A video resume is much more than just getting in front of a camera to explain your professional career. It is an opportunity to differentiate yourself from other candidates thanks to your communication skills and your way of understanding the world.
The main function of a video resume is to attract the attention of recruiters and make them want to know more about you.
Once their interest is aroused, they will come to read your resume on paper and will keep it to have the information located on a static support. So you don’t need to include all the details of your professional career in the video, just use it to highlight the arguments and skills you consider more interesting at every given moment.
Whether you are applying for an internship or a job, the video resume is a great tool to create a good first impression, demonstrate what you’re capable of doing or show a small sample of your work.
So, if you don’t have yours yet, we recommend you to take note of all that we tell you below.
5 Tips to make a video resume
- Keep it short
According to studies conducted by Wistia, when we watch a video our attention is reduced after 2 minutes of duration. That is why we recommend not to exceed that time with your video resume.
- Focus your video resume to the position you are applying for
If you focus your video on the needs of the company you are applying to, it is much easier to be chosen. For this reason it is advisable to create a different video resume for each position you apply for, because what may be essential in some cases may not be relevant in others.
- Unleash your creativity
There are many different formats and techniques to choose from. So select the one that best suits your content and industry. From storytelling to fictitious interviews or animations and other graphic resources. The more original it will be, the more you will surprise your audience.
- Take care of the details
Even if you make the video yourself, you must achieve the most professional result possible and for this you must pay attention to lighting, sound, background… Don’t forget that your video resume will be the first impression that the company will have of you.
- Ask for feedback
It is important to share your video resume with your relatives looking for their opinion before sending it to the companies. It will be a kind of quality control to make sure there are no mistakes or to improve what is necessary to make it perfect.
What to include in a video resume
Whatever format you choose, every video resume should include these 3 sections:
- A short introduction stating your name, your current situation, your interests and the big dream you aspire to. If you want to earn some extra points, you can explain how working at the company you are applying for can help you get there.
- Next we will move on to the work experience and education block. It is not necessary to list all the positions you have held or all the education you have completed; it is enough to highlight the skills or knowledge that are most relevant to the position concerned.
- Finally it’s time to close, for this we recommend that you make a brief argument about why they should hire you and end with a call to action to contact you or quote you in an interview.
Above all, remember, the goal is to create curiosity so that they want to know more about you, so, as we said before, do not recreate too much on the explanations.
5 steps to make a video resume
1 – Think about what aspects of your candidacy you want to stand out and come up with a great idea that works as a common thread to present them in an entertaining and original way.
2 – Choose the format and resources you want to use, think about the different scenes and write the script for each sequence. It may help to use a template like this one.
3 – Shape the content. Record the different scenes that will be part of your video resume.
4 – Now it’s time to edit the content to link the sequences, add titles, music or voice-over. There are thousands of programs and applications for this, so you can use the one that is easiest for you.
5 – Check that everything is correct and your video resume looks professional.
Would you like to see some examples?
3 Examples of memorable video resumes
There are many different styles to make a video resume, but we want to show you these 3 options that we especially like to inspire you.
- A smart way to include your portfolio in your video resume
- An original and creative proposal
- The power of storytelling
As you can see, creating a video resume is like creating an advertisement about yourself.
So, if you felt comfortable and have enjoyed the process while creating your video resume, you may have discovered a new passion.
Would you like to pursue it professionally?
There is still time, take a look at our communication degrees and find at last the way that makes you happy.
