6 lessons from the Vine video resume

At Wowzer, since we love video, we love Vine. Vine does for video what Twitter did for blogging: helps people share glimpses of their lives in a minimalist format so that it's fast to create and fast to watch. But is Vine good for presenting yourself to prospective employers?

Vine videos are limited to 6 seconds; they're short, interesting and usually pretty fun to watch, in part because lots of clever users have figured out ways to "loop" videos and create neat effects with the short, jerky video effects. But in the couple weeks, Vine resumes have been on the radar of any social recruiter and HR pro because of this very smart lady.

In her Vine resume, Dawn Siff describes all the great things about who she is professionally, using hilarious props to do so. Because of her early adopter status and subsequent success, bloggers and analysts alike are wondering if the Vine resume is a thing.

No, it isn't.

Because we are so passionate about the role of video in finding the right employee-employer fit, you might think we'd be advocates of this approach. But will your 6-second Vine pitch give a recruiter enough information to judge whether you are a better fit than the hundreds of other applicants? Unlikely. In fact, if other jobseekers follow her lead they might be surprised by a few facts.

Dawn didn't get her current gig from the Vine resume.

While she thinks it may have impressed her company, she found her job via old-fashioned networking.

The Vine resume was made in February.

If you are looking to get a job fast, Vine may not be the way to do it. That's why social recruiting advocates have always encouraged jobseekers to build a social media presence before they need it.

HR Professionals think it's a little silly.

While lots of recruiters check your social media presence to get a feel for cultural fit, very few would use one as the sole basis for calling someone in for an interview. HR luminary Laurie Ruettimann reminds us: "Every time a new tool rolls out, HR and recruiting people jump all over it in a very trendy way. Remember when you were going to hire your next VP of Sales from Pinterest?"

So the Twitter resume isn't a thing, the Pinterest resume isn't a thing, and we're pretty sure the Vine resume isn't a thing. But what is it? It's easy to see why HR and Recruiting professionals thought this would be a big hit. Dawn Siff helpfully shared the number of meetings and interviews she got through her Vine resume. Although the Vine resume did not get her a great rate of interviews, it did net her a fantastic amount of press attention - which is key because she is a journalist!  Here are the positive aspects of Dawn's approach, which you can use to stand out in your own job search:

The Vine format forced her to edit.

Part of being in front of the camera is showing you can convey a message quickly and confidently. Siff did this in spades. Like twitter before it, Vine requires it's users to pick the very best, simply because there's no room for anything else.

Video allowed Dawn to augment her resume.

A resume it ain't but it's a pretty valuable introduction tool. 9 interviews in 6 months is more than some in the job market can claim and a little less than others would expect. Either way, the Vine could have helped recruiters decide whether or not she should come in. Perhaps certain companies didn't call her because they didn't appreciate that approach. That's a good thing. The companies that did reach out are far more likely to be a cultural fit.

Being first to use Vine showed that Dawn is proactive.

While it's not advantageous for jobseekers to get caught up in gimmicks, it's good to do innovative things like this, if only to show that you can think creatively.

We certainly see that video is a great way to help employers get to know you. However, you run the risk of going too short (with Vine) or too long (with egotistic videos like video resumes parodied by Barney Stinson ofHow I Met Your Mother and Michael Cera).

To introduce yourself effectively to an employer with video, use the new WowzerMatch app which will guide your video introduction to answer the questions that the employer actually wants to know.

Check out other great articles on our main blog here.

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