I feel I’m a little slow in voicing my opinion on Video CVs. There have been some great blogs recently about the pros and cons of them so I thought I’d link to a few as well as share my thoughts.
Firstly, Gerry Crispin’s thoughts (you can read about Gerry here or visit his LinkedIn profile). Back in August Gerry got so sick of being asked the same question by journalists about his thoughts on video CVs that he posted “Video resumes are so dumb they don’t know when they are dead…” He gives a detailed explanation of why he’s so against them. Gerry is recognised as something of a guru within the US recruitment industry so I’d say his thoughts are worth a read. Not everyone agrees with him so it’s also interesting to read the comments on that blog post.
Then earlier this month there was a post on the IdealPeopleBlog asking if Video CVs are the future of job seeking. There post looked at the pros and cons (but mostly the cons) as did this article from The Guardian (but again the writer finds more negatives than positives).
Finally, and what has prompted me to write this blog post I saw that Nick Corcodilos of Ask The Headhunter (fab email newsletter – well worth subscribing too) had written about Video CVs “The Fantasy of flacks and career sites” from a candidate perspective. It’s worth reading his article – but if you’ve not got time the bottom line is that he’s not too keen on them.
By the way; if you want to see examples of Video CVs in the UK check out Talking CV and D7 Recruitment.
But what do I think of Video CVs? I think they are an example of trying to use technology where it’s just not needed. I love corporate’s doing online hiring videos but Video CVs, right here and now, don’t do it for me (although I’m not suggesting they are just about to die out – I’m sure they are here to stay and be shoehorned as a solution to a problem which doesn’t exist). Recruiters screen CVs at a rate of one every 30 seconds or so. Experienced recruiters do it in between phone calls, waiting for the kettle to boil and (rather naughtily) whilst chatting away to colleagues. Watching a two minute video CV will obviously take longer; unless you only give each person 30 seconds in which to prove themselves – and of course that’s not the idea at all. As I’ve said previously I also think it opens the door to discrimination (either purposeful or unconsciously).
However, they do have an application in some niche areas. Obviously within the “performing arts” there is a market and maybe for certain sales roles a recruiter may offer to view video presentations showcasing sales skills. Where appropriate they can allow a recruiter to assess a candidates presentation and communication skills. But two minutes of watching a candidate read out their CV? It’s a no from me!
I think the people that are commenting negatively on Video CV’s are the ones who are either ‘too shy’ or just plain narrow minded on how big a role technology is beginning to play in our lives! It is also a wonderful tool for people who are willing to relocate to another town, city or country and are unable to get to initial interviews, but would still like to be considered for the position!
As to the ‘discrimination’ factor – as if it isn’t possible to ‘discriminate’ in an interview face to face!!!!
As a candidate that has been through the Video CV experience with D7 Recruitment, I can honestly say that it was a fantastic experience. Although I was confident in what I had written in my paper CV, I had discovered that Video CV’s were a new concept in recruitment and felt that this would really give me a chance to highlight my skills and experience, and also let my personality shine through. As a result, I managed to get a job within a couple of weeks and now couldn’t be happier. If clips are kept down to a reasonable size i.e. approx 60 secs with D7 Recruitment, I do not see how employers would find this a tedious exercise…only more rewarding, as (depending on the job of course) they can see which candidates not only have a strong paper CV but can really present themselves and be good in an interview situation.
Shelia and Jacqueline – thanks for your comments.
@ Shelia. I’m sure video CVs would present more of a problem for shy people but I don’t think that’s the reason behind most commentators negative comments. Also, if geography makes it difficult for you to attend an interview then video conferencing is more likely to be the answer than a video CVs in my opinion. I am all for video conferencing in recruitment.
@ Jacqueline. Congratulations on getting a new job so quickly. Do you know if everyone the company screened has applied with a video CV and were “presentation skills” part of the competency set for this role?
Hi Louise,
Video CVs do not need to be two minutes of a candidate reading out their CV – how boring!
Something a bit more creative and around thirty seconds would be nearer the mark.
It is a well known fact that interviewers make a judgement to hire or not within the first thirty seconds of meeting a candidate. So why not save candidates (who fail the ‘thirty second test’)their time and money travelling to interviews where they haven’t got a cat in hell’s chance of getting the job (a lot of the time for descriminatory reasons). This would be a much greener alternative also.
Hi Louise
You mentioned unconsciously discriminating and I think it’s an interesting point. The unconscious part of a person’s mind will usually process body language and tone before any words. I think the ratio is somewhere around 55% body language, 38% tone and 7% words that are processed by the unconscious. In which case, a 30 second video clip can give a recruiter exactly the impression they need.
We’ve all been fooled before by a candidate that’s had enormous help from their succesful friend in putting together their CV. I think a video CV can bring to life a rounded picture of the person that a piece of paper will never justify.
It’s a little bit like an awards ceremony; it’s never the same when a stand in reads out words of thankyou from a winner. It is just words on paper. However, get the winner standing up and you get a real feel for what they’re all about. Put another way; imagine if we all communicated by paper! Just because the traditional route of recruiting is through a CV, who says it has to stay this way? I’d love to see a case study of a company that has actually used this method and look at the results they’ve had.
Hey that said, I think CV writing is definitely food for the soul. As James Caan describes it ‘a yearly MOT’ I completely agree. It gives every individual a chance to reflect on successes and identify future goals, making sense of it all.
So all said, I think the two can go hand in hand. Combine them both, and be realistic – where there’s no need to see a person then use the CV to make decisions. Where it’s important that you see the person, use it!
I love it how all the negative flack is coming from the so called professionals in recruitment – why? maybe because finally through video cv’s employers will be able to do away with the overly priced somewhat ineffective recruitment agencies and do it themselves. I have spoken with many of my business collegues and from the eyes of employers there is definately room for video cvs especially in the small to medium sized business arena. All I can say is look out recruitment companies the employers in these small businesses are waking up to you and your big price tickets, video cvs give them the power. As an employer – bring me more I want to see and hear candidates, I want to make my own decisions. Will my business collegues continue to utilise video cv sites – YES.
Why not do both?
I have recently set up a video cv site here in New Zealand as the market is very fresh. The feedback on research conducted is highly in favour of video cv’s especially from the employers perspective.From the job seeker things are a little slow as New Zealanders we tend to be a little shy. I am sure that this will change soon.