Times are a Changin'
This entire post is dedicated to Joel Cheesman's sneer at the video resume, because this video resume rocks!
Sure it's a little over the top, but if one hiring manger out there digs it then I guarantee you this guy just landed his dream job with his dream boss. Matt will certainly get the last laugh!
I honestly don't see why video resumes are so looked down upon in the industry. I remember when my mother refused to buy anything online because she just knew that the internet devil would come and snatch her identity and plague her beautiful computer with a nasty virus. Now she doesn't know what she'd do without it.
How is the video resume any different from an in person interview or networking in the frozen food section at the grocery store?! HR buffs smirk at the idea and claim that there are too many legal issues surrounding the use of the video resume. But honestly, when you're at a restaurant and you have a great server, you hand them your card because they could potentially be a great candidate, did you not notice their race or age or gender? If I see a great video resume where the candidate is well presented, well spoken, and meets the job requirements..I will certainly give them a call. If any of those things aren't there...then I won't!
At this point, the key, which I have yet to read about or hear anyone else mention, is when the video resume will be introduced into the interview process. I agree that it should not take the place of a paper resume, but can certainly be used in conjunction with one. Once it's face to face interview time, then the video resume could certainly be a deciding factor as to whether or not a candidate continues to the next stage. It could potentially save companies a ton of freakin cash if used properly. Once they become popular all sorts of rules and guidelines will be established, and one day, a generation or so down the road, we'll be telling our kids what the good ole days were like before Video Resumes existed and they'll listen in complete disbelief.
We've progressed from pounding the pavement, to scouring the newspaper and faxing in resumes, to emailing and applying online. So please...send me your video resumes! It's only logical...
4 comments:
A video resume does not integrate into present hiring processes especially at the top of the candidate selection funnel. Also, most candidates do not do well in front of a camera, and most of the typical video is a rehash of what's already on their resume. The reviewer's inherent bias starts immediately when the video begins as it does when someone shows up for an interview.
A structured video interview on the other hand is helpful near the bottom of the candidate selection funnel especially if the candidate is not geographically close to the interview site.
If each candidate submitted a video resume and there were 50 candidates, would you review them all? The reasonable answer is no. You'd only review the candidates that made your short list by some other means.
The video resume in question is entertaining, but it tells very little about his IT knowledge. Some likely would say that it has nothing to do with his IT subject matter expertise.
The interest in video resumes shows that candidates are looking for a better way to represent themselves than with the standard-traditional, self-authored resume.
OK. I basically agree with everything you've said! Video Resumes (including the one in question as awesome as it is!) are all over the place because they're brand spanking new. No one knows what to say, how to act or dress, where it should be filmed...it's every man for himself until we figure it out as an industry how to incorporate them into the ever-so-changing landscape of recruiting.
If I got 50 would I watch them?? You betcha! Maybe not all the way through, but I'd certainly peak at each one. It'd make for a nice dessert after eating chicken all the time.
Kristi... Thanks for your reply.
Frequently after someone is hired the water-cooler effect takes place several months later. Someone says, "I wish we knew then what we know now about so and so."
If it takes several months to understand someone's skills and personality approach in the workplace, why do people believe they can make skill and/or personality judgements after reviewing a several minute video resume?
Studies, e.g., SHRM, show that resumes are inherently untrustworthy. It's highly likely in my opinion that video resumes also have a very low validity coefficient.
My opinion is that there should be more good science involved in the candidate selection process. Good job fit obviously benefits both candidates and their employers.
More good science??!!?? No matter how much science and logic you try to put behind recruiting, the best recruiters use their instincts. No one can convince me that a video isn't more helpful than a black and white piece of paper that took the candidate months..maybe even years to perfect. Aside from skills, being a good fit is a big deal these days as companies attempt to brand their culture, and you simply can't get that in writing.
How can you judge personality in a few minutes??? Easy! We do it everyday. Your waiter greets you at the table and you immediately know if you will get exceptional service or anticipate a free dessert. As humans, and as recruiters, we are incredibly intuitive and we weed out the good from the bad within just a few short seconds.
In a video, you can't hide the way you can in vague and uneventful words. You are completely exposed and held accountable for who you are.
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