by Tressa Anderson

Created on: October 20, 2007

This past week I spent researching the subject of video resumes for a client. I was startled to realize how popular they are. Almost made me feel like I was behind times a little. Ha ha.

What I learnt was, in today's highly competitive job market, video resumes are an asset. But only if they are done correctly. If not, just picture Aleksey Vayner, and his obvious mistake. Video resumes can work in your favor or damage your career. If you do choose to make one, keep it professional.

Today I finally made a resume for the "virtual world." I had one for the "real" world, but not one with all my writing and blogging experience. Now I think I need to create a video resume to really stand out.

If you're like me and kicking around the idea, here are some tips:

Keep it no longer than three minutes
Wear a suit (this applies whether you are male or female)
Keep jewelry to a minimum (guy's freshly shaved)
Don't make big gestures
Stick to only business stuff. Talk about your resume only not your personal life
Have a person interview you
Don't do anything foolish or unprofessional
Don't have long answers. Keep it short, but detailed enough
Video resumes are becoming quite popular. YouTube alone has over 4,000. So in today's vastly competitive market, maybe you do need to think outside the box and create a video resume.

If you choose to make one, you'll need to figure out if you want to create your own with a digital camera, webcam, or go through an agency. If you choose to use an agency like http://www.vault.com, you are looking at anywhere from around $100-400. I suggest to go this way if you are unsure of how to make your own. If you are tech savvy, save your money and make it yourself. And if you are worried about privacy, I suggest not posting on YouTube. Of course if you were worried about privacy, I'm sure you wouldn't even make a video resume.

And once your video is completed, you need to host it somewhere. At http://hiremenow.com they offer free hosting for your video. Then when you apply for a job you can just send your employer a link to your video.

In any case, if you've never heard of video resumes, now you have, and if you want to stand out from the competition, you'll actually make one.

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