7 reasons why you should switch to a Video CV today

Switching to a Video CV is the most important thing that you can do right now to increase your chances of getting a job. And the sooner you can do it, the better. 

Let me give you seven reasons why…

1. Your Video CV is much more likely to get seen…

At least 10X more likely.

It’s probably the most important reason, which is why I put it first. 

It doesn’t matter how well suited you are for the job, if your CV doesn’t get read, then you’re not going to get it (and you would be amazed at how many CVs don’t get read – spoiler alert…95%).

In a few years no one will be sending old fashioned CVs. They will all be video-based, maybe even virtual reality? Who knows. But the critical point is that right now, by sending a Video CV, you are giving yourself a massive head start over others applying for the same job. So much so, it’s almost unfair!  

How long does it take to make one you might be asking? 

Well, your intro video should only be about 45 seconds, so you can create your first Video CV, let’s call it your practice one, in less than 5 minutes. You can then re-record it until you are happy. 

Practice will help you make a much better Video CV, along with some other tips that I will put down in a separate blog (Creating the perfect Video CV). 

But the critical point is just to start, and then go from there. Before long, it will feel completely normal, and you will have increased your chance of being seen by 10 times.

(One useful feature that will be available in C-Me from December 2020 is the ability to record your video in smaller segments, which will make remembering what you want to say a lot easier.)

2. Video CVs show personality; your paper CV doesn’t…

Is your personality coming across in your CV?

Probably not. 

You see, it’s pretty tricky to get over on paper how well you get on with people, build rapport, build relationships, empathise, create trust, etc.

And yet these qualities are critical for so many roles, and arguably some of the most important in business.

For a long time, there was no alternative – there was the paper CV, or the paper CV. 

But now we have video… which does allow you to get all these softer skills across.

So you have a decision to make. Send a paper CV and get a fraction of what you offer across, or send a Video CV and show someone the real you. Surely it’s worth spending a little extra time creating a Video CV and putting your best foot forward? 

Especially when organisations are getting so many applications for jobs that deciding who to choose to interview is becoming harder and harder. It isn’t possible to interview everyone who looks good on paper (even on zoom), so they will usually invite a handful, regardless of how many applied. 

By simply making a Video CV, you will get your face in front of so many more people. Not only that, your personality will shine through and you will make a much better impression. As a result, you will get invited to more interviews, and you will get a better job.

By sending a Video CV, you are allowing employers to make a rapid initial assessment. If you come over well (and let’s face it is entirely down to you to decide how much time to spend perfecting your intro video), and there is nothing of concern in the paper bit of your CV, you will more than likely get invited to the interview.

This reason is even more important for anyone applying to a customer-facing role where critical skills are demonstrated more easily through video. The same also applies to other situations such as telephone-based roles, roles where teamwork plays a large part, any role where organisations place a high value on cultural fit.

3. Execs prefer videos

I’m not going to say a great deal on this point, but it’s here because it’s important. 

Why? Because executives, let’s widen this category to include senior managers and any small business owners, are always involved in the hiring process at some point.

According to this Wordstream report, 59% of executives say they would rather watch a video than read text. I daresay this figure is much higher now, as the report is already more than two years old.

Why do they prefer video? Well, like everyone else, execs are time-poor. So anything that saves them time is going to be very welcome. 

Execs also spend a lot of time reading reports, emails, white papers and the like, so any opportunity they have to watch a video instead – they’ll grab it.

So, just to summarize: execs are involved in the hiring process, execs like video, so make a Video CV.

4. Video content is proven to work in sales and marketing 

Absolutely, totally, completely and categorically proven.

And if you want to know where CVs are going, then you need to look no further than that.

Video marketing is so accepted in sales that it almost feels trite to trot out some video marketing stats. So I have limited it to three only, that are up to date (as in 2020), and that are very relevant to video CVs. 

Here they are

  1. 87% of marketing professionals use video as a marketing tool (Markinblog)
  2. 59% of executives say they would rather watch a video than read text (as stated in reason 3) (Wordstream)
  3. Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it in text. (Insivia)

Right, good to get the stats out of the way. But why did I choose these three? For these reasons: 

  1. When you are making a CV, then it’s not a bad idea to think like a marketing professional. They recommend using video.
  2. Most hiring processes, at some point, involve an executive. They like watching videos.
  3. Having someone remember something about you can only help your chances of getting a job. Using a video means they are likely to remember almost 10x as much. 

If this hasn’t convinced you that Video CVs are going to replace the old fashioned CV, then you should probably stop reading this blog now.

5. Paper CVs don’t work well for some people

Some people just don’t look good on paper. If this is you, then please take note because this is really important.

There are lots of reasons why some people might not look good on paper.

Maybe they didn’t do so well at school, which can be down to a whole myriad of factors, like learning difficulties, issues in the home, failing school, poor teachers, exam phobia, etc. 

Maybe someone took the wrong job (or two), or got made redundant a couple of times, didn’t fit into the company culture, hopped around the job market too much, traveled around the world for too long… 

Oh my goodness, the list goes on and on doesn’t it.

The real issue, of course, is that getting the job you want all starts with how good you look on paper or, to be more specific, how good you look compared to someone else.

It takes lots of resilience and grit to keep sending your CV out, for jobs that you know you could do well, but knowing that you probably won’t make it past the first hurdle because the recruiter is going to spend all of 6 seconds (the average time a recruiter spends looking at a CV) skim reading your CV and will find something not quite right. 

But what about your unique qualities? Are they coming across? Your personality. Your way with people.

Now you can get these across with a Video CV and make a solid impression before someone even looks at your paper CV.

So if a paper CV is holding you back, get yourself a Video CV, and start getting seen…

6. Did anyone open your CV?

You usually don’t get told that you are unsuccessful. You get told nothing… nada… zip… Essentially your CV goes missing in action, which is worse. 

Was it even opened? Did someone read it? Did it get sent on to someone else? Or….?

Aaarrrggghhh ! – All these unanswered questions. Oh, how I would love to know what happened to my CV!

Does a Video CV have the answer? You betcha it does. It’s called tracking. 

I’ll say it again, a bit louder – TRACKING!

You see, a Video CV is stored online (in the cloud) so that means that you can track every little click. 

Which is super helpful if you want to know whether you are getting closer to being seen (i.e. interviewed) or whether there is something that isn’t quite right in what you are saying. 

Here’s a few examples of what you should know about your Video CV…

  • Was it opened?
  • Who opened it?
  • Was your intro video watched?
  • For how long was it watched?
  • Did they forward it to someone else?

It doesn’t take long for you to start getting valuable insights into how well your Video CV is progressing.

And a lot better than hearing nothing at all.

7. Video CVs can be made for free

Most companies make their software available for free, either on a trial basis or for occasional use and this is also true for a Video CV. 

With C-Me you can create a Video CV for free too and immediately start sharing and tracking your Video CV in real-time. That way you get to see for yourself how many more interviews you get.

As with everything in life, the best way of finding out if something works or not is to give it a go.  

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