Because the roles of Wedding & Event Planner, Stylist and Designer are creative ones, you may have wondered how you can put forward a Resume, which is more fitting for the creative job you are applying for, than perhaps a formal 3 Page Resume and Cover Letter is. In fact the goal with any Resume, for any role, is to make sure it doesn’t end up on the bottom of a very big pile, simply because there are just too many for the employer to work through. Every prospective employee wants their Resume to stand out, enough and in the right way, to catch the employer’s attention and make them curious about what you have to offer.
One way you may be able to achieve this, is by creating a Video Resume, to use instead of, or alongside, a traditional Resume. Because the idea of a Video Resume is something quite new, we thought it was worth taking a closer look at the pros and cons, so you can decide for yourself, is this is going to be the ‘right’ way for you to get noticed.
Firstly, what is a Video Resume?
A Video Resume is a presentation of your skills, knowledge and experience, via video. They typically last 60 seconds and give an employer an opportunity to see and hear you, which brings the information you are sharing to life for the person watching. It is a way to showcase your communication skills, personality and charisma, which is quite hard to do in a written Resume.
Pros
- Creative & Unique – Most people still submit a paper Resume, so a Video Resume will stand out in the pile. It all depends on the employer, but research shows that a Video Resume often makes an employer more curious about you and in this way you have ticked off your very first aim with your Resume; getting noticed.
- Showing not just telling – Most of us will use our Resume to highlight character traits we think are important such as; good communication skills, confidence, professional presentation, personality. A Video Resume gives you a chance to ‘show’ a prospective employer all of this. Often you don’t get a chance to do this until an interview and if you don’t get an interview, an employer may have missed out on seeing the best things about you. A Video Resume is a very powerful way to share ‘you’ with an employer.
- Confident approach – In an interview situation it can be hard to control your nerves and get your key message across. A Video Resume gives you a chance to project confidence and communicate key information about yourself, that you think will make a difference to an employer’s opinion of you and your suitability for the role you are applying for.
Cons
- Informal & non-traditional – Whilst our world has moved increasingly online, there are some things, like Resumes, that have changed little in decades. A Video Resume may be considered informal by some employers and others might find having to watch one, tedious. Our tip is to assess it on a case by case basis and consider offering an employer both a more formal, written Resume and a Video Resume which introduces you and your personality to them. This gives them a choice and shows respect for the fact that they may have a preference.
- Must be professionally executed – Most of us are capable of creating a professional Resume & Cover Letter on our own computer and we can edit it for each job very easily. This is not the case for a Video Resume. You will probably only want to make one, or perhaps two versions of it and we don’t recommend doing one at all, unless you can professionally produce one. Whilst this is a more informal style of presenting a Resume, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you can create one quickly and easily on your phone, with no video skills. Sound, lighting and editing are important, so only do this if you, or someone you know, can help you to create a high quality, finished product.
3 Quick Tips for getting them right
- Don’t recite your Resume. Consider the key things you would want an employer to understand about you that relate to the position you are applying for and communicate that.
- Write a Script
- Practice, Practice, Practice
- Create a polished, finished product
My personal feeling is that if you can create a 60 minute video which looks and sounds great and really sells your personality well, you should go for it. I would always send it with a professional, traditional Resume and Cover Letter and refer to it as an introduction to you. Personality, style and presentation is important in our industry and most employers also value creativity and innovation. A Video Resume, handled well, will deliver on all of those things.
