Recruiters are busier than ever, so standing out from the crowd takes more than listing the right skills. The New York Times says the US added 678,000 jobs in February, and workers are quitting at almost record rates.
All Turtles recruiter Giorgia Rossini sometimes looks at 100 resumes in a single day. “The roles I’m working on at the moment get hundreds of applicants,” she says.
A video resume can be a pre-interview foot in the door, helping you deliver a succinct summary of your achievements while also showing some of your personality. Like written resumes, a video resume should be a reflection of who you will be on the job.
“When it comes to general resume advice, I usually tell my friends to make sure they include anything that reflects that their past employer or manager had trust in them—especially in the era of distributed work,” says Molly Thompson of recruiting firm Grayscale.
Rossini also encourages sending customized messages that show a person’s knowledge of the company and open position. “The trick is to help me get a feel for what you would be like in a role.”
A good video resume should be like a cover letter come to life. With mmhmm, you can create a video that helps people visualize your achievements, and you can tailor your message for a specific company or job without fancy editing software. In addition to showing recruiters more of your personality, an mmhmm recording can help you look technically savvy.
Here’s a sample script and slide list for a 1- to 2-minute video resume:
Slide 1: Represent your personality
Introduce yourself and share a bit about who you are. Like your outfit, you should choose a room that matches the formality of the brand and reflects who you are and what you do.
Slide 2: Speak to the job and company you want
Display the company’s logo on a slide and talk about why you want this particular job at this company. A little personalization and familiarity with the company and brand can go a long way toward making an impression on a recruiter.
Slides 3-5: Share visuals that highlight your achievements
Keep it short and stick to the hits. List three important and relevant accomplishments. Thompson recommends starting with what projects you lead, who you mentored, and what you planned. If you have stats to back up your claims, show them on slides. If you’re a designer or product manager, show some of your portfolio. Staying on-screen with your visuals helps recruiters make a connection between you and your work.
Slide 6: Close with your contact information
Conclude with information on how to reach you, in case your video gets shared with others, and thank your audience for watching to the end.
Best of luck on getting the job you want! (If you want to work with a distributed team that gets a monthly stipend to cover expenses, zero-meeting days, and lots of other cool distributed work benefits, we’re hiring. We would love to see your mmhmm resumes.)
