Is the UK staffing industry ready for video CVs?

Whilst still relatively embryonic there is no question that the continued development in digital communication will soon herald the spawn of video CVs as a mainstream component of the hiring process. In the US video rsums are fast becoming fashionable. But how will they be received in the UK and can a video profile really replace the traditional curriculum vitae?

With the number of job applications per vacancy now almost five-times the level of twelve months ago jobseekers are looking at new ways to enhance their profiles and highlight their skills. Once upon a time sending your CV on paper coloured anything but white was a trick to make an application stand out. Delivering your application wrapped around a bottle of whisky was another method.

A recent LinkedIn discussion group highlighted the main areas of concern surrounding video profiling:

ï It will divide those who are ëvideogenicí from those who are not
ï It is one more expense to finding a job
ï It will serve to facilitate racial, ethnic, class-based and age discrimination, or lead to accusations of such discrimination

These are valid points. It is probably quite natural to think that video serves only to promote the more aesthetically pleasing individuals. If you are not blessed with beauty why would you want to accentuate this before having the opportunity to gain an interview? To be honest if a hiring manager is superficial enough to place looks above skills the interview process would end in failure at some point.

The increase in social media and professional profiling sites means more people than ever are adding personal photos to their profiles. Why is this? Well, for starters it offers instant tangibility to an otherwise lifeless script of hobbies, skills and interests. No matter the protestations, any visual image – whether still or motion - enhances the written word. If you are one of the millions of subscribers to networking sites you are bound to engage more with someone who you can ëseeí. It makes the experience more personal. Recruiters feel the same about CVs and profiles.

With the popularity of video hosting solutions there has been much debate in the usefulness of video CVs. Most recruiters would welcome digital profiles but believe a video alone does not give an employer enough information about a candidate to make a proper evaluation of the applicant's potential and, more importantly, skills. While a video resume introduces applicants on camera, the value such visual imagery adds is debatable. A text resume allows for specific pieces of information to be parsed out and compared across candidates. When the information is delivered verbally, recruiters need to glean the details themselves.

So what do jobseekers make of this? After all, you can take a horse to water but you canít necessarily make it drink. Recruiters may see video CVs as a natural and necessary extension to todayís developing staffing world but it is only implementable with the consent of those required to spend both time and money conforming to something they may view as inherently flawed. The technical capability to produce video profiles has been around for years but only now has it begun to take off. And this is in America, a nation far more liberal than our own, who, whilst perhaps a sweeping statement, like nothing more than drawing attention to themselves.

America also has a history of setting technological standards and are, on average, eighteen months ahead of the UK. Typically they pioneer what the rest of the world follow. Usually it is not a case of ëifí but ëwhení we chose to copy.

The underlying truth is that these days we are driven to and governed by technological advances.

There can be no doubt that video is more engaging, more enticing and offers the viewer the ability to relate to a product or service far quicker and with more relevancy. A video has the ability to filter out the irrelevant and a great video attracts the best. A well planned and executed video CV will no doubt save recruiters time and money.

For the moment the jury remains out on the matter of video CVs. There is no doubting their emergence but will it merely be a passing trend before the defection to the tried and trusted paper profile?

A picture tells a thousand words, a video tells a thousand picturesÖ

Footnote: this article has been written to provoke thought. If you have any comments or strong views on the subject of video CVs and would like to feature these on our website and in our newsletter please contact Simon Lewis on 01732 775665 or email simon@onlymarketingjobs.com

In addition you might like to contribute to the ongoing discussions in our LinkedIn group and social networking platform.

Simon Lewis | Only Marketing Jobs