Video Resumes Not a Great Idea – Part Deux

As a followup to my recent post on video resumes, some information I just received today confirmed my growing conviction that they are an idea whose time has not yet come, and maybe never will.

A colleague and Certification Chair at the National Resume Writers Association Cliff Framer noted in his article in today’s newsletter entitled “Video Resumes. Yea or Nay?” that when this question was recently asked on LinkedIn, the response was unanimous. Recruiters and HR respondents without exception replied with answers that could be summarized as “no way in Web 2.0 h**ell!” Issues noted included some of those I noted in my previous blog post, including slowness of viewing time, vulnerability to discrimination or the appearance thereof, and storage difficulties.

Then Cliff made another observation that I consider astute: Perhaps the biggest problem with this idea is that video resumes force the reader into a passive role, forcing information down the viewer’s throat rather than allowing them to do what recruiters typically do–scan the resume quickly to find needed information and read between the lines. All the flashy thingies and interactive features that technies can come up with in a video or multimedia resume will never replace articulate and succinct expression of your value as a job candidate in a printable executive resume.

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