It’s important to note — video resumes haven’t become mainstream, yet. However, in some cases, they may make a difference in helping someone land an interview.

For example, companies such as the nonprofit Music Saves Lives have successfully incorporated video introductions as part of their hiring and candidate screening process for volunteer positions. Chief Executive Officer Russel Hornbeek says: “By requesting and watching the videos we have found those that truly have enthusiasm for our life saving programs. It’s great to be able to have our on-site touring staff recognize the volunteers chosen for the event we have them scheduled for.”

These video introductions are becoming more common in customer-facing industries such as retail, hotel, and hospitality because they offer the hiring manager an opportunity to observe the job seeker’s customer engagement and relationship skills in action.

However, it’s possible to successfully connect with a recruiter in a more traditional industry with a video introduction. Mike Ramer, president of Ramer Search Consultants—a professional recruiting firm specializing in the financial, energy, biomedical, and human resources fields—agrees that video resumes are a useful way for some candidates to demonstrate their professionalism and to help them differentiate from the crowd. According to him, “If I received a video resume, I would review it, and if it’s impressive, it can absolutely help the candidate.”

MyNextGig.com founder and CEO Richard Linden agrees. “These online video introductions are a great way for corporate recruiters to get to know the job seekers beyond the traditional resume and online social networking profile,” he says. “Many companies don’t like to be contacted face-to-face until the interview. Video introductions allow job seekers an opportunity to build a relationship with the recruiter and on the recruiter’s terms.”

MyNextGig.com’s job board offers job seekers the opportunity to create a video introduction. Its tools allow you to create a digital job profile that showcases your video resume as your application.

Linden suggests you follow these tips to create a video resume that makes a good impression:

1. Appearances are everything.

2. Short and sweet.

3. Don’t be afraid to be creative.

4. Highlights only, please.

Read the whole post on my U.S. News & World Report column.

The post Can a video resume help you get a job? Some say yes appeared first on Keppie Careers.

MENLO PARK, Calif., July 31 /PRNewswire/ — In an increasingly competitive job market, applicants are looking for new ways to stand out from the crowd, but a recent survey suggests submitting a video resume may not be the answer. Just one in four (24 percent) senior executives interviewed said their companies accept video resumes from candidates.

The survey was developed by Robert Half International, the world’s first and largest staffing services firm specializing in accounting and finance. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on
interviews with 150 senior executives from the nation’s 1,000 largest companies.

Executives were asked, “Does your company accept video resumes from job seekers?” Their responses:
Yes ……………………24%
No …………………….58%
Don’t know ………..18%

“Before submitting a video resume, job candidates should check with the hiring manager to ensure the company does not have a policy against their use in evaluating candidates,” said Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International and author of Job Hunting For Dummies(R), 2nd Edition (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.).

Although there are certainly some great uses for video resumes, for example when the job involves being on screen or making presentations, I was not surprised to learn that they are not yet widely accepted.

My thinking?

• Viewing video resumes takes too long. Conventional wisdom is saying that resumes receive an 8-second glance. It takes that long to load and press “play” for a video resume. Most employers are too impatient and don’t have time to take these seriously right now.
• In my opinion, no one should send a video resume without being coached on how to look, what to wear, what to do with their hands, how not to fidget. The list goes on and on. The fact is, looking good on camera requires more than sitting in front of it. The camera itself and the person BEHIND the camera can have a lot to do with the finished product. If you don’t have a coach and an expert behind the scenes, consider the fact that your video resume will look like a 5th-grade humanities project.
• Many organizations worry about bias. Having a visual as the first impression of a candidate is not traditional in U.S. hiring, and using videos may open the door to charges of discrimination. This is not to say that a video is the only way to see what someone looks like, but using it as a screening tool can open up employers to problems.

The fact is, unless your job requires being on camera, demonstrating your skill (or lack thereof) in this medium is not of much value. Unless you are fabulously attractive, well spoken, coached in the best ways to appear on camera AND have great camera operators and technology to back it all up, stick to a paper resume or consider an on-line resume that allows links and a portfolio, such as visualcv.com if you MUST do something different. (Keeping in mind that most employers don’t have more than 8 seconds for your documents!)

What do you think of video resumes? Does your company allow them? Would you consider using one?

Video resume! You don’t even have any resume! Need a great resume? Some help to write the perfect cover letter? Iâ€m here to help! Write to me.

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The post Video Resumes – Not the Next Big Thing (Yet) appeared first on Keppie Careers.