Creating an Impressive Video Resume: It’s All in the Details

Sure, we all probably have heard or just intuitively know the basic guidelines for creating a video resume: look professional, make sure the sound and lighting are decent, choose a tidy background, etc…These are all pretty intuitive. But beyond these basic guidelines, what really separates a good video resume from the pack? Check out this list of things I’ve noticed in my experience of watching some good quality video resumes:

• The job seekers are at eye-level with the video recorder.
  Video resumes in which the camera is looking down onto the job seeker or, conversely, looking up at the job seeker are quite awkward to watch. Neither of them are very flattering perspectives. If you’re creating a video resume on your phone, make sure that you extend your arm out straight and hold the phone at eye-level. If you’re creating your video resume on a laptop, make sure that you stack books underneath your laptop to bring it up to eye-level.
• The background is blank or very basic.
  Yes, you’ve probably heard before that you need a neat and tidy background. But for a standard video resume, I argue further for a very minimalistic background. You don’t want employers to be distracted as they’re trying to make out the details of a painting on the wall or trying to read the titles of the book on your bookshelf. You want all the attention on you!
• The job seekers seem happy. But not too happy.
  While it’s definitely a good idea to portray yourself as enthusiastic, likeable, and charismatic, don’t go overboard with these characteristics. Video has the tendency to make people sound more dull and monotonous, so you will need to make an effort to overcome this, but definitely experiment around with finding the right level of enthusiasm. While it’s not ideal to sound dull and boring, it’s also not ideal to sound fake happy.
• The job seekers don’t make gestures.
  Don’t get me wrong. Appealing video resumes have a relaxed and conversational tone rather than a stiff and uptight one. However, this does not give you permission to gesture wildly. Although you may not be thinking about this as you’re creating your video resume, it’s actually very distracting to the employers. So keep those arms down!

If you have any additional less-well-known video resume creation tips, feel free to comment below! This short list is only meant to serve as a starting point for you.

And if you haven’t had the chance to start your video resume creation yet, sign up for a free job seeker account on Jobma and get started today!