Video Resumes: Can You Trust Them?

Just to clarify, let’s first start by defining a video resume. A video resume is a pre-recorded video of a candidate either a) explaining their resume, or b) answering a specific set of questions provided by an employer. So how can this be a bad thing? You get to see the candidate; can pay attention to their appearance, body language and facial expressions. I am here to point out the things most people don’t consider, so here they are:

Video Resume Point #1: Final Cut

A video resume can be recorded multiple times. A candidate has the ability to go over their video, pay attention to details such as body language and facial expressions, note them and re-record. The candidate provides an employer with a video they believe the employer wants to see, not a video that truly represents the candidate.

Video Resume Point #2: False Advertisement

Why is it do you think a professor doesn’t let you take a test home? Could it be because they realize that if you don’t know the answer you will find someone that does, or more conveniently, go online? So if you gave a candidate a list of questions, what guarantee do you have that they are the ones answering the questions? How do you know that they didn’t just search online for the answers? How do you know they didn’t just memorize a topic five minutes before answering the question about that topic? You don’t!

Video Resume Point #3: Professional Guidance

Every company wants their company to succeed and do well. If you were a company that provided a video resume service, wouldn’t you want your customers to have a successful experience? I know I would. So, if you have a client come in wearing cut-off jeans and a sweatshirt, wouldn’t you instruct them to change? If your client came in with grungy hair and uncut fingernails, wouldn’t you instruct them to change? So instead of viewing a candidate that has the ability to come prepared, you are viewing a candidate that has followed instructions out of desperation for a job. Eeek!

Video Resume Point #4: One-Way Conversation

A video resume features a candidate speaking into the camera. Should an employer have a question about a comment made or a fact stated, they are unable to ask the candidate for clarification. Should a candidate be unsure about a certain questions, they may choose to skip the question entirely or fail to answer it correctly. Further, a conversation can’t be branched from what the candidate is saying, hindering them from being able to convey what their personality is and that they actually have one!

Comment by Tanya Willette on August 6, 2008 at 12:00pm: For more of my job search, job interview and career articles, visit my blog!

Comment by Adam Peterson on August 6, 2008 at 4:48pm: Hi Tanya,

First, thanks for inviting me to be your friend. Second, I think this is a very well written article about video resumes. For the sake of a good discussion, I have a couple comments that revolve around several of the points you made.

1. I think when defining what a video resume is, it is important to define where it enters the process.
2. It is also important to understand the value expected from the video resume.

For example, regarding your first 3 points (Final Cut, False Advertisement and Professional Guidance), I agree with you that at the *interview* stage of the hiring process it is incredibly important to gain an understanding of a candidate’s reaction and who they truly are. As such, I agree with you and think the ability to re-record an *interview* can result in “a video they believe the employer wants to see,” can mimic your analogy of a take home test, and can make the candidate appear falsely prepared.

That being said, at the *resume submittal* stage, I think the expectations are significantly different. When sending over a paper resume, I imagine most candidates cater their resume to the job so it comes across as something they believe the employer wants to see; I bet they spend a lot of time at home filling out the bullet points of their resume; and I’m guessing they most likely spell check their resume before sending it over. So if a video resume happens to supplement a paper resume at this stage in the process, I would see nothing wrong with the ability to re-record, to think about what they want to say, and to make sure they come across as professional as possible.

To reference your last point about a One –Way Conversation, I think your point is very true at the interview stage but, at the resume submittal stage, might not be a problem as much as it can help set the stage for the in-person interview.

Outside of all these points, I would argue that video resumes have other problems. They are typically too long for hiring managers to care to watch, they are often sent over as large file attachments, and most importantly, considering the employer’s point of view, there is no defined way to make them part of a standard process (as determined by regulatory statutes).

On the other hand, I would argue that video, when the expectations are set and the process is defined, can add significant value to the hiring ecosystem. Maybe the answer isn’t video resumes, maybe it is video in another form…

I’d love for you to join the Video in Hiring group I have recently created on RecruitingBlogs to continue this conversation.

Thanks!
Adam

Adam Peterson
CEO
Vipe, Inc.
www.vipepower.com