Why I Was Wrong About Video Resumes

It usually takes a lot to get me to change my mind. It’s not that I’m stubborn; I just have to be convinced. And the only way to convince me of anything is by logic and reason. So, when Richard Zeitz, my Manhattan Chamber of Commerce colleague (we are both “Ambassadors” for the Chamber) approached me about his new company, Purzue, he probably did not expect the answer I gave him to his question, “What do you think about video resumes?” We were sitting together at a Chamber event learning about Google+. I dismissed his question out of hand. “A complete waste. I can’t get clients to read resumes; they’re not going to watch videos! And most don’t want to see pictures of candidates because of concerns about discrimination. And no one has the technology to do a keyword search of videos. And who has the hard drive/server space to store them? And who is going to click on a link from a stranger to an unknown website?” He did not let my concerns go unanswered. In fact, he had a concrete response for each and was so convincing that I did something I can’t remember ever doing, agreeing to serve as an unpaid adviser while the company is being setup. (So, for the record, while this is an endorsement of what he is doing, I am not being paid for it. I actually believe in it!) So what were his responses that won me over? On Purzue the foundation of the multimedia resume is a paper resume, in Word and PDF formats, which recruiters and employers will be able to download to their system just as if the candidate had sent it in directly. Recruiters and employers do not have to view videos. They also don’t have to listen to audio files. It’s their choice. Moreover, Purzue is not just an uploading website. Candidate’s paper resumes, videos, audio files, and infographics will be reviewed by Purzue’s team of experts. Before the “multimedia” resume goes live, candidates will be advised as to any necessary changes. If this were not the case, candidates could simply send recruiters and employers Word documents and links to You Tube videos. Recruiters and employers do not need special software to take advantage of the multimedia resumes. As noted, they download the Word and PDF files as they normally would. They use Purzue’s site to search for, view and listen to the multimedia files. None of those files is stored on the recruiters’ or employers’ servers, so no space is required. All they need is a broadband Internet connection. Since everything is viewed on Purzue’s site, there are no concerns about Internet security. If there is a virus, it will be on Purzue’s site, not the recruiter’s or employer’s. But what really impressed me was that, literally with a mouse click, candidates will be able to send their resumes (links to their Purzue multimedia resume) to all recruiters and employers on the Purzue network. One click and eventually the resume will reach thousands. This will free up job seekers from the administrative side of their job search to do what will always be the most important job search activity – networking. All the technology in the world won’t change that! Video resume image from Shutterstock