Video resumes are the IN thing!

By Ahmed Wafi

Show and tell with a video resume today!

Here at GRADUAN, we understand that some things are better said than written and that’s one of the main reasons why the mass public turned to television and radio from books and newspapers! After a while, the world then turned their attention to the internet and all its wonders. That’s where you can take advantage!

Hiring managers nowadays might not have all the time in the world to go through every resume on their table and it might be more fun for them to sit down and watch a 30-90 second video of potential hires. It only takes seven seconds to create a first impression so the one minute that you have can be made the most of! Here are six things that you should keep in mind when you're recording your video resume.

#1 Know your audience
Remember that the person who’s going to be watching your video resume is a hiring officer who usually holds a more senior position and so you’re going to want to use the right vocabulary and the right body language. Make sure what you’re going to talk about is something that they want to hear!

#2 Practice makes perfect!
There are times in life where you can just wing it! Unfortunately, these are not one of those times. Make sure you have a script ready when you’re in front of the camera and have practiced what you want to say.

#3 Time! Time! Time!
30-90 seconds tops! Do not overload people with information because if the resume is too long, people might lose focus and quickly call for the next resume to play.

#4 Be yourself
Just like all the countless other posters you’ve seen since you were a kid, this piece of advice is to be applied to all aspects of life. Be authentic in your video resume and don’t try to be someone you’re not. People can tell when you’re trying too hard to be someone you’re not.

#5 Don’t oversell yourself
This would come without saying, especially if you only have 30-90 seconds to talk about yourself, you’ll only want to talk about whatever is relevant to those watching (see tip #1). Also, it’s important to keep in mind that your personal life should not mix in with your professional life which means that the stories you have of your cute pet can wait.

#6 Show and tell
The best thing about the video resume is the power of audiovisuals. Be creative with your video resume! If the job you’re applying for requires good presentation skills, having snippets and videos of you presenting in past events can give you the upper hand!

Once you’ve recorded your video resume, you can upload it to your GRADUAN account and get noticed by hiring employers!

Photo by William Bayreuther on Unsplash

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