Have you made your Visume?

Let's start by asking you a question - What makes you stand out in a crowd of highly talented, competitive people?
Your Visume.

Now you must be asking yourself what a visume is or how to draft one?

Let us dig in.

Creating a video resume is a short video recorded by job-seekers/candidates to unveil their abilities, skills, and qualifications beyond the capabilities of a traditional paper resume. Video resumes are also called ‘Visume’ or ‘Video CV’. This helps candidates/job-seekers to go beyond the traditional methods of applying for a job. An amazing video resumes acts as an enhancement to the paper resumes and are not replacements.

Further, a video resume not only helps prospective employers to see and hear applicants but also about how an applicant presents him/herself. They allow a candidate/job-seeker/applicant to stand out from the crowd of candidates, who apply through regular paper resumes and they directly reach the employer.

These video resumes typically should last for only about a minute to 3 minutes, the applicant gets only a max of 120 secs to create the best first impression to an employer.

Pre-requisites and Tips to make a video resume:–

• Plan your video resume before you film/record

There are various types to choose from, either you choose to directly talk to the camera or you create a monologue (slideshow with your voice-over) or you can even ask a friend to interview you. Make sure you choose the best that suits you and the one that you are comfortable in, a wrong choice and your video resume might not even fetch you an interview.

• Don’t recite your resume

Don’t choose to recite your responsibilities and skills mentioned in your resume. Instead, choose an achievement and focus your video on explaining how you were able to attain results or success at that particular experience. Make sure the example you choose is in-line with the job you are applying to. Your paper resume definitely speaks for you in your absence, your video resume can bring that outlive and can help a recruiter/employer to make the right decision about you.

• Work it from a script but remember not to read directly from it

Finalize and jot down your pointers. Practice what you are planning on saying in the video before you start to film, have your script ready if need be and if that helps you to remember your pointers. Find a better way to read the script and you don’t read directly off it. Avoid fillers such as ‘Ahhh…’, ‘Ummm…’,‘Like…’ and the rest.

• Start by mentioning your first and last name

Before you jump on to explaining your experience(s) start by introducing yourself, you may choose any other creative ways to introduce yourself if you wish to.

• Validate your video to be clear and audible

Before you start your video, confirm on a full battery in your cam or any other device through which you are shooting the video. Hiring Managers would like to hear and see you clearly, hence make sure to choose a well-lit space, avoid background noises, and that the camera is focused right.

• Dint get it right in the first go? Go for another take, shoot as many takes as necessary

You don’t have to settle for a bad shot. Background noises or any other disturbances during the video – best is to redo the video. We bet! You’ll only get better with every video. Choose the best one you want to go with.

• Make sure to watch your own video and get feedback from your friends too

Watching your video and having it checked from your friends' help notice the silly errors we may have in the video which we might have overlooked while making the video. Also, having a third person’s critical review would any day help us get better at what we have done.

• Edit the final video if you wish to

If you have one sure shot video which you think is close to what you were expecting to have, go ahead and share it with the concerned recruiter/hiring manager. If otherwise, and you have 2 or 3 bits you liked from your different takes of the video, then editing is your option. There are several free video editing programs online, choose that suits you best and keep it simple!

Remember, hiring managers/recruiters are no doubt looking for quality but it’s not only about the best pictures or quality in your video. It’s about your effort, creativity, and personality.

Video resume always acts as an added advantage to showcase your best to the hiring manager and the value you would add by joining their team. So get creative and have fun making your visume!