So, then we come to video and video resumes. Video gives you even MORE of a flavor of a person. How do they present themselves? How do they inflect their voice. Could you sit in a meeting all day with them. That’s about all I can get from a video resume unless we start doing video reality shows. Then I suppose you could see what I’m like ‘in action’. You are right that it does make you feel like you know a person before you ever really meet them.

Despite the continued objections from people about discrimination, I do think video resumes will catch on, if for no other reason than the technology becoming ubiquitous. Also, you cannot hide behind a video resume in the same way that you can lie on paper. I really think video can capture the essence of someone’s personality, and recruiters and employers will use it increasingly as another evaluation tool. Keep in mind though that the video resume, when done well is not a resume. It is an intro; your elevator pitch. The real details should be left to paper and the in-person interview.

Finally on the professional vs. amateur front, I’m going to talk to some experts about that one. My hypothesis is that too much polish will come off really boring and lack authenticity. However, awful production values do tend to cloud the content. So just like any DIY project, if you don’t take the time to become a student of technique a little bit, you may make some big mistakes that could have been mediated by professional advice. I plan on exploring more on this topic.

Companies may not formally adopt video resumes due to the discrimination thing, but do you think it’s going to catch on?

What about professional vs. amateur video? There are some pretty scary videos on youtube right now.

A question I’d like to get more into here is whether you would recommend candidates to dress the way they would during their typical (or ideal) workday, or just to dress in a “standard interview getup”, shirt, tie, etc. Being true to themselves might help everyone involved identify the right cultural fit for the candidate. However this could affect their marketability significantly. The best recuiters of course coach their candidates into the right clothing for the company’s work environment prior to interviewing anyways.

I see where you are going with the “artificial hurdle”. The video resume could be a piece of evidence used against the candidate during the interview process either by the recruiter, or the potential hiring manager. Nonetheless, the video resume is only a first impression, or elevator pitch on the person. I suppose not everyone will be able to succinctly get to the core of what they offer on video which could hurt their chances. I do think that the talking, moving video resume has the potential to open an awful lot of doors, and only shut a few.

I picked up a consultant at the airport before an interview who was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He always dresses that way as I found out the next morning when I picked him up to take him to the interview. I had doubts about the success of this interview, but he turned out to be one of the most brilliant guys the company had ever interviewed from a third party agency.

Had I seen his video resume, there is a chance that $20k fee would not be in my account right now.