As Katie Bryant prepares to shoot her multimedia resume, she hears the horror stories. One job hunter flubbed his greeting speech through 26 takes (he never did get it right). Another man shot his video in Sacramento, then flew back home to South Carolina. His wife didn't like the results, so he flew out to California again. And again. The third time, the missus herself directed the production. These tales aren't exactly confidence builders.
"Hopefully I won't have to do 20 takes," Bryant says. "I've been out of work a week and I don't like it. I'm ready to get a job fast." Bryant, a veteran at running call centers for Apple Computer, Xerox, and MCI, hopes shooting this video resume will land her a VP slot at a new company.
She thinks about her pace, pause, and pitch as she recites her script. "Hi, I'm Katie Bryant," she says. "Welcome to my web portfolio."
Multimedia resumes run the gamut from a simple streaming video introduction on a website to a full-blown production on DVD that looks like a car commercial with quick cuts, eye candy graphics, impressive charts, and a heart-pounding soundtrack (think Elle Woods's Harvard entrance video in Legally Blonde). You can make one yourself for next to nothing with borrowed equipment, or you can go whole hog and blow 12 grand on a production that would make Jerry Bruckheimer proud.
Video resumes are not for everyone. Some, fearing discrimination based on race, age, or disability, worry that they slam as many doors as they're supposed to open. "I'm 58," says William Beauchamp, former president of the Media Human Resources Association. "When I send a [text] resume out, I don't mention everything I've done. If I send that via video I'm not going to look like I'm 40. Another potential problem is that it's like early Internet use -- a lot of [job hunters] will not have access to that technology."
And remember: Even brilliant, accomplished people, when confronted with a video camera, can look like deer caught in the headlights.
Still, many executives think they are ready for their close-ups. They fly from all over the country to Sacramento to have their videos produced by Corporate Warriors (the company can also send videographers to clients). Some other companies do it cheaper, but Corporate Warriors offers the most services.
"We produce multimedia portfolios that demonstrate the executive's leadership and ability to impact the bottom line," says Don Straits, whose business card identifies him as the company's "CEO and Dragon Slayer." "The videos are important in allowing the hiring company to get a feel for the executive's confidence and ability to express themselves."
Each client receives CDs the size and shape of business cards with his or her multimedia portfolio on them. The videos can be as short as one minute or as long as a 20-minute presentation (although with limited bandwidth and attention spans, you might want to condense your week-long conference into a three-minute "best of" clip).
With prices ranging from $1,800 to $11,800, Corporate Warriors is the most upscale of the multimedia resume makers (the top fee also includes lifelong outplacement services such as unlimited executive coaching, assistance in placing industry articles, resume distribution to recruiters, and an e-mail account). But many swear it's worth every penny.
"I'd say it cut my job search in half," says former job seeker Rowland Fellows. "By the time I got to my final set of interviews, the CEO and board of directors had already seen my video resume and decided I was the guy. It was a much different set of final interviews than I'd experienced before."
Fellows is now a vice president of worldwide sales and marketing for Philippines-based Software Ventures International. "The online resume made it much more realistic to pursue an opportunity in an international company," he says. In fact, video resumes have the most impact with big or international corporations. "For companies spending a lot of money flying candidates over, it can be a cost saver," says Beauchamp.
Whether your target job is across the globe or across the street, video resumes can get you in the door. "It sets the individual apart," says Michael A. Patrino II, president of SwapJobs.com. "It gives them an opportunity to get a pre-interview interview."
SwapJobs.com says it has produced more than 10,000 video resumes since February 2000. Clients submit theirs by capturing footage with a standard video camera (digital for best quality) and sending SwapJobs.com the tape. The outfit charges $79 to produce and host your video for six months.
For the tech-savvy, another DIY site is BroadcastAResume.com, which highlights important phrases from your resume on one side of the screen as your video plays on the other. Just download the application, shoot with a web camera, paste in your resume, and add headings ($99 to upload up to 10 minutes of video).
Most videos should last no more than a minute or so, but some people need to go longer. "You might have extra tools and skills to highlight," says Cynthia de Lorenzi, CEO of Broadcast A Resume. "If you want to be a rodeo clown, show some film of you being a rodeo clown."
Longer video resumes are especially important for positions where presentation skills are key. "To hire a salesperson, I want to see them before wasting their time -- or mine," says Jeffrey Lee, president of JobWizard.com, which lets job seekers upload video resumes for free. "A Ph.D. in street smarts is what I look for. I can tell after four seconds of video if they have it or not." A VP at a Northwest-based technology company -- who has used multimedia resumes in hiring -- adds, "If I could screen all candidates that way, I'd do it in a heartbeat."
Since most people probably won't watch more than the first minute of your video, keep your message focused. "The more tailored to a specific market, the better," says David Sanders, president of recruiting firm MRI Sierra International Group.
What if you're just beginning your career? "Freshly minted business students do have exceptional accomplishments they can point to," says Straits. "If they had to present a case study, they can discuss their innovative research, analysis, recommendations, and predictions for bottom-line results."
Back at her video shoot, Katie Bryant nails her introduction in two takes -- though she grimaces when she sees herself on-screen. "We girls always go, 'Ugh! My hair,' or whatever," she says. "But I'm happy with the end product."
Her multimedia portfolio (corporatewarriors.com/katie1204) is posted the next day. Bryant sent the link to three recruiters and, within a week, landed a new job, VP of business development for -- get this -- Corporate Warriors. [Ed. note: Don't worry -- Jungle hasn't been punk'd. We confirmed that Bryant was unemployed before Corporate Warriors hired her.]
Says Straits, "Today you are conspicuous if you have an online multimedia portfolio. Three years from now, you'll be conspicuous if you don't."
