Video Resumes, A Fake Moustache and Boxer Shorts
Adding some creative flair to your video pitch may give you more success than you think.
Did you ever imagine impressing your prospective employer could involve wearing a fake moustache “that makes angels weep,” drinking a glass of wine, and talking about your “package”? Probably not.
Those are only three of the several witty moves, however, that Matthew Epstein used in his video resume to apply for a marketing position. According to Time Magazine, his efforts landed him an interview for his dream job at Google. By posting his video resume on YouTube, Epstein also received 80 job interview offers, two of which came from Microsoft and Amazon, and three job offers. To top it off, his video resume has over one million views on YouTube.
Since employers already have full access to your skills, qualifications, and background through your resume and cover letter, your video resume provides you with the ideal opportunity to showcase your personality, creativity, and humor. If you are applying for an advertising, marketing, sales, product managing, writing, designing, event planning, or even elementary teaching job, consider taking advantage of this. Soft skills are often essential to success in these types of careers but are often hard to convey through paper. Using a video resume can help you overcome this hurdle.
Check out Epstein’s video resume below to see how he did so:
If you have a professional portfolio, consider integrating it into your video resume. This probably applies to you if you are a graphic designer, photographer, architect, or artist. Perhaps dedicate a portion of your video resume to flipping through your work and then add a voice-over after the shoot. As an alternative, you could set up your pieces of work in the background to be referenced during your video resume.
If you have above-average video editing skills, be sure to take advantage of these too. Adding text, graphics, or even animations to your video resume could give it that edge it needs to stand out. If you don’t have these skills, however, don’t fret. Creativity doesn’t need to be so grand scheme. Doing something as simple as finding a unique background, such as the one used in Epstein’s video, or a distinctive camera angle can give your video resume a boost in creativity.
While Epstein’s video resume is arguably a risky move to take and definitely inappropriate for some audiences, his video goes to show that there is a time and place to add some creative flair to your video resume. Hopefully his example can show you the possibilities for utilizing creativity and help get you started on your own original video resume.
