Tag Archive for video cv’s

Video Recruitment – Are you a video hypocrite?

Are companies who use video to attract candidates hypocrites, if they don’t accept video CV’s/Profiles from candidates? Is there a difference? To be honest I don’t really think so and here is why.

Employers are using video to engage, communicate in more detail and “show” candidates what it is they are offering. They are advertising their employer brand/offering, in the hope of attracting the right candidates and building a stronger image. You can see, hear and feel what a company is like and learn more about an Employer from watching a 2 minute video then by a quick chat over the phone. You can watch and hear from current Employees “pitching” you the Company message. In the end it’s all about selling themselves to you and gaining awareness.

Candidates use video to engage, sell themselves in the initial stages more effectively and “show” employers what it is they can bring to the table. Having the ability to “show” their personality and have a “virtual face to face” introduction, they are powering their profiles with a visual tool that speaks to their abilities far more efficiently and effectively then some words on a piece of paper. They to are trying to attract the right Employer and by using video they are giving an Employer a better feel for who it is they are.

So I put it to YOU, for all the companies that utilise video as a vehicle to attract, engage and advertise their Employer Brand to candidates, are they being hypocritical by also not allowing a candidate to do the same?

20,000 video applications, isn't this proof that video is the future?

beachI wrote this blog earlier this year and even though it’s only 6 months on I actually can’t believe nothing has changed in terms of video usage within recruitment. Six months is not a long time I know, but the power that utilising video showed through-out the campaign highlighted below is outstanding. Have a read and let me know what you think.

I recently posted a blog regarding a very successful job hunting campaign by Tourism Queensland for “The best job in the world” . This campaign went viral, no job (other then Obama’s) has created so much press all over the world. The result has been 20,000 video applications since the start of the campaign, from all around the world. That’s right, 20,000, it may be The Best job in the World, but it’s a staggering number!!!!

I was recently told that the only reason that the video application is so high, is because this is what the client asked for…… A rather naive viewpoint if you ask me.

Yes the client wants to see video….but why????

Video provides a more dynamic and diverse application method that can offer more about a person then what words on paper possibly can. You can learn more about someone in 30 seconds via video, then you can in 2 minutes reading their resume (and yes I know it only takes about 30 seconds to read a resume you will tell me but you get my point).

Whilst video will never replace a traditional CV, and nor it should , it does add a greater dimension to the persons personality and potential cultural fit then a resume can. We are after all hiring a person, not the words on the piece of paper. So why wouldn’t I want to see that person in the flesh, however you can, at the earliest possible stage?

There have been 20,000 video applications to this job, an amazing number. The majority of applications have come from the US, with Italy, Germany and Britain making up the top four. But this was not the only method to apply.

What this ad shows us is that globally, candidates will apply via video if you ask them to, others will apply via a traditional CV, either way candidates will stay with what they are comfortable with, and is their anything wrong with that? What you will get from the video CV is a person,a person with personality and substance, what you get from a traditional resume is words, areas that will need clarification, and more then likely things that are missing. Video can fill in gaps and give you a greater understanding of WHO it is you are reading about.

Video applications/profiles/CV’s are happening, their is some education required about the right approach and use, but as the online recruitment strategy was a no go zone only 10 years ago, the video application world is, and should be a natural progression.