Video CV To Success

Written by Laura Pauley, D7 Recruitment

My Gran used to say an image is worth a 1000 words, well if thatís the case imagine how powerful a video can be...

Want an added spin to the mundane recruitment process that is paper CVís? Something thatís going to be different, stand out from the crowd and get you noticed. Well the answer lies within the new unsurpassed Video CV.

This popular tool is already setting its stone in the states and in my opinion itís about time the UK caught up with our western friends.

Simply a creative way of selling yourself, aiding you to land that dream job you have thought about since childhood, whether that be a chef or following in your fathers foot steps of a JCB driver. (But for the more sophisticated a PA will do the trick.) This value in technology really could give all job candidates not only a foot in the door but also an edge over competition.

CareerBuilder's director of consumer products Liz Harvey points out that ìIt's exciting for job seekers; It allows them to showcase things that they can't really show in a traditional CV, things like their communications skills, their character, their enthusiasm.

With over 80% of employers saying they would most defiantly look at a video based CV; the statistics speak for themselves. Imagine you were an employer, scaling through dozens of paper based CVís that all looked the same - then a video CV lands on your desk. Employers are more likely to take note of you if you sell yourself well on camera than the boring Law student on paper. As everyone knows, qualifications arenít always everything and its people that sell not necessarily certificates. What good is a degree if you have no people skills, motivation or personality to go with it?

Jenny Meadow a fellow job candidate commented on the system After interviewing for a role I always feel like itís my personality that gets me the job, so if they can see my personality before hand it just means I have a better chance of getting through.î

A word of warning though, as funny as it was, donít follow in the footsteps of the sure to be most spoke about guy in the states at present, of course Iím talking about the now ever so popular Yale student whoís Video CV ended up in the wrong hands and consequently found itself on the other fantastic generation of our time ìYouTube.î

This 7 minute audition tape (Audition being the only word to describe it) showed the guy not only ballroom dancing (as if that wasnít enough) but also shooting a tennis ball at a whopping 140mph. Which I have to admit is quite impressive - but this isnít Big Brother, this is a potential job interview.

This unintentionally hilarious video named ìNothing is Impossibleî is most certainly a warning of what not to do, and Iím sure that guy was the brunt of the jokes through his campus halls that semester.

It doesnít even have to be that hard, with the likes of D7 Recruitment offering online recruitment solutions to job seekers, employers and recruitment agencies. With no more unnecessary fees for job seekers and free job postings for recruitment agencies and employers this simply is a stress-free solution to the recruitment process for all.

Caroline Watts, a recruitment specialist points out ì Even if an employer never sees it, producing a video CV not only increases your chances of landing a job but also enhances your skills and boost self-confidence, so what harm can it do?î

Increase your exposure, put yourself and your skills out there, you have come this far so why not sell yourself to the best of your ability to land yourself that job that could change your career and future for the better.

Yes the Video CV has fallen short of some criticism, with insiders saying that employers could easily discriminate against job candidates. But couldnít they do this anyway at the interview stage?

If you ask me, industry insiders have nothing better to do than criticize new products or changes, give it a few months and these CVís will be the norm. I mean look at application forms, how many organisations send them out anymore? The world is going electronic and the UK has to catch up!

Laura Pauley
D7 Recruitment