Video CV’s have been around for a while, and are widely used in performance arts. These tend to be lengthy pieces designed to show an artist’s range.

At AccendoCV we believe that we have reached a tipping point for the use of video CV’s to support job applicants. A number of factors have come together to promote the wider use of video. These are:

1. Recruitment has moved onto the web over the last five years. The Job Boards now carry more vacancies and candidates than any other vehicle.
2. Today’s streaming technology allows the rapid download of video, almost instantaneously.
3. Video cameras have become common, and most laptops and PCs have them fitted.
4. Competition for jobs has increased following the expansion of Universities and the effects of the recession. This drives the need to be able to ensure your CV stands out.

Based on this, we propose that the applicant’s complete tool kit should include: a) a well written CV, supported by b) a short video. The video needs to be streamed and not downloadable for security reasons. This influences the selection process in a number of ways:

1. It increases the time the hiring manager spends reviewing the CV by a factor of about three. Studies show that initial screenings of CV’s are less than ten seconds by agents & employers.
2. Hiring Managers & Agents will click a link on a CV – they are human and it’s hard to resist. (this could be the first point as it leads onto the fact they then spend longer)
3. First impressions are critically important in selection, and the video places the applicant in control. By practising the video with a rehearsed short talk, the applicant can define that all important first impression and it will last.

People have commented that the video is not the right tool to use to find a job, on the basis that

1. The video can be too long. On that I agree. A video CV should be used to support a good CV – no more (unless it’s aimed at the performing arts sector). What is going on here is the use of technology to take your CV one step further, to differentiate your application from all the others.
2. There are claims that the video allows hiring managers & agents to discriminate. The issue of discrimination for any of many reasons, including age, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation etc., is against the law and common sense. A short video will not put you at greater risk of discrimination than your CV or application form. For example, although most CVs don’t carry information about age, it can be derived from other information within a CV. Other details can be derived from indirect information contained in the CV, email correspondence, phone contact, etc. The information which the video displays will come out during the selection process in any case, so in itself, the video does not increase the risk of discrimination. To go further on this point, early referencing activities such as employers viewing Facebook.com and other social networking sites has become common place (a recent Microsoft survey has shown this). Social networking today has become a fact of life, so anything that can redress a less than professional perception of job applicants is a good thing and here video is a powerful tool. The final point on the concern about discrimination is that if an employer does commit such a felony, it is probably a place worth avoiding.

To sum up, we believe that including a Video in support of your CV has come of age:

– The easy accessibility of the technology throughout the channels to the job market
– The need to differentiate your CV in the crowded and more competitive job market has increased
– Video equipment has simplified and is installed on most PC’s and laptops
– The ability to increase the time spent on your CV by a hiring manager
– The ability to control first impressions and to differentiate your application from the crowd.

In conclusion we have reached the tipping point where the video CV can significantly enhance a sound CV, drawing hiring manager’s commitment to the applicant forward and thereby assisting job applicants through the initial stage of the selection process.

In her recent article which was widely published, Harriet Sergeant pointed out that of the 1.7m new jobs created since 2007, 81% have gone to foreign workers. In examining the role of schools & colleges Harriet concludes that they are a dulling force, and their move away from direct teaching toward being ‘facilitators’ and ‘head learners’ fails our students at a time of their lives when they need positive inputs. A view prevails which is concerned about ‘inculcating attributes such as lucidity, spelling, grammar, punctuality and manners as patronising.’ This is translated into lethargy amongst young people and when seeking a job, it shows.

Employers are fundamentally simple fellows – they have a business which they have looked after, grown, nurtured and developed. They are interested in it, concerned about it, want to look after their customers and they expect anyone looking to join them to be interested too. Too many people turn up to interviews and fail to give that initial impression that says ‘yes, I love what you do and I want to be part of it.’ Why go to an interview if this isn’t the case? Stories abound about candidates who turn up for interview and fail even with the simplest actions such as looking the hiring manager in the eye, shaking his/her hand and saying ‘Good morning’. Thus the all important first impression is poor and a vital opportunity is lost. Once the momentum is lost it tends to go from bad to worse and even the most able interviewee lose their ground. I have seen engineering graduate candidates stumble on unexpected questions, such as ‘what is 4% of 50’ and the interviewer able to draw an inevitable conclusion.

However by taking charge applicants can put themselves in a different place. The selection process – and this includes the interview – used to choose which candidate from a group is offered a plumb job is where the rubber meets the road. All that education and study is for nought if you cannot handle the interview from the first handshake to the moment when a question comes from left field, such as the 4% query. The secret is to understand it, and use the interview well. In Harriet’s article she points out the disappointment that many employers experience when the recruitment & selection process does not work out. She describes their concerns about ‘lackadaisical’ attitudes apparently shown by candidates.

Career marketing tools (CV, Video CV and Career Microsite) are vital. They influence the applicant when he/she builds them by making him/her think carefully about the recruitment process. Writing down your career history and expectations helps you to formulate your arguments. But more than this, they can be used to influence the interviewer and set his/her expectations. With the use of a Video link on your CV streaming a one minute (maximum) video to the interviewer in the pre-selection stage, you can determine that all important first impression. You can rehearse and practice the short video, show it to friends, take their advice and improve it to the point that you are happy with it. By practicing you will be familiar with it, and when you meet that interviewer you will automatically reinforce his first impression. The interview is off to a positive start and you will be less likely to receive those questions from the ‘left field’, and if you do, responding with an immediate smile followed by an answer will let you win through.

The video enhanced CV has come of age as we reached the tipping point with the technology being readily available, and people’s willingness to click links. It’s a great new tool, ready to be used. The video should sit on a career website and not YouTube (too many unpleasant aspects and do you really want to invite the interviewer to be seen to be linking to a frivolous site whilst they are at work?). It should be streamed and not downloadable for security.

The video enhanced CV can and does differentiate your CV from the crowd, a vital advantage in a competitive recruitment market. As Harriet pointed out the reason why so many jobs went to foreign nationals was that they were trying harder!