The Pros and Cons of A Video Resumeby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 22 May 2007 04:30 AM In the world of job seeking, there is a new tool on the block, or rather the Internet. It is the video resume. Digital cameras and phones with digital video capability are making it easy to create movie clips that showcase your talents. As a candidate, you can set up a website with your video resume and e-mail the link to your potential employers. Or, as some job seekers do, post your video resume on a video sharing website, such as YouTube. And, if you don't want to go it alone, you can hire a video resume service to help you build your perfect pitch to employers. Two such services are Workblast.com and Resumebooktv.com. What are the pros and cons? Pros A video resume may be a benefit if you are applying to a job where presentation or personality is important. A television newscaster, a real estate agent, an actor or a salesperson, might all have an edge with a video resume. If you have a strong personality, a video resume may allow that personality to shine through, leaving a lasting impression on potential employees. Even if you the potential employees never actually see the video resume, the process of creating one may polish your interview and presentation skills, and help you to see where your flaws might be. Cons Many employers automatically throw out resumes that contain a photo without reading them, because they don't want to be accused later of discrimination. Photos (or videos) may reveal such details as age, sex and race. Most video resumes are hardly polished, and job seekers may come off as less than professional. Many candidates post video of themselves doing goofy things in the hopes of being remembered, or they reduce themselves to begging for a job. Think auditions for American Idol. Video resumes can backfire. You may find your resume making its way around the Internet as a "joke," hardly the image you want to put forth as a professional. I'm not convinced yet that a video resume is the way to go, personally, but I am sure that many people may be all for it. What do you think? Mary Ann Romans writes about her family's money saving secrets in the Frugal Living Blog here at Families.com Related Articles: Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantcomputers tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags internet resumes, job seeking, video resume Discuss this article
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