Video applications are a unique and emerging means of presenting yourself to future employers.
Unlike a traditional paper CV, there is no set format for a video CV but there are some protocol and points you should keep in mind!
Before filming
1. Your personality
This is your opportunity to show your employer who you are! Talk about your passions, what your experiences are and what you want to achieve in the future.
Be creative! Use humour where appropriate, weave in some clips and pics of you having fun and exploring your interests.
Keep in mind the ‘Grandma check’ in some cases the video will be publicly available – would you show your application to your elderly Grandma or would you be sinking lower and lower into her velvet armchair in embarrassment? If the latter, rethink your content.
2. Scripting
Be careful with this one. Pick out your top three to five points, what is it about you that makes you perfect for the job? What are the key take home points that you want your prospective employer to remember about you?
Introduce yourself, who you are, what you want to achieve from the video. End with a quick summary and something positive for example “you are excited about the opportunity and can’t wait to hear”.
Write your points down and practice saying them out loud so you are comfortable and ‘off script’. There is nothing worse than someone glancing down at their notebook every few seconds as it suggests a nervousness or worse that you not sincere about what you are saying.
3. Body language
It sounds obvious but remember to smile! Employers want to work with a happy person not someone glum, if you have a ‘resting angry face’ (mine is more ‘resting confused!’) then turn your frown upside down and be sure to keep your eye on the camera lens (which can feel a bit alien at first).
4. Your backdrop
Rule 101 of a video application is NEVER film your application from your bedroom, or even worse – your bathroom. This is the social equivalent of a toilet selfie and will be just as creepy to your employer, they want to know about you not what colour bedsheets you have.
Picturesque outdoor spots make the best backdrops, be it in your garden or a quiet park if you can’t get to a suitable spot then use your living room or study with decent lighting. Oh – and don’t forget to film it in landscape (phone to the side!)
Editing
You don’t need to be able to deliver your whole application in one take like a movie star. If you’re filming on your iPhone or iPad, use iMovie this is a really simple editing app which comes ready installed on apple and will allow you to cut and splice clips together if you’re using windows then Movie Maker does a similar job. Both applications allow you to add music and pictures to make your vid stand out from the crowd!
Uploading
This bit is nice and easy. Log into YouTube or create a simple account. Then, upload your video from the top left-hand corner. Make sure you title your video something like “John Smith video CV”.
Important point!
Before clicking upload make sure you set the privacy to ‘unlisted’. This means that your video is live but not publically viewable – just in case you go viral or your current employer sees!
Once uploaded, click share and copy the link.
Creating your NicestJobs Profile & uploading your video CV
Either on a desktop or smart phone, go to nicestjobs.com. Then, on the top right-hand cover select sign up.
Choose to sign up as a candidate.
Then create your profile. We’ve made it easier than ever to sign up through Facebook & Linkedin!
Once signed up you’ll have an account. Simply click, create CV.
From there you’ll be able to paste your video CV YouTube link, add all of your contact info, work history and education, you can even upload a traditional cv if you’d like to.
Then click preview and post!
Apply for jobs
Once logged in, you can apply for any job on NicestJobs with just one click. Your whole profile, video CV and traditional CV will be sent to the employer!
Good luck and enjoy it!
