In Part I of this series I discussed one of my top three reasons why video resumes will not become mainstream: their potential for discrimination. Today I will outline the second reason why video resumes have not, and will not catch on: they make the hiring process more cumbersome, not less.

The two points I will focus on are first, where they fit into the process, and second, the length of video resumes.

Before I venture into my discussion, allow me to define two terms. First, I define a video resume as a video created by a candidate and made available to an employer in an effort to help the candidate stand out. Second, when I say “mainstream” I mean that a significant amount of companies, including Fortune size companies, adopt a certain practice as a standard part of their process. In the case of video resumes, it would mean that companies would use them for every hire (well, at least for every candidate in a certain silo of hiring – for example, their entire sales force.)

So let’s dive into why video resumes tax the hiring process by way of how they fit into the process. If a video resume is submitted by a candidate to an employer, it means it enters the process at the very beginning of the hiring cycle. I can understand why a candidate might want to do something to stand out, but to consider this process from the employer’s point of view – it is simply outrageous to expect HR at a company to have to view a video for every single resume that comes through their door.

Most recruiters I know are pretty busy – it’s no wonder they are not motivated to make video resumes a part of their standard process – it is simply not fathomable how much time it would take to have to watch a video for every applicant.

Or is it? I took the liberty to do some quick research by doing a search on YouTube for “video resume.” Here is a summary of my findings:

20 results to “video resume” on first page; 1,400 total.

On the first page:

-12 actual video resumes (6 how to’s, 1 advertisement for a video resume company, and 1 outtake)

-11 posted 1 year ago, 1 posted 3 weeks ago

-Average video resume length 4:42 (longest was 8:08, shortest was 2:05)


4:42!!! Considering the length of the actual video, I’m not surprised video resumes are not catching on (and again, if anyone knows a Fortune company using video resumes are part of their standard process, please let me know)

Imagine adding 4 minutes and 42 seconds to the time it takes you to review every single resume – that’s right, it is simply not going to happen.

Reviewing how video resumes fit into the hiring process and by doing some quick research to quantify the time they would add to the process, it becomes crystal clear that video resumes won’t become mainstream.