have to offer.  Knowledge and skills, of course.  Personal characteristics, style, interests, values, desired environment, and the needs of the other roles you play in life must all be clear to you before you ‘expose’ yourself online.

2.  Branding is not just for cornflakes or doggies, create your professional ‘brand’ and use it as a theme for all you do online.  Think of the one or two messages you want to communicate about the professional you.  Forget the resume, and all the other materials you might have written.  If someone needs to have you describe yourself, or your value, in one or two phrases what would they be?  Develop these core messages, and think about how you communicate them both verbally and non verbally. 

3.  Focus on your Value Proposition rather than resume.  Sure, you need a resume.  Too many people write a resume as if it were a laundry list of all they’ve ever done.  Instead, before you write anything, keep a running list of the ‘needs’ of your target audience (prospective employers, coworkers, boss, customers) and how you can contribute to meeting those needs.  What is it about what you’ve done, what you know, who you are that will meet these needs?  If you do this, and maintain it over time, writing a resume becomes very easy. 

4.  Know who knows where the money is, go where the money is.  It’s not enough to be extremely talented and valuable if the people with the bucks don’t know you’re out there.  Network network network, and have a strategy of where you’ll be visible (both online and in terra firma) and stick to a regular schedule of exposure.

So whether you’re thinking video, second life, blog, or efolio, don’t forget the basics.  If you’re going online for your career management and advancement, show your best.