Video CVs: A help or hindrance when applying for marketing jobs?

Not so long ago, a paper CV with no links, buttons or video clips did the job perfectly, as long as the content was good. Today’s CVs are full of hyperlinks to online profiles, blog spots, digital portfolios and company pages. The next development – something UK recruiters are gradually seeing more and more of – is the video CV, or VCV. The marketing, PR and new media job sectors are likely to see an influx of the latest VCVs during 2013 and beyond, marketing HR experts predict.

These are most likely to take the form of a link to a YouTube clip, or an embedded video that can sit on the actual CV and play if clicked to activate.

In a recent BBC article, Graham Goodkind, chairman and founder of Frank PR, expressed surprise that so few job candidates resort to hi-tech tricks.
“It’s always amazed me in this day and age, that when things are moving so quickly from a technological point of view, CVs and resumes are really the same as they were 10, 15 or even 20 years ago,” he said. When he received a well-produced video CV from a promising candidate “it really opened up our eyes to how it could be done, and we wanted to meet the guy straight away”. The young PR professional was duly offered a job at the firm.

New ‘resume presentation’ tools are appearing

Products are coming onto the market that will allow job hunters to produce highly professional presentations about themselves. For instance the Sliderocket Présumé templates have been designed “to enable you to quickly turn a stock resume into an engaging, interactive presentation”. You can even use the system’s analytics tool to track who has looked at your VCV. While such tools are aimed at technical professionals today, they give an insight into what might be around the corner when it comes to making marketing CVs stand out better in the crowded job market.

But are VCVs being welcomed as a creative, innovative way for marketing job candidates to put themselves forward for interview, or an annoying addition that could do more harm than good in the hiring process? Nick Dereka, a social media marketing expert says: “A video CV seems to tick all the boxes for the more creative industries, but for the more corporate/traditional industries this approach is frowned upon.” However, he adds: “I think over time this will change – much like the traditional paper CV being replaced by your LinkedIn profile.”

One sceptical recruiter suggests in an online forum discussion on this subject, that video CVs can never replace interviews for certain job roles. “What employers look for is personality, aptitude and the ability to respond well in a two-way interaction. These skills can only be seen in a face to face meeting, so a video will potentially put employers off.” It seems there’s every chance that if someone’s personality on film does not fit the company’s requirement, they could be rejected even before being invited for interview.

Another downside is the fact that busy HR managers and recruiters don’t have time to spend even 3 minutes watching a YouTube clip. Remember that if there are 70 marketing job applications, time requirements add up. In the time it takes for an HR person to watch a CV video, they could have quickly read at least a few written CVs. Covering letters and CVs can be quickly scanned – sometimes by computer systems – whereas video footage demands the full attention of an individual. And can the candidate cram all the relevant information about themselves into a lightning speed video presentation anyway?

Can you perform for the camera?

Another big consideration – before you get in front of the camera to talk about your marketing training and experience – is that not everyone comes across fantastically well on camera. In fact without a strong voice, good presentation skills and the right demeanour, your VCV could go against you. A candidate could be highly skilled in their profession, but not charismatic enough on camera. Or they could appear over-confident and pushy. We’ll leave you to make up your own minds up about the VCV protagonist above!

Recruitment experts suggest alternative ways for candidates to provide additional insights about themselves beyond the VCV idea. The video could be for the covering letter, rather than the CV, for example. Meanwhile, microblogs that include a candidate’s CV and portfolio provide another way for marketing jobseekers to present themselves to firms.

It might be that in the coming years, video CVs prove to be of most interest for entry-level roles where personality is a key driver. Video CVs could be a great way to make graduate recruitment more effective, for example.

At the end of the day, the point of a CV is to gain an interview, so it’s worth marketing professionals keeping an eye on the latest techniques coming through. It’s certainly not a requirement yet for video content to play a part in the race for a marketing job interview – but it could be very soon.

Browse our marketing vacancies today on www.simplymarketingjobs.co.uk

Video: YouTube