5 Essential Tips For Making a Captivating Video Resume

Are you planning to apply for your dream job, or are you thinking of switching from your current employment to one of the top MNCs? The first step is to create an extraordinary and impressive resume that highlights you as an asset to the new company.

Video Resumes are trending, and you should know how to create them proficiently. The employment market has considerably transformed significantly in the last few decades. Today, competition is fierce, and the process is changing owing to technology that has revolutionized every industry.

Hiring is no exception. If you are interested in creating a video CV to be more competitive, this space is for you. Let’s take a closer look at the video resume.

What is a video resume?

A video resume is a record that outlines your educational qualifications, strengths & weaknesses, objective, and professional experience.

A video resume is just not a conversion of your CV from the paper form into a video, but it’s an integral way for you to show off your personality, make a good first impression, and emphasize your talents and skills.

You can cover your experience and other essentials like areas of interest, background, training, and why a company should hire you. It is okay if you are camera shy – you necessarily don’t have to face the camera. A video resume highlights your personality and what kind of an employee you are.

Why Create a Video Resume?

Video resumes help you showcase your skills better in the highly competitive job market. Video is a great way to convey your message concisely and effectively in a high-profile world.

Research shows that visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text. Video resumes can quickly convey your message and intrigue recruiters who sift paper resumes all day long. In addition, video resumes can be memorable.

According to Wyzowl’s infographic that reveals the power of visual communication, people tend to remember 10% of what they listen to, 20% of whatever they read, and 80% of what they witness or see.

Therefore, by watching your resume in the video form, employers will always have more clarity on your profile and whether you fit in a particular job role.

Also, it depends on the industry you are applying in. Especially in the creative industry, where the focus is on innovation and building a team culture based on values, your video resumes allow you to make a great first impression and highlight important skills.

Important Factors to Consider While Making Your Video Resume

Here are five tips to keep in mind when creating your first video resume:

Tip 1: Prepare a Video Script

It’s always a good idea to create a video script. It promotes clarity and eliminates running sentences and excessive verbal nods like “um” and “likes.” Give a simple example of your past experiences and explain why your last job made you stand out from the crowd. Share what makes you unique and conclude with a strong statement.

You could use statements like:

• Hello, my name is XYZ, and my key objective is to………..I am currently looking for a ……….position within a fast-growing company
• For the past few years, I’ve been ………….. at one of the most prominent companies in the country (past experiences)
• I’m well-organized with a ………… approach and have proven experience as a ………
• If you’re looking for ……………… team-player with …………….. I’m your ideal candidate

You can also take help from GetSetResumes to create a powerful and crisp video resume script for you.

Tip 2. Pay Attention to the Quality of the Video

Creating a video resume using a good phone or a professional camera, proper lighting, and a good background always works. Even if you’re not a video production expert, you need to give your video a sophisticated look.

The items that need to be planned and prepared are:

• High-quality camera phones are fine, but try to record at least 720p
• Quiet location with no background of traffic, office or family noise
• Good lighting, particularly natural light

Tip 3 – Maintain your Body Language

Just like you would appear in a job interview, you need to maintain the same body language and professionalism in your video resume as well.

Don’t forget to smile and show your zeal for the position you are applying for. The smile at the beginning of the video shows that you are open and happy to create the video.

Practice using a friendly tone — after all, they will meet you for the first time.

Some things to keep in mind:

• Speak naturally during the video without forcing a smile
• Avoid making jokes
• Look straight at the camera and keep recruiters involved
• Be professional in your dressing sense and in the way you communicate – avoid using casual language
• Do not sound scripted
• Don’t use long sentences and speak slowly and clearly
• Make a brief resume video – instead of talking too much about yourself, show them what you have done

Tip 4: Edit your video resume

Once you have shot your video resume, it is time to edit it. You can try an effective online video editor to work on the background, sound, lightwork, and cutting and cropping of your video resume. Edit it to make it more professional.

You don’t have to be tech-savvy to use one of them as they are easy to use and full of features. If you don’t know how to edit a video using the software, there are various tutorials to teach you how to do it.

Tip 5: Share it and keep track of metrics

Now that you are done making and editing your video resume, you must host your video resume and share it with some worthy platforms. 

You can co-edit a video, add it as an email attachment, and click Submit. Keep a tab on follow-up emails. You can post your video resume on interactive job sites where you can expect a prompt reply.

Several metrics are available online, teaching you simple ways to see when your video resume was opened and displayed. Some of the features offered by tools available on the web for jobs are:

• Free video resume uploading sites where you can record and screen, or send the video as a link and be notified when the video is displayed
• Many come with a trial period that allows you to record and broadcast your video and see how many times your video has been watched
• Even YouTube offers you a platform where you can upload videos which you can set to private so that only those who know the link can watch them and track your viewer data

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’re ready to create your first video resume and impress your employer. Several organizations don’t look for production quality in video resumes, but they are keener on looking at your creativity, intellect, and personality.

Video resumes are a great way to tell the company why you think you will be a great addition. Video resumes are rapidly becoming the new standard, so it’s important to create a video resume and send it to your potential employer.

With some preparation and practice, you can create a great video resume that can appeal to recruiters and let them know that your video has been watched.

This post first appeared on the getsetResumes.com Blog