Do Video Resumes Work?

A reader writes 'what do you think of video resumes?'

Honestly, not much.

I think that the people who developed the idea of video resumes have never hired anyone - or if they have, they've forgotten what the process is like. Here are my two main problems with video resumes:

1) They are inefficient

To find 5-10 people to interview, the average recruiter has to look at a lot of resumes - let's say 100 as a rough average. You can quickly skim 100 resumes in 30-45 minutes. From those you might choose 30 to look at more closely and eliminate 70 as 'not qualified.'

Now you will spend another 30-60 minutes reading the promising resumes in more detail to decide which 10 to interview.

Once you choose your interview candidates, and conduct initial screenings, you need to send those people on to the hiring manager, who also needs to review the resumes before conducting interviews.

At all stages of this process, the reader dictates the length of time he or she needs to find the important information. Fast readers skim more quickly than other people - managers can skip around to see the things that are critical to them.

A video doesn't work this way - when I get a video resume, I have no way of skimming it quickly. I have to sit and watch the whole thing - I can't skip through to the important parts because I don't know where they are. The end result? I won't watch it. Sorry but I just don't have the time. In the 5 minutes it takes me to watch your video resume, I can get through 10 regular resumes.

2) They are unflattering to most people

I'm a political junkie - I watch a lot of those 'talking head' shows on CNN and MSNBC. The other day I was watching a new show with Andrea Mitchell. Andrea is a well-respected journalist with years of experience so I thought her show might be interesting. But it was awful!  Not because of the content, but because Andrea is just not good as a talk show host. She seemed stiff and uncomfortable. Seeing her reminded me just how talented the other hosts are.

Video resumes are like Andrea Mitchell's show only worse! Most people just can't present themselves well on camera and if you're one of them, a video resume can only hurt.

I am sure there is life after the traditional resume, and that technology will change the way we look for work. I just don't think video resumes are the answer.

Comments

[Anita Bruzzese]

These video resumes are certainly prompting a lot of debate, but I think the one thing that everyone has to remember is that if they're going to use one, then preparation is key. As the popularity of YouTube and videocasting grows, it will be interesting to see if hiring managers and job candidates will become more comfortable with video resumes.
Anita Bruzzese
www.45things.com

[Alex]

You definitely lose some form of credibility when you use video resuming I feel. If you can’t speak well on tape or the recruiter is having a stressful day they will not think twice in over looking a video resume. Another thing that fears me is if they do look at the video and they think it’s horrible or comical and the recruiter might pass it around the office as a joke. Also, what do you think about having personal websites? (Nothing like facebook, or myspace but an actual website about yourself and what you’ve done) A college professor of mine insists we have a website and I was very skeptical about it.

[Louise Fletcher]

Alex, I actually like the idea of a website because, as with a resume, you can control how you appear to others. It's also a good way to show you're web savvy and to stand out from the crowd. There are lots of ways to do it inexpensively now, even if you're not a web programmer so it's worth looking into.

[Alex]

I guess I worry too much about identity theft because I feel like I am putting too much information about my life on a website. I should probably look into adding a password login feature that way I know if someone is looking at my webpage with my permission.