Stand Out With a Video

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The primary goal of every resume is to stand out from the crowd and get noticed by potential employers, isn’t it? Yes. But how?

Nowadays, it’s not that easy to impress new-age employers, who look for self-motivated people who are not just professionally qualified, but passionate about what they do. Don’t you think so?

The guy from the following example understands these expectations better than most. He knew that the community manager vacancy at a reputed social media firm would have an interesting mix of takers for the job.

So what does he do? He did what every good social media manager should do – break the clutter and engage audiences with new-age communication formats. How? Watch the video and find out.

You got it? (Although the video is a commercial, it proves the point, right? Stand out with a video!)

It’s a fantastic addition to your Resume if you can include an introductory video.

It can also serve as your qualifications summary answering the magic question – Why hire me?

A video instantly creates a personal connection between the viewer and the candidate. The most straightforward method is Q&A (question and answer) and this can be completed in just a minute or two.

To get started you’ll need a computer with a camera, or you can use a mobile phone. Make sure that you are not touching the camera; this will stop it from shaking.

There are several tips that you can take into account when making your video resume.

Video Resume Tips

1: Keep It Short and Sweet

Your video should not be shorter than 30 seconds. If you don’t have anything to fill more than 30 seconds, then you should not be doing the video at all.

On the other hand, it is highly unlikely that anybody would watch a video that is over 2 minutes long. So, the best length for your video resume is a minute or two.

2: Look Good and Professional

Dress for your video as if you would dress for a day in the office. Similar pointers that are true for your resume photo work for your video, as well. This means a professional outfit, well-groomed appearance, no crazy prints and patterns or excessive jewellery. Got it?

Your words and the way you express yourself, on the other hand, are what makes it different from a photo. Don’t worry about your accent, but try to avoid jargon, slang, cuss words and all those empty, meaningless words such as ‘um’ and ‘like’.

The best way to avoid them is to get ready before you press that “Rec” button.

3: Prepare Your Script

Think about the questions before you start recording. If you are particularly shy, you can write your answer on the screen and read it back to the camera. This will not look as good as just naturally talking to the camera, but it will help you feel more confident and focused.

Smile! Then, introduce yourself. Say your first name only and your area of expertise. For example: “My name is Katrina and I am a project manager.”

If you feel really uncomfortable in front of a camera, worry no more because there’s an easy way out. This may help you a lot – read the question, then look back at the camera and answer it.

The basic questions we suggest you cover are:

What is your first name and the type of work you do?
How long have you been doing this type of work and what do you enjoy most about it?
What is one thing that you did in your last job that you are proud of?
What are you looking for in your next job?

Or simply, just say a few words about your most prominent overall accomplishments, personal traits and objectives (taking into account everything you’ve learnt in this series of lessons on a winning resume).

Later, you can just edit out the few seconds that you look at the question and replace those chunks with a text overlay on the screen. Isn’t it amazing?

4: Edit Your Video

Editing your videos is NOT that hard as you may think. There are some very user-friendly and intuitive apps that make it quite easy. Look into the following apps and see what works best for you.

Lightworks

Check out this quick start guide on how to use Lightworks. If you like this app, to get more in-depth information about editing videos, you can check out their editing playlist, the complete tutorial playlist on their official YouTube channel for even more details.

Windows Movie Maker

Check out this 15-minute beginner tutorial to learn how to edit videos using Windows Movie Maker.

Or, if you like this app and want a more thorough step-by-step tutorial on how to use it, you may refer to this video:

Also, here are a couple of helpful articles i.e. Beginner’s Guide to Windows Movie Maker to read on how to use Windows Movie Maker and how to edit video clips in Windows Movie Maker.

iMovie

If you want to use this tool to edit your video, check out this full tutorial for beginners to learn how to iMovie.

VideoPad Video Editor

Watch this overview tutorial to learn how to edit videos using VideoPad Video Editor:

You see? There’s a whole bunch of helpful and easy-to-use apps and tools you can choose to make your video perfect. Go ahead, explore them until you find the one that suits your needs best.

But, before you create your own video, it’s wise to learn from other people who have already successfully done the same or know how to do it. So, let’s start.

5: Learn From Others

Here are some basic hacks on how to make a video resume to stand out from the crowd:

In addition, check out these common video resume mistakes and make sure you avoid them:

Still confused with what to say, what equipment to use, what to wear, where to look when recording? Hopefully, this video will tell you everything you need to know to make the perfect video resume!

It will also be helpful if you watch a few decent videos from other candidates so that you can get a feel for the type of videos that other people are making.

Let’s take a look at several examples of video resumes people posted on YouTube and get some ideas from them.

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

If you already know the exact position you are applying for, you may want to tailor your video according to that particular job. This is especially true for those that are applying for some of the creative jobs out there.

Here is a funny and entertaining video made by a content writer, Miguel Durao.

Wouldn’t you hire him?

Or this guy perhaps:

Or this one? You can use some of his ideas to avoid talking in front of the camera if you feel uncomfortable. Check this out:

You see how effectively you can present yourself in just a 2-minute video if you’re creative and imaginative enough? Go ahead! Show us you can do it! We know you can!

Just bear in mind the following basic learning you’ve gained from these decent examples and the lesson.

In Summary

A proper video resume can propel your career to the top. In order to make a successful video resume, you need to make sure that:

✔ It’s not too short or too long

✔ You look good and professional

✔ You have your script all ready

✔ You do some good editing

It is always advisable to look at what others have done and learned from good examples. In that way, you will not be entirely clueless about how your video should look like.