Video Resumes Becoming Popular
BY KELLY ROCHE, OTTAWA SUN
FIRST POSTED: SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2013 05:32 PM EDT | UPDATED: SATURDAY, JULY 20, 2013 10:41 PM EDT
Despite holding high-ranking positions in financial services, Mark Janicki still found a camera disconcerting in a mock job interview setting.
“Initially, when somebody tells you they’re going to videotape you — me being an accountant and not being an actor, I was extremely intimidated,” said Janicki.
“It’s one thing to talk about your professional qualifications to somebody who’s face to face in an interview situation. It’s another thing to speak into a camera.”
Video integrated resumes are revolutionizing the way candidates are hired, said Recruiting in Motion partner Sari Cantor.
“It doesn’t replace the interview. It’s just an introduction,” said Cantor. “My job is to make you look good.”
Cantor’s firm offers job-seekers such as Janicki a chance to sell their skills, discuss professional goals, and control their image via a 60 to 90 second video.
“It costs them nothing to come in here and experience the process,” Cantor said. Her office currently cranks out 20 to 30 videos each week. The idea stemmed from employers wanting more information about candidates and using social media to dig.
Instead of stumbling across your Canada Day photos on Facebook, this allows companies to view candidates ‘in person’ — in a professional atmosphere — before committing to a one-hour interview. When the topic of potential discrimination pops up, “we all have personal bias,” said Cantor, adding hiring managers make decisions at an interview or by your online presence anyway.
Her clients range from large global firms to charities. New graduates are welcome to try it out, said Cantor. “Someone gave me a chance 15 years ago,” she said. Back then, it was normal for hospitality jobs to request resumes with photos. With the advent of social media, “if a picture tells 1,000 words, imagine what video tells,” said Cantor.
For Janicki, the concept proved indispensable since he was searching for an out-of-town position. “For me to get to Toronto on an ongoing basis and having interviews and things of that nature, it’s time-consuming, it’s costly for both, you know, the prospective (employer) and myself,” he said.
Janick is now working. In hindsight, making a video resume was “quite an enjoyable experience,” said Janicki. “I did one take, which was quite remarkable, ’cause I thought it was going to take me 10 times.”
Video resumes are here to stay, he said. “I think it’s the way of the future.”
10 TIPS FOR VIDEO RESUMES
Dress as though you are going to a formal interview.
Focus on the questions asked and give pointed answers.
Smile and have fun. The more comfortable you are, the more confident you look on camera.
Be aware of time. Keep a clock nearby to keep track of time spent on each question.
Don’t bring too many notes with you to a video or Skype interview.
Test your environment – blank background. solid lighting, phone turned off, microphone on, etc.
Research your client. Try to know more about them (and believe us, they have researched your online presence).
Make eye contact. Remember that the centre of your screen is not the lens.
Reflection and glare can be a turn-off. From the glare of your glasses to shiny or reflective make-up or jewellery, light can reflect back on the viewer/interviewer and distract them from what makes you so wonderful – your shiny personality!
It’s your environment – you control the room, the background, the sound, timeliness. In other words, you have no excuse for not being ready. So over-prepare, and get that job!
Source: Recruiting In Motion
