As hiring shifts towards virtual interviews, an increasing number of candidates are jumping in front of the camera to boost their odds of winning a job. Should you do the same?

Sam Shepler was not surprised the first time he was asked to make a video resume in 2021. The US-based 32-year-old had noticed the trend growing in the previous year, and was applying for a video-editing role. He assumed the company wanted to see him demonstrate those skills and do a quick cultural-fit check at the same time.

Not having made a video resume before, he says: “I did what I would normally do in an interview; tried to just be myself and speak naturally, and focus more on being relaxed.”

Still, the process felt awkward. The role did not require any public speaking, and Shepler had no experience talking about himself on camera. Even though he got the job, the hiring process felt more onerous than usual. “I honestly prefer the old-fashioned resume and interview, even if the interview is via Zoom,” he says.

Virtual recruiting has grown in popularity since the start of the pandemic, with one global survey across industries showing 65% of companies having hired a new candidate without ever meeting them in person. Along with video interviews, new tech solutions are increasingly making video resumes part of the recruitment process.

Early in 2021, LinkedIn launched the Cover Story feature, giving users the option of uploading a 30-second introduction video to their profile page. In July the same year, TikTok partnered with brands in the US to launch a trial that allowed users to send video resumes directly to recruiters and hiring managers. Independent platforms dedicated to the process have also joined the field, offering one-stop solutions for recording, editing and submitting video resumes.

The demand for video resumes looks set to grow. A LinkedIn survey from March 2021 showed that 79% of hiring managers thought that video had become “more important” than before for vetting candidates, and 61% of job seekers thought “a recorded video could be the next iteration of the traditional cover letter”. As remote work has made video an increasingly common part of life at work, are video resumes the future – whether candidates want them to be or not? 

A human connection in a crowded field

Chloe Chioy, 22, believes a video resume was crucial in helping her secure her first job after university.

“It was a spontaneous decision on my part to submit a video resume,” says the Taipei-based digital marketing coordinator, who works remotely for a UK-based company. The job advert only stated that a resume was required and didn’t specify the seniority level of the role she was applying for. “I assumed that people of all ages would apply, and that submitting a video resume would be an effective way to stand out.”

Some candidates are choosing to submit video CVs on top of paper documents in order to get their applications surfaced from the pile (Credit: Getty Images)

The language used in the job advert was casual, and the “fun” benefits on offer – including weekly Nintendo Switch competitions – gave Chioy an indication of the tone to take in her video. “Being a fresh graduate, I knew that I had the major disadvantage of having less professional experience than other applicants. I think showing my personality and attitude in the video helped my application.” She also made sure to emphasise skills relevant to the role, including screenshots of articles she had written, clips of her public speaking and, of course, showing off her video-editing abilities.

Chioy had an extra reason to believe that sending a video resume would be to her advantage. The job she was applying for was with CV Genius, an online platform that helps job-seekers format and optimise their written resumes. Her own written document was “average at best”, she says. “[It was] created in Word, and only included horizontal lines for formatting. I thought to myself, they’re experts on written CVs, but they won’t be able to vet me using the same criteria if I gave them a video resume.”

Chioy’s video resume was the first the company had ever received, and hiring team were impressed by her “very Gen Z” application, she says. The gamble paid off.

Her approach harnessed some of the distinct benefits of video resumes, says recruitment specialist Jan Tegze, author of the Full Stack Recruiter, a guide for sourcing talent. “They’re a unique chance to stand out, and they show your personality, creativity and editing skills.”

This can be particularly helpful for applicants with little experience applying in competitive fields who need an extra edge to secure a role. “If I was a job seeker, I would use absolutely every tool available to me to stand out,” says recruitment facilitator Katrina Collier, author of The Robot-Proof Recruiter. 

As well as sending a written resume, this could include sending video resumes, personal email and LinkedIn connection requests to employers – anything to help create a human connection in an overcrowded field. But of these methods, there is evidence that video resumes are especially effective. While PDF and paper resumes may get lost in the crowd, a 2021 study by Canadian research institute Cirano found two-thirds of employers opened and watched spontaneous video resume submissions, and video resumes increased call-back rates by more than 10%.