Video Resume: Will It Help You Get Hired Faster in 2024?
With job seekers constantly looking for ways to stand out, video resumes are gaining popularity. Unlike a traditional resume, a video resume allows you to present your skills, personality, and experience in a more dynamic, personal way.
While a video can help you show off your communication skills and enthusiasm, it’s not without challenges. Employer opinions vary, and understanding when and how to use a video resume is key to making it effective.
That said, video resumes bring challenges — and opinions vary on their usefulness. Read on for insights from a variety of industry insiders into whether a video resume will help you land a job faster. Want more? Check out our tips and strategies for creating your video resume.
Video Resumes: Are There Downsides?
The biggest obstacle for many candidates is figuring out how to submit a video resume in the first place. Many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS) designed for text-based resumes, which means video files often aren’t supported. To work around this, job seekers may need to include a link to their video resume in an application or online portfolio.
Another challenge is time. Hiring managers can scan a traditional resume in seconds, but watching a video demands more of their attention. Not every employer is willing to make that time commitment. There’s also the risk of introducing bias, as video resumes reveal details about a candidate’s appearance and demeanor upfront.
In short, while video resumes offer a chance to stand out, they may not be the best fit for every job or industry.
What Employers Think
In the post-COVID world, where virtual hiring is the norm, video resumes seem like a natural step. After all, many employers already review social media profiles and online portfolios before inviting candidates to interview.
Chris Altizer, an experienced HR leader and consultant, believes a well-executed video could open doors. “It might be the digital key that gets you noticed, but many employers still rely on traditional resumes,” he explains. Altizer emphasizes the importance of tailoring the application process to the specific company or industry. He warns: “Some companies ask for video resumes while others won’t take them if provided — smart candidates pay enough attention to know the difference before winding up the TikTok.”
As more employers adopt text-based recruiting platforms, video resumes are becoming more common. These platforms often allow job seekers to submit video messages, which helps speed up the hiring process by giving employers a quicker sense of a candidate’s personality. However, it’s still not a universal solution for every industry.
It’s true employers can learn more about job applicants via social media profiles or other searches before they are even called for an interview. Deciding whether or not to create and send access to a video resume depends on the company, job, recruiter, and candidate.
Videos Are Becoming More Common in the Recruiting Process
Here’s another catch: While most applicant tracking systems don’t allow uploaded videos, many employers now use text message recruiting to connect with candidates. And those systems do allow candidates to exchange video messages when engaging with the employer or recruiter.
Platforms like these are different from the traditional ATS, and employers who have access to this functionality can get to know job seekers quicker than the conventional process. Applying through a system, being selected for an interview, and setting up an in-person or video interview all take time.
In many cases, employers can complete their interview process all through text message communication, radically shortening the hiring time.
When to Create a Video Resume
For a creative content or media job, a video can be the difference between being called ignored. But that’s only one career path. For other career types, caution is advised.
Job seekers should read job postings carefully to understand what employers want from candidates when applying.
“If I want a video resume, I’ll say that in the ad,” Altizer added. “My candidate tracking system may or may not permit video files, and my company browser may or may not visit unknown internet sites.”
If the position doesn’t relate to media creation, a video resume may present more risks than rewards.
A clip of a job seeker looking through a microscope won’t increase Altizer’s confidence in their biochemistry skills but may make him wonder why you aren’t pursuing a media career. That said, a clip of you wowing a live crowd might enhance his confidence in you as a corporate trainer.
How should you determine if a video resume will help you stand out in the application or interview process? Follow these tips:
- Job seekers should tailor their resumes to each job they apply for—including video resumes. Nothing says “I want to work for you” less than a generic video resume that doesn’t seem focused on the job and company.
- Is this company digitally focused? Does their website and job board feature videos? Does their application process ask for or even allow video resumes?
- What can you produce in a two to three-minute (max) video that delivers more than your paper resume (which you will also need to send in)?
Think those scenarios through when deciding whether or not to create a video resume.
AI-Generated Video Resumes: A New Frontier
Looking for a way to make your job application stand out? Why not tap into the power of AI? From customizing avatars to using AI-driven video editing tools, you can create a video resume that showcases your creativity and sets you apart from the crowd. These tools let you craft a professional presentation, even if you’re not comfortable being on camera (note that you’ll need some camera time to train the avatar).
Naturally, this approach can be even more impactful if you’re applying for roles in tech or AI. AI avatars and voiceovers give you the chance to demonstrate your comfort with advanced technologies while presenting yourself in a unique and polished way. It’s an innovative way to show employers you’re ahead of the curve and make a strong first impression.
Roadblocks to Video Resume Success
Video resumes can sometimes backfire, particularly if an employer uses systems designed to “blind” resumes to prevent bias. Some hiring managers may not be trained to evaluate video content, leading to inconsistent decisions.
“The opportunity for error isn’t just with the candidate providing a poorly-executed video but with a manager not being as practiced in assessing anything more than the wow factor of a video resume,” said Altizer.
“Just as certain non-job-related personality traits are preferred for certain jobs, some managers may prefer a candidate for merely submitting a video while others may not take the time to watch it at all. If you’re going to invite video resumes, you’ll need to train your recruiters and hiring managers on how to assess them just as you do in training interview skills.”
The Rise of Video in Hiring
As remote hiring has increased, so has the use of video resumes. Although many job seekers see video as a creative way to stand out, it’s important to note that some candidates still prefer the clarity of a traditional resume.
Video is becoming more common in recruitment, but it’s not replacing text-based resumes anytime soon. It’s useful for adding a personal touch, but for many jobs, the traditional resume remains the foundation of the application process.
For job seekers, understanding how and when to use a video resume is becoming more important. Whether you’re applying for a creative role or a tech position, knowing how to leverage video effectively could be what sets you apart from other candidates.
Employers Talk: Pros and Cons of Videos
Mark Pierce, an experienced CEO and executive, encourages candidates to create video resumes if they want to stand out. “They’ve taken the initiative to do something that’s above and beyond what’s needed, which is traditionally a resume and a cover letter,” said Pierce. “That is a potential indication that this is something they’d also do if they were hired.”
Showing hiring managers that you are a go-getter can be especially powerful in the era of quiet quitting, he added. Pierce says video resumes can help assess candidates to see if they are fit for an initial interview.
Pierce says video resumes can help assess candidates to see if they are fit for an initial interview.
“It’s hard to get to know someone from just a document, so a video resume allows us to get a feel for their personality and demeanor,” says Pierce. “This makes it more likely for us that the candidates we choose to bring in for interviews will be a good fit for our company.”
Jack Underwood, CEO and co-founder of a delivery routing and tracking SaaS, talked about the challenges of video resumes with his company.
“Unfortunately, video resumes don’t work well with our ATS, which screens written resume documents to help narrow down our candidates,” he said. “We’d still accept a video resume to supplement a regular resume, but it likely wouldn’t make much of a difference in the grand scheme of our hiring process unless we were struggling to narrow down similarly qualified candidates to shortlist for interviews.”
Video resumes can also open employers up to several other potential pitfalls: “Video resumes can be a DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) nightmare, especially for businesses implementing blind hiring processes,” said Underwood. “Since getting a visual of a candidate feeds hiring managers visual clues about their age, race, gender, and other diverse qualities, it can increase the bias that underrepresented groups already experience.”
Corey Donovan, president of an enterprise tech hardware refurbisher, says video resumes can generate both unconscious and explicit bias.
“With video resumes, a bias simply comes into play earlier in the hiring process,” said Donovan.
“The same bias would be there during the first interview, so it just manifests itself earlier because of the video resume. Unfortunately, in this scenario, the bias would likely prevent the candidate from making it through another round, so the bias is expressed earlier but still ends in the same outcome — a candidate not getting a fair chance at any part of the process.”
To avoid this, hiring managers must be reminded that they’re only evaluating the video resume based on skills, qualifications, and culture fit—not the candidate’s personal qualities.
“It’s helpful to provide training on avoiding bias in hiring so that the hiring manager is equipped with tools to evaluate candidates with an open mind,” says Donovan.
Stanislav Khilobochenko, VP of customer services at a consumer-focused cybersecurity company, reads hundreds of resumes a year. He says job seekers should only submit a video resume or link to a video portfolio if requested as part of the application by the hiring team. If not, their videos may be ignored.
“A video attachment will be a huge file to download, which is right away a turnoff,” says Khilobochenko. “Even if it’s included as a QR code or a link, it’s probably not going to be viewed unless you are already a top candidate. Even as someone hiring for customer service roles, I would find an uninvited video to be a little odd and more of a speedbump in our established standard operating procedures.”
Cynthia Davies, a founder and CEO who helps entrepreneurs found LLC’s, says the time it takes to review a video resume—especially for companies who receive high volumes of applications, won’t be feasible.
“Unlike a traditional resume, a video resume can’t be skimmed, so the review process takes considerably more time,” said Davies. “This time-consuming process is something that many companies simply don’t have the time or resources for, which is why they turned to using an ATS rather than manually reviewing applications in the first place.”
That said, Davies does believe a video resume or video portfolio can shed much more insight into a candidate than a traditional resume.
“You get to see a candidate’s personality, and they can explain in more detail their roles and responsibilities, address any gaps on their resumes, and more,” says Davies. “A video resume provides you with details that you wouldn’t normally get to know until the first round of interviews.”
Pro Tip: Add a Video Portfolio to Your Personal Websites
If you do have a personal website and include that link on your resume, cover letter, or your LinkedIn profile, that will increase the chances of it being viewed and could be a better way to showcase the video or provide access to the video for employers, says Khilobochenko.
“Make it creative, make it personal, and most importantly, make it short,” said Khilobochenko. “I’m only half kidding, but no one is going to watch more than one to two minutes. And only do this if you are a confident and authentic public speaker. A video of nervous or robotic, rote memorization won’t exactly sell us on your personality.”
When to Skip a Video Resume
Not everyone feels comfortable on camera, and that’s okay. If you’re not confident about how you come across in a video, it’s better to skip it.
“Skip the video if you’re an introvert or struggle to come across well over the visual format,” says Underwood. “You may harm your chances of getting hired if you make a poor first impression — even if your experience is top-notch.”
The Future of Video Resumes
As we head into fall 2024, video resumes are likely to become more common in tech-savvy industries. If you’re applying for a role in marketing, media, or another creative field, a video resume can be a powerful tool to help you stand out.
However, there are challenges. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) often do not support video uploads, limiting the submission options for job seekers. Employers may also have concerns about bias, discrimination, and the lack of a standardized format for evaluating candidates.
For most jobs, however, the traditional resume remains essential, so always consider the pros and cons before deciding to create a video resume.
Ready to create a video resume? Learn more here.
