A video resume is a tool that you can take advantage of to help you land your dream job. It’s more than just transforming your paper resume into a visual format. It’s a way for you to showcase your personality, create a great first impression, and highlight your talent and skills.
An effective video resume is between 60 seconds to two minutes in length. By inviting potential employers to view your video resume, you’re not only presenting them with your resume but also a piece of work that they can use as an example of your talent.
Steps to make an impressive video resume:
1. Write your script
To ensure your video highlights everything that you need to cover, write a script. it’s also best to memorise the script. You don’t want to be reading from it while recording as this could come across as unprofessional and detract from how you want to portray yourself to potential employers.
2. Make it unique
Just like a traditional paper resume, your video resume should be unique to the position you are applying for. A generic video is not going to impress potential employers, but personalisation will show them how much the position you are applying to means to you and will help make you stand out from other applicants.
3. Keep it sweet & short
Hiring managers are busy. They have to go through many resumes and they want to be able to do it as fast as possible. According to a study by Wistia, the ideal video length for maximum viewer engagement is 1-2 minutes, with 90 seconds being the sweet spot.
4. Show your creativity
Think outside the box and get creative when creating your video resume.
5. Make it look professional
Your video resume should be of a professional quality. Most smartphones these days are capable of filming in HD. It’s fine to shoot it (or animate it) yourself, but make sure that the lighting, framing and editing are ok..And, most importantly make sure that your voice can be heard clearly.
6. Get family and friends involved
Before inviting employers to view your video resume, ask friends or family to critique it. It’s smart to get feedback from others because they may notice a mistake that you missed, or they might even suggest a great idea that you did not think of.
Protip: Take a look at this example video resume script: : (See example video resume.)
My name is Susan Smith, and I want to become your new client relations manager. I want to apply my experience in client relations to build, maintain and strengthen your company’s relationship with your clients.
I have a BA in Marketing from the University of Southern California. I have 8 years of experience as a Client Relations Manager. I believe I’m best fit for this position.
If given the opportunity I can create and nurture long-term relationships with your clients and resolve any issues that arise to ensure clients are satisfied with your services. My goal will be to help you safeguard your revenue and retain your clients.
I pride myself in being an excellent communicator who’s able to grasp client needs and brainstorm ways to fulfill them. If you are seeking someone with a strong background in customer service and knowledge of your industry, please schedule an in person to meet me. I would be happy to meet with you.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you for taking the time to view my video resume and consider me for this position.