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Video resumes offer a fresh alternative, but may be risky in the job market
By Alyssa Marderstein
Posted: 8/28/07, 12:16 AM EST Section: Feature
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"I definitely think that a video resume is a good idea because you can be seen in a different light and will stand out," said Brodsky, an undeclared freshman in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
As video technology becomes less expensive and easier to use, it seems natural that job applicants would start using the video resume. Some applicants feel they can better showcase their marketable qualities in a video, rather than listing their accomplishments on paper.
Many career networking Web sites, such as Jobster, Vault and CareerTV, offer members the opportunity to create and upload video resumes. Some job-seeking individuals have even uploaded their video resumes onto sites like YouTube and Google Video.
JobBait.com is testing a service where job applicants can send in their video resumes for professional editing.
That's why students like Brodsky are warming to the idea, but perhaps he's never heard the story of Aleksey Vayner.
In 2006, Yale University senior Vayner applied for an investment-banking job at UBS, a financial services company. He submitted video resume, entitled "Impossible is Nothing," which ran over six minutes long and showed him weight-lifting, playing tennis and ballroom dancing.
The video, however, leaked online. It spread quickly across the Internet, as Vayner and his myriad talents - his tennis serve clocks in at 140 mph and he can break seven blocks of wood with just one karate chop - became just another online joke, fodder for bloggers and late-night talk show hosts.
Therein lies the rub with video resumes. On one hand, it's a fresh way to impress employers.
"This type of video tells stories in an organic way," said Michael Schoonmaker, the chairman of the television, radio and film department at Newhouse, after viewing a video resume on YouTube. "This is not necessarily about the production; it's getting to know the person."
On the other hand, as Vayner's debacle showed, it can easily turn off viewers, and employers may be discouraged by their unorthodoxy.
Though more people are producing video resumes, some career advisers prefer that the job seekers follow a more traditional route.
Monica Roberts, the director of the Career Development Center at Newhouse said the career center does not encourage students to make video resumes.
"We teach the traditional method because it's the most common," Roberts said. "Our alumni and other employers in our network do not ask for the video resume, so we don't use them. Employers barely have time to look at paper resumes."
Though the video resume offers an alternative to the traditional version, students are still cautious about taking the plunge and turning on the camera.
"Learning how to perfect a paper resume is hard enough," said Katie Voorheis, a senior public relations major. "If the concept of using a video resume were more developed and widely accepted, then that would draw me. Right now, I have to work on my paper resume before I can think about making anything else."
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Online Accredited Degree
posted 3/06/09 @ 12:58 AM EST
concept of video resume is quite interesting but I am not sure it will be accepted widely.
Online dating free
posted 3/19/09 @ 3:17 PM EST
Your article is fine for all its distinctive features.
Rusian Single Women
posted 3/24/09 @ 6:58 AM EST
I have to agree with teh poster above... :/ looks like a lot of hot air to me.
Justine Patry
posted 4/08/09 @ 7:50 AM EST
Good information. Thanks for the post.
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