Have you ever sat down in front of a camera, and filmed a video CV? Well, that is exactly what TikTok is asking you to do.
In recent news, TikTok announced the debut of its latest program: #TikTokResumes. This latest project encourages TikTok users to submit a video resume on the platform using this hashtag to get noticed by the employers participating in the program, including Target, Chipotle, Shopify, and more.
They can also upload these video resumes and search for various opportunities on tiktokresumes.com. Users are encouraged to be as creative as possible in displaying their skill sets via video.
So, with the rise in the popularity of video content, are video resumes the natural next step from traditional recruitment?
Why video?
From the total and sudden social media domination of the short-form video platform TikTok, to video calling applications now becoming a constant in the workplace. Video hasn’t just grown in popularity, it has become an absolute necessity to go about our day-to-day lives.
Even longstanding social media platforms such as Instagram are looking at new ways to incorporate more video into their offering. Instagram head recently shared a video via Twitter explaining that the social media app will be focusing on four key areas in future, most notably: video.
He says: “Video is driving an immense amount of growth online for all the major platforms right now… We’re no longer a photo-sharing app…TikTok is huge, YouTube is even bigger… We’re also going to be experimenting with how do we embrace video more broadly…mobile-first video.”
Changes are coming to video on Instagram 📺
— Adam Mosseri 😷 (@mosseri) June 30, 2021
At Instagram we’re always trying to build new features that help you get the most out of your experience. Right now we’re focused on four key areas: Creators, Video, Shopping and Messaging. pic.twitter.com/ezFp4hfDpf
So, with higher engagement, and an increased sense of authenticity – video content wins. Why not implement it into your job search (or recruitment strategy) also?
What are the statistics?
First and foremost – video is the most engaging form of media there is. In fact, in 2020 video stayed on top as the #1 content-type two years in a row. (HubSpot)
Furthermore, by 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic — 15 times higher than it was in 2017. (Cisco)
And lastly, viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to just 10% when reading it in text. (Insivia) So perhaps TikTok is onto something with their new video resume project…
How do I film a video resume?
It can be a daunting task to film yourself for a video CV. Whether you’re camera-shy or a TikTok pro – transforming a paper CV into a video showcase takes more thought and preparation than you might anticipate.
Thankfully, at VideoSmart we are experts not just in video marketing – but video messaging also, thanks to our in-house built 1-2-1 video messaging portal. As both creators and frequent users of the portal – we know exactly how to stand out from the crowd via video:
- Revamp your CV. It goes without saying that your 600-word CV won’t translate all that well off the bat from paper to video. So go through it section by section, and pick out those key areas you want to showcase to your future employer.
- Write a script(-ish). No one has ever sounded natural reading out a script on camera. And natural = confident. Rather than writing a full script, create a bullet-point list of what you need to cover in your video, in order. That way you won’t get flustered once that camera presses record.
- Find a well-lit, quiet area to film. All that background noise can be a distraction both to yourself and the recipients of your video. And unless you’re an adobe pro editor like our team, you should pre-emptively make sure that your recording is as clean and easy to edit as possible.
- Keep it under 2 minutes long. All the research points to the sweet spot for engagement being under 2 minutes. With engagement rates dropping from 70% to 50% once you pass that 2-minute point. (Wistia)
- Be your best self. Most importantly, remember that this video is showcasing you! So don’t let humility stop you from being a little self-promotional. And smile! Fundamentally, this is a sales video – and you are the commodity. Every salesperson will know the 7-38-55 rule. This means that 55% of your sales message is nonverbal (visual) communication; so pay attention to your body language – it is how you are communicating, after all. The 38% is tone of voice (so be positive), and the 7% is the actual words you are delivering.
How do I recruit through video?
So, what about video recruitment? Should recruitment agencies be considering reaching out to prospects via video? Or incorporating video into their interview process for candidates? Definitely.
In fact, ‘recruitment agencies are already reporting 800% more engagement with job ads that have video embedded’. (Firefish)
Video is a great way to attract candidates for a job, in under two minutes you can display to a prospect the information that usually would have taken them a considerable amount of research & reading to discover, such as company culture, job perks and job requirements.
Due to the high engagement rate of video, it’s also a great way of filtering out those applicants who apply without having read the job spec. When your applicants are actually engaged with the job specification via a video, they will know exactly what is required of them before they decide whether to apply.
You could even include a little reference for them to include in their application, indicating that they watched your video in full. No more generic emails en masse from applicants who aren’t right for the role.
Lastly, remember when creating your video job ad that 82% of candidates now search for jobs on mobile (Firefish) – so make sure you are optimising everything to be mobile-friendly. Job postings with video have a 34% greater application rate than postings without videos (Career Builder) – so video is a great way of attracting more, better-informed candidates for your role.
So, from TikTok video resumes – to video CV’s and using video to attract potential job candidates; video is the future of recruitment. Long-gone are wordy, jargon-filled paper CV’s – making room for a digital-first approach to the jobs sector. For more information on how our 121-video messaging portal can benefit your business – contact us today at hello@videosmart.com
