Your dream job is always the hardest to land because everyone wants it. How do you stand out? How can you create an impression with the selectors even before the selection process has started? How do you make your resume look attractive? Video resumes are your answer. But first thing’s first – what’s a video resume?
A video resume is a creative way to present yourself. Since employers are often flooded with paper resumes, video is the way to stand out.
And Selfanimate has pre-made templates that you can customize to best suit your portfolio and personality. So you get to stand out creatively and be the candidate who grasps the most attention in a sea of, probably, equally qualified people looking to land the same job.
How to make your video resume
Log in to Selfanimate
If you’re new to Selfanimate, just sign up with your Google account or, if you prefer, email and password.
Go to Personal Templates
Choose Personal from the drop-down list under Make Video.
Select your template
Click on Use Now on the template you like. It will take you to the customization page.
Customize
Colors
Choose the combination of colors that complement your personality. After all, this video is about yourself.
Text
You can change the font of your text in the test frame; select the one that looks best to you. And keep your writing clear and concise. If you don’t have material for certain text placeholders, you can delete them from the frame by clicking the dustbin icon beside them. Remember, less is more, so keep it brief and simple with a few highlights that the selector can understand and retain.
Media
Images
In the frame, click on the image placeholder to upload your image. You can edit it by clicking on Modify. After uploading your image, you should preview the frame to see if the image fills the placeholder. If it doesn’t, click on Modify and crop it a little.
Music/voiceover
You can choose from the music options made available by Selfanimate or upload your own. Go to Music Library > Custom Library to upload your own music, and in that case, make sure to check copyright infringement. You can upload your voiceover in the same way by clicking on Voiceover Library.
Produce
When you’re satisfied with your efforts, hit Make Video Now in the final step and your video will be ready in a few minutes.
Share
You can easily share your video with your potential employers by sharing its link. Your video will be hosted on Selfanimate and people with the shareable link can conveniently view it.
Tips for the winning video resume
Keep your audience in mind
Although we are all people and enjoy humor, try to keep your industry norms in mind. Too much quirkiness may not feel right to certain employers, and likewise, too much seriousness may not feel right to others. It’s all about the kind of people you’re making the video for. If there is a specific company you want to send your resume to, research on their culture. Go to their website, read their content, and get a sense of what kind of people they are. How they talk, how they behave, what their values are. Are they laid back, cheerful, sassy, straightforward?
And if you’re making your resume for a broader audience, think in terms of general industry behavior and culture. Keep these things in mind and customize your personal touch accordingly.
Choose a good photo
If you really want to leave a good impression on your interviewers, it’s important to choose the right photo of yourself to appear in the video. Remember, it’s a resume, not your Facebook timeline. Some photos may not be appropriate. Like that great photo from your vacation, it’s awesome, sure, but don’t use it for this purpose – or do if you’re applying to a young travel-related company (again, think about the industry).
The quality of the photo should be good as well, poor shots in bad lighting or blurred images would immediately put off your audience. Rummage your gallery for a recent photo in which your face is clearly visible, and the aesthetic is right. If you don’t have a picture like that, don’t compromise – take one. Also, make sure that your picture fills the template’s photo placeholder. You can achieve this by simply clicking on ‘modify’ on the image in the template editor.
Write a script, and aim for good sound quality (if you use a voiceover)
While you may not want to go on camera, adding a voiceover would be a nice touch. But you don’t want to umm…uh…so… your way in the video. So write down what you want to say and go over it once or twice. Check the template’s duration and keep your voiceover under the time limit. To give you an idea, 1 minute of video is generally equal to 120 – 130 words. Practice reading your script out loud, try to sound natural, and avoid mechanical speech. The volume and energy of your voice should also be at the right level. So don’t yell or mumble, and don’t seem over-enthusiastic or sad.
Record your audio in a quiet room which has the least potential to produce an echo. Because echo or disturbing sounds, even the humming of a fan, would degrade your voiceover quality. But you can tackle it by finding a quiet space and keeping close to the mic. You can also download a recording app on your phone for even better sound quality. Check out this blog post to learn more on that.
Be honest
In the introduction and personal sections of your resume, be yourself. Write what feels authentic to you and do yourself justice. In the other sections, write relevant and honest information.
Proofread
The last thing that needs to be in your resume is a typo. So proofread thoroughly before making the final video. Preview each frame as you go along and check once more before producing to be sure.
Host it
Instead of uploading the video to concerned websites or trying to send it in an email, a better option is to host your video on Selfanimate, YouTube, Vimeo, or your Google Drive. You can then share the link with your potential employers and they can easily access it, without having to download a large file. One thing to also steer clear of is hosting the video on your social media profile, like Facebook, unless you want your interviewers to peruse your personal space. LinkedIn, however, can be an option since it’s primarily a professional space. So if you’re considerably active on LinkedIn and have a good profile, you can host your video resume there. And remember to take the video down after you’ve landed your dream job.
Now go get ‘em!
You have the tool and the tips to make your winning video resume. Give it your best shot and land that job!
