Should I create a video resume?  That question has been asked now for over a decade by job seekers far and wide.  Until now, I would have responded with ‘likely not’.  Today – I would say absolutely.

In complete transparency – I write this from the perspective of running LocalJobs.com and we are one of the first job boards to offer a platform where job seekers can do this right from common camera tools built into modern laptops or cell phones.  But, I’m also an executive recruiter at BigFish Recruiting and I know something about what employers want to see in candidates.

So why is today different than yesterday when it comes to the question of value in creating a video component to your resume?  To answer this, we have to ask why we have resumes to begin with.  We have resumes because employers (or recruiters) don’t have time to meet in person everyone interested in a job.  It’s just not an efficient usage of time – since many candidates are NOT qualified for the role this would be a tremendous waste of a recruiter’s time.  A simple request from someone many years ago to ‘leave me a summary of your qualifications and I’ll take a look at it and call you when and if I’m ready to interview you”….led to the creation of the first resume.

So, we have a resume because its role is as a paper advertisement about yourself.  That’s it…think about that for a moment….AN ADVERTISEMENT ABOUT YOURSELF.

Our first goal then, like any good advertisement, is to GET THE ATTENTION of the person looking at your ad.  We are all inundated by ads today…how many actually break through?  Did it occur to you that HR teams too are inundated with resumes – of course they are.  It’s a very competitive world today.  Good jobs are in HIGH demand and great jobs have sometimes hundreds of resume submitted for a single listing.

I think you’re getting the picture – your resume (advertisement) must break through all the other resumes in order to be seen and considered.  If not, your resume impact can go way down in competitive fields.  If that were not enough, what if your resume is poor to average in content and design?  Or you are really new to the field or work world in general.  Paper resumes will not help you overcome what a great personal introduction CAN.

Yet…do you know what percentage of resumes are accompanied by a link to a personal video introduction?  Answer: VIRTUALLY ZERO!

We live in a world today of Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter….and more.  We literally LIVE on video today…..daily consumption hours are huge.  Yet, when it comes to making a quick video introduction – VERY few do it.  WHY, WHY and why?  Yesh – I think to myself, if ANYONE really wants to stand out then MAKE THE DANG VIDEO and stand out.  What’s the worst that happens – you don’t get a call (same as w/out a video).

Then I asked myself….how would a candidate get a video to the recruiter?  Some of us have YouTube accounts – maybe even Vimeo.  But this involves handing video files, uploads, etc……more technology than most work with today.  And finally, companies don’t offer a way of receiving it.  IT departments usually block links in emails that don’t originate within the company.

I thought, well maybe it wouldn’t be accepted by HR departments.  Maybe it would be perceived as discriminatory.  Opps….LinkedIn passed through that hurdle by allowing headshots on every profile.  Yes – images are allowed.  They are NOT discriminatory.  Today, some companies will send an invitation for candidates to go through a video question / record session BEFORE even going any further in the interview process, but this NOT widespread and it’s very expensive for companies to offer.  This at least IS a start in using video technology in recruiting.

This lead to the idea – why not give candidates a way to make an INTRODUCTION video that THEY control the content….and that is: 1) is easy to use, 2) requires no new knowledge and 3) recruiters looking at resumes can see the video embedded right into the top of the resume.

TalentPitch was born by LocalJobs.com!

Ok – so why is NOW the right time to create a video resume?  I gave two reasons above, but then along came COVID-19?  The way companies interview candidates has been entirely turned upside down.  Online meetings almost overnight became as common as in-person meetings were before COVID-19 arrived.  Working from home…(dare I say PJs from the waist down) is the new norm.  Work casual has taken on a new meaning…and I think that it has also ushered in a new level of comfort with being in front of a video camera on a PC for most everyone in the white collar roles.

The stars are now all aligned.  Easy video introduction technology for candidates, coupled with HR teams using video technology platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams…and now a job board that can play back candidate video introductions as an ice breaker while reveiwing online profiles.

Now ask me the question – is there a place for video when it comes to resumes?

Well all I can say now is that if you’ve ever been to Disneyland or any other major theme park today – they all offer what’s called a FAST PASS.  This gets you to the front of the line – FAST.  The same with a video resume today – it’s like eye candy for recruiters…and it’s just new enough that NOW is the time to add yours to an online profile and it WILL GET WATCHED.  Do a good job on the introduction – and you WILL get a call back – all things equal (meaning you ARE qualified for the job) over someone who does NOT have a video.

Take your time and TELL a recruiter WHY you are a great addition to a team.  Share your strengths, your passions, your experiences.  Answer the key quesion – “Why should we offer you a job?”  Do this today and you’ll likely get the interview…and that will helpl land the new job in no time!