Résumés in Motion

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Technology companies seeking business-minded employees are among the first recruiters to consider video from applicants. Ray Schreyer, program manager of Internet recruiting for IBM (IBM) in Charlotte, N.C., says video, if done in a professional manner, is a welcome addition to a digital résumé but should come only after a candidate has been thoroughly screened. "Video résumés are icing on the cake," he says. "But we still need the cake" (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/7/07, "The Art of the Online résumé").

Many recruiters remain cautious, though. Cindy Fiedelman, vice-president of talent management at Avaya (AV), a company that designs, builds, and manages communications networks, says video is likely the way of the future, but first companies will have to create ways to standardize the material and ensure equal opportunity for all candidates. She adds that job applicants should first try to perfect the traditional résumé—show how much money you generated for the restaurant when you worked as a bartender instead of just writing that you poured drinks, for example—before moving on to video (see BusinessWeek.com, 3/13/07, "The Way to a Winning Résumé").

Expert Guidelines

Although there are still no official rules about what a video résumé should look like, career sites are slowly creating standards. Internet job search service CollegeGrad.com, which caters to undergrads and recent graduates, recently launched VideoSnapshot, a template that members can use to record a video to send as an attachment to their traditional online résumé.

Recently Vault hosted a contest for aspiring Wall Street analysts, who vied for a chance at a prestigious internship by creating a video résumé (see BusinessWeek.com's slide show, "Job-Winning Video résumés,"). The images from the contest reflect what most experts are saying about video résumés: Job candidates should dress professionally, refrain from scripting their words, speak clearly, stick to talking about their qualifications, and keep it short.

Both sides of the argument about video résumés are using time as a major factor in the debate. Those in favor of video say employers can save time by using video to replace the first round of interviewing. Those against video say this new technology just adds another step to the initial search for candidates. They add that the written résumé allows human resources staff to do keyword searches and quickly eliminate applicants who don't meet minimum requirements.

Some experts say video résumés could invite lawsuits, because employers would be able to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, and ethnicity in the screening process. However discrimination can happen during the face-to-face interview too, says Char Bennington, senior associate director of career management at the Chicago Graduate School of Business. But Bennington adds that employers want candidates to at least have equal footing during the initial stages.

Supplementary Materials

Others argue the exact opposite, and say that video résumés are the only way that candidates, regardless of their geography and B-school, can open the gates of opportunity. "Video résumés level the playing field for those who aren't at the Stanfords or the Harvards by eliminating the need for robust on-campus recruiting," says Vault's Oldman.

Most experts agree that technology will continue to change the job application. The written, online résumé will survive because the keyword search is a convenient screening tool, but it will be joined by things like podcasts, online portfolios, and of course video (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/7/07, "The Art of the Online Résumé").

Michael Lawson, a professor of economics and the senior associate dean at the Boston University School of Management, envisions a multimedia résumé that would start with a one-page online document covering all the basics—from work experience to education—with hyperlinks to video and other relevant Web content. He and his colleagues are creating templates for such résumés now, and plan to share them with the next incoming class of MBA students.

Eventually, say some, video will enhance the online résumé. "I can't see my kid one day applying for a job with only a black-and-white piece of paper saying, 'This is the best representation of me,'" says Nick Murphy, operations manager of WorkBlast.com, which offers a video-résumé option to its job-seeking members. In other words, MBAs could soon be joining undergrads in making sure that their Web cam captures their good side.

Di Meglio is a reporter for BusinessWeek Online in Fort Lee, N.J.