Video Resumes: are They Really Hurting You?
Many of us have already seen, or at least heard about, the video of the young man applying for a job on Wall Street as a banker where he bench presses very impressive amounts of weight, plays tennis and, well, you get the picture. This seems to be taken to the extreme, but it was actually supposed to be a message to the employer about his sense of discipline. Oops! I guess they misunderstood him as he did not receive any attention except from the news media. The attention he received was only from a mere entertainment standpoint. Many of the videos that are available do indeed appear to be more of an embarrassing moment than that of a competitive edge. The concept of the video resume seems to be quite impressive at first glance. And maybe after a little more time, it will become a norm in hiring new employees. But the fact of the matter today is that employers are not really looking towards video resumes at this point.What is a person to do in order to get a competitive advantage in the job market then? First, a video is not going to really show the employer any more about your accounting skills than what your job experience is like. The best way to really be ò€˜seenò€™ and experienced is through face-to-face contact. This is easy for me to say, but the employers that I know do attend industry events regularly and meet new people as well as prospective employees regularly. There is no really easy way to get the job that a person has always wanted. There will always be competition. And with plenty of competition there will always be no substitute for hard work in the industry you have chosen. Tennis skills are great, but only if that is where you can meet the individuals who can really help you get ahead in many cases. Gaining any kind of experience in the field a person is really after is what the employers are searching for.
Overall, the hiring experience can be difficult for both the employer and the applicant. Both sides have needs to be filled. The employer in the IT department just needs someone who can handle the tasks and problem solving skills needed to complete the job in the most excellent manner. The video resumes have not been much help to him as they only show individuals talking about themselves and how they can function. However, when the employer does call in an employee for an interview, they also have them complete a test which really shows the applicantsò€™ problem solving abilities. So, with this being said, will video resumes really take a competitive position in the resume market? Hollywood has been using them for years now in the form of video headshots. But, then again, these would be used for show business jobs where looks really matter. Focus on building experience and a great resume, as well as attending those industry events and soon job seekers will find many more wonderful opportunities before them. Now that would be quite a competitive advantage.