It’s all the buzz this week. A company called VisualCV claims to be reinventing the resume. It allows video, pictures and a portfolio, graphics and “other supporting documents.” The point is to make your resume come alive and potentially eliminate the need for a first interview. (The idea being that you’ll be providing so much information, the employer won’t need to meet you to decide if you are a good fit.)
No one wants to stop progress, but I am having a hard time visualizing these being the “next big thing.” The main issue is a topic for any video resume. Many in the hiring industry hate these resumes because of the potential discrimination issues and the fact that it takes longer than 7-10 seconds (the time allowed to quickly review a paper resume) to review something online.
Do employers REALLY want to see an online copy of your transcript (it’s not very official that way)? You can post examples of your work. However, what issues are there in posting work product that you’ve done for a particular employer online for another employer to see? Is it really necessary or useful to post a bar chart of your income? The site suggests that an applicant could post a video of themselves addressing a gap in their resume. Will an employer actually sit through that?
Let’s not even touch on the fact that most people who haven’t had professional training don’t come across very professionally on video. It can be difficult enough to present well in an in-person interview, let along producing a slick looking piece for an online resume.
This seems like a great opportunity for those in very creative industries who would have a portfolio of work to demonstrate or who could benefit from a way to combine video with their resume without having to start from scratch. However, for the rest of the working world, this brave new resume (with the ironic moniker of a CV – how retro) seems like a lot of lights and mirrors.
It’s almost as if tech people want to press these creative resume opportunities in hopes that the more they offer them, the more likely employers are going to want to see them.
Of course it makes sense for the resume to move to the next level, but it seems to me that it must be done in a way that meets criteria for the end users, not only in a way that allows the job seeker to demonstrate their life story.
Keppie Careers will help you put your best foot forward! We offer resume writing, mock interviews and career coaching for every candidate. www.keppiecareers.com