Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Video Resumes - A Fast Growing Trend

While looking for a summer job for an international company dealing with online educational projects, I couldn't help noticing how difficult it was to make my resume stand out in the wide variety of CVs and highly professional educators like me also looking for work. Then I discovered this great tool which can empower your creativity and imagination while convincing your future employers that you are the best they can hire: video resumes!

These are several samples of the video resumes my students created as their final project for our summer intensive Business English course. Enjoy the videos and get inspired!
Sanda C. Video Resume - Looking for a job in the Marketing Sector
The Resume of the Modest yet Awsome David Merhe
A very professional resume for a marketing expert

Some Moldovan companies require the Euro Pass format which you can find here: EuroPass
If you heve never seen a cover letter, then you should check the following website: Free Professional Cover-Letters for Job Seeking Professionals

There are two easy tools you can use to create your Video Resume:
1. Photo Story for Windows
(go to the official website and watch the tutorial on how to make a movie using this tool here)
2. Windows Movie Maker (how to use the tool YouTube tutorial).
Good luck with your video resumes and see you in class!

7 comments:

  1. While people may have different views still good things should always be appreciated. Yours is a nice blog. Liked it!!!

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  2. Every year, every day, even every minute there appears something new…a new idea, a new offer, a new project to implement. Video resume project is one of the most popular discussion topics at the moment.
    A video resume is a brief account of a job applicant's professional experience, qualifications and interests, submitted to a prospective employer in video form. More start-ups make these high-tech résumés possible. WorkBlast near Phoenix and MyPersonalBroadcast in Atlanta just launched services. They let job seekers create a free profile page where they upload videos, a regular résumé and their photo. They can then send a link to the page to as many e-mail contacts as they choose. HireVue in Salt Lake City lets candidates record themselves answering questions to get a regular interview. Job candidates turn the camera on themselves to talk about skills and education and show work they've done. A recent research shows that 17% of 310 employers surveyed had watched video resumes. An additional 89% said they’d watch it if offered. Calculating the difference we see that only 4 % of them were not interested in it, from uncertain reasons. Due to the originality of this project and the interest in it, in a short time it has managed to attract some serious investors: Venture capitalists invested more than $600 million in video start-ups in 2006, 50% more than in 2005 and now HireVue is negotiating with VCs for about $3 million. The article also states that job seekers started adding video résumés to YouTube about a year ago. There are now as many as 4,000, including Allen Ulbricht's, who thinks that "Action speaks louder than words". He is now developing for Real Nice Software, a small-business software company.
    From my point of view, the video resume is an innovative thing, which gives to really skillful people the possibility to get the job they want and they are good at. It allows a potential employee to demonstrate his public speaking, inter-personal, creative or technical skills to a potential employer in a way that a text-only resume cannot. Another advantage is that the candidate cannot cheat, lie or fake as easily as in a text resume. Moreover, video interviews save U.S. employers money on travel costs, especially in the tech industry, where job candidates often live overseas. From the article, we have also found out that video resume is not only an original and helpful way of getting a job, but also an accessible one: "It's just become accessible for a lot of folks" (Christian Anderson, a spokesman for Jobster). That means that each of us gets the chance to get a video resume and make the dream of getting a good job come true. Just get a cam, be yourself and… say cheese! :)

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  3. Life without work is not possible. We spend most of our time at work, our position at work shows where we are now. It is our identity. In order of getting a job you should be the best one. In this way some of the individuals introduce different inovative things that will make you "special". One of these things is video resume. Video resumes were first introduced in the 1980s.
    A video resume is a short video created by a candidate for employment that describes the individual's skills and qualifications. It allows prospective employers to see, hear and get a feel for how the applicant presents themselves. It is very important how you will present yourself in your video resume, because it can rise or decrease your chances in getting an interview. There are some tips that can help you to prepare a professional video resume:
    - Keep your video resume short: one-three minutes
    - Dress professionally in business atire
    - Do not speak too fast
    - Look at the camera not at the desk or table below you
    - Start by mentioning your name
    - Focus on your professional endeavors, not your personal ones
    - Discuss why you would be a good employee and what you can do for the company that hires you
    - Thank the viewer for considering you for employment.
    I think that video resume is a great "invention". It is like a "wave" for the future... :)

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  4. In my opinion the video resume is an ingenious thing! I don’t know if the efficiency is greater than of a paper resume, but however is a bonus chance to get a job. In it we can find many benefits, and it’s better to use them.
    For me it is perfect because in the video resumes are no standards, candidates may end up revealing information they would never include on a text resume, a candidate can say anything, there’s no limits. There’s a generally agreed upon structure that’s widely known and usually respected, and that’s all. If now the video resume isn’t so popular in a few time it will be because of the large utilization of the high tech. Generally, a video resume is fine, one could argue about a picture, because all it does is shows a person’s age, sex, race etc. It provides no information relevant to whether the person can do the job. However, a video resume allows a recruiter to assess a candidate’s communication skills how the candidate presents him/herself, the level of enthusiasm – those are all qualities that a recruiter legally may use to make a hiring decision. They are also qualities that can be judged with an in-person interview, but from a video resume is more accessible to find out them. I tend to think that this article is an argument that video resume must exist and it should be used more frequently. It is like a new trend in the world crisis which gives to the potential employees more confidence in themselves. If I would consider making a video resume? Yes, I would, but also I would attach my paper resume, I would like that the potential recruiter have the complete vision of my capabilities. In this way he will know who’s dealing with. A big advantage of the video resume is that we can express ourselves, not being so formal, while in an interview we must be, because we can’t be crazy with a person which we don’t know. In a video resume we can be ourselves we can be such funny as we want and as we need, while in an interview face-to-face we can be enhanced of something.
    Concluding, I would say that the video resumes are a great way to show our personality traits off and give a better idea of what we’d be like as employees. We’re living in the 21st century, it’s the innovation time. When we search something we must apply all the methods because: “Variety's the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor” (William Cowper)

    by Victoria Morari, FB 28 G

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  5. Changing times, better technologies and widespread internet access have changed recruiting practices. Video resume is the next generation of making employee selections by providing better understandng of the prospective candidate.
    In my opinion, it is a great option for candidates to showcase their skills rather rely on their impersonal paper-based versions. The potential employers express themselves, showing who they are and what are they capable for. In fact, people can show the emotions, enthusiasm, sense of humour, the qualities which refer to the personality. A video resume, full of positive emotions, will surely impress the recruiter. Of course, you should include your professional experience, communication skills, accomplishments, related to the desired job. But, nevertheless, the employee would like to seein a video resume something special, why namely you should be hired at this position, So, I think the best way to become a potential employer is to persuade him/her that you are unique.
    An important nuance is that a video resume will not get you your dream job instantly, but is a medium that can provide you a chance to get it. In such a way, you should make your video resume the best in order to extend your opportunities.
    In conclusion, I would like to say that video resumes will make a great progress in the struggle for jobs. If you worry about the future, it is a key to your success. Moreover, always keep in mind and don't forget that "if you're going to do something, you should do it the best you can"(John T.Walton).

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  6. The use of video resumes to apply for jobs has skyrocketed in popularity,especially among recent graduates.In my opinion it should not be viewed as a replacement for the traditional resume but as a potential complement,especially if you have strong communication skills and impressive work samples that are sought after by IT(information technology) employers.A well-executed video resume can provide advantages to certain job seekers,including IT professionals who are looking for a way to highlight soft skills,technical abilities,and portfolio examples not accurately reflected professionals who are looking to get a food in the hiring goor but lack a paper resume that dazzles with in-depht professional experience.However,at the current time,the numerous disadvantages associated with the video resume,namely technology barriers,inappropriate content and potential legal ramifications,explain its significant drawbacks as a tool for applying to jobs.I think,until these disadvantages have been improved,a strong traditional resume remains the best choice-and the most widely accepted method-for applying for a job!

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  7. Usually spanning one to three minutes long, video resumes can be excellent complements to traditional resumes, allowing job applicants to highlight certain skills, such as leadership, presentation, and creative abilities. Although they are mostly circulated in professions that are influenced by appearances such as singing, dancing, and acting video resumes are now successfully being used in more conventional fields such as Information Technology.
    Whereas a hiring manager may spend 10 seconds scanning a resume looking for a reason to reject a candidate, a video resume is something different, and therefore could hook a hirer's attention. (Radu Turcan)

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