Take a moment to think about the candidate review and selection process from the perspective of a hiring manager.  The average hiring manager is inundated with resumes on a daily basis even if only one or a couple of positions are available. 

The vast majority, or possibly even all of these resumes are submitted in the form of a Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF document emailed to the hiring manager.  Resumes submitted in video form are much more likely to stand out from the dozens or even hundreds of other resumes submitted as Word documents or PDFs. 

This is precisely why everyone who is unemployed or underemployed should give serious consideration to submitting their resume in video form.

Emerge From the Pack with a Video Resume

Approximately 400 million people across the globe lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.  Once the economy fully reopens, businesses will be recruiting new hires for a multitude of open positions.  If your resume does not stand out from the rest, you will find it difficult to land an interview and obtain employment. 

One nearly surefire way to emerge from the crowded pack looking for employment after this once-in-a-century pandemic is to present yourself in video form.  A video resume makes it clear you are willing to display some irreverence for convention and invest your time and effort in presenting yourself to prospective employers in a truly unique manner. 

As long as your video resume is brief, gets to the point and makes it clear you are the optimal candidate for the open position, you are likely to receive an invitation for an interview.  Keep in mind, 95%-99% of those searching for employment will simply email their resume as an attachment rather than taking the extra step of recording a video resume. 

Even if you are not the best candidate for the job, your willingness to put in additional work by presenting yourself in an artful manner just might make the difference between remaining unemployed and landing a new job.

Consider Hiring Managers’ Perception of You on Paper Versus Video

Hiring managers who review the merits of candidates on paper resumes get a sense of those candidates’ work histories and educational accomplishments.  However, words on a piece of paper or MS Word document are only partially reflective of the person in question. 

Alternatively, those who invest the time and effort necessary to create a video resume make it clear they are coherent, have solid communication skills, are personable, and likely to fit in with the company’s culture. 

Oftentimes, hiring managers will choose a candidate with inferior work experience and educational achievements simply because they believe that candidate will meld nicely with the company’s culture.  Speak loudly and clearly, smile and present information about yourself in a focused manner while recording your video resume and you just might convince the hiring manager that you will make the perfect addition to the current team. 

The same cannot be said of those who attempt to sell themselves through the written word on a PDF or MS Word document.  The moral of this story is you really can learn much more about a potential new hire through a video resume than a traditional paper resume. 

Think of Video Resumes as the First Interview

Though prospective employers cannot ask questions of candidates as they film video interviews, presenting oneself in front of a camera as it records somewhat simulates the job interview.  Though job candidates can certainly embellish their skills, talents and accomplishments through paper resumes, it is more challenging to fool hiring managers through a video resume. 

Demonstrate practical knowledge of the industry in question with your video resume and you will make it perfectly clear you know your stuff.  This is your opportunity to legitimize yourself in front of the hiring manager, convincing him or her that you have the necessary knowledge and experience in the industry or niche in question.

Video Resumes put Your Enthusiasm and Tech Prowess on Display

Though sending a resume as a Word document or in the form of a PDF certainly takes some technical acumen, most people are capable of attaching such a file to an email and sending it. 

However, the average person might not know how to record and edit a video resume in an artful manner.  Furthermore, some people are not personable, enthusiastic, or spirited.  Video resumes put the candidate’s personality and tech prowess on display. 

Reveal your personality, be positive, speak clearly and carefully edit your video resume to make it clear you are comfortable using modern day technology.  Above all, be enthusiastic while recording your video resume. 

Enthusiasm makes it clear you truly want to fill the open position and will show up with a smiling face, happy to go to work and be a part of the team.  The same enthusiasm simply cannot be replicated on a traditional resume sent as an attachment to an email message.

Hiring Managers Find It is Easier to Store and Organize Video Resumes

Ask any hiring manager about the demands of their job and you will be inundated with complaints about the sheer volume of correspondence they receive.  Though it might be hard to believe, some hiring managers receive dozens of resumes on a daily basis.  Some receive hundreds of resumes across a span of a day or two.  Organizing resumes, cover letters, and applications takes time and effort.

If you submit a paper resume or attach your resume to an email, there is a good chance it will be lost in the shuffle.  However, if you were to submit a video resume, it would prove that much easier for the hiring manager to store it for future access and retrieve it in mere seconds. 

Hiring managers have thousands of resumes saved in the form of Word documents and PDFs yet they might only have a couple of dozen video resumes, meaning the video versions are easier to find and perhaps more importantly, more likely to stand out from the rest, ultimately make a lasting impression.