The Dos and Don’ts of Video CVs

The video CV is all about communicating your personality, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking you don’t need to prepare. Unless you want to look slow, disorganized and foolish, staring blankly at a camera screen won’t help you.

Write out your speech and practice it beforehand – then have it held behind the camera for you to read from. If you’re going to add character and verve to the passage, you need to know it like the back of your hand. And if you can’t read it live? Memorize it, using some tried and tested techniques.

When you watch the news, it’s easy to forget that those easy, breezy anchors are reading their dialogue off an auto-cue. That’s how you want to be: relaxed, confident and carrying off your entirely scripted speech in a charming, off-the-cuff fashion.

This is a key skill that many recruiters will be looking for. After all, if you can’t deliver a monologue effectively, how poor will your presentation skills be?

The point of a video CV is to communicate what a regular CV can’t – that is, you. Recruiters want to see your personality, your interests and your style. Wear something that is professional but reflects your personality – a bright shirt or a fun hair clip is within the limits. Talk about your hobbies and interests, not just your work experience.

Give the camera the best of yourself, but make sure it really is you. Don’t fake and don’t pretend. If you can’t present yourself honestly on camera, you probably shouldn’t bother with the video at all.

This isn’t the place to list your A levels, work experience and hard skills. Your written CV should be doing that already, and nobody likes a broken record.

A video CV is effectively a speech, and every speech needs a strong ending. This could be the moment the recruiter will remember most vividly, so make it count. Be confident but firm – no shrugs or murmurs of “I think that’s all.”

For inspiration, check out this tutorial series on how to end a speech.

Video CVs are not the norm in recruiting and probably never will be. It’s an extra – a bit of fluff to bolster your core application – and should not be taken too seriously. If you honestly feel that you can’t come across well on-screen, don’t force yourself. Better to have no video than a bad one.

But if you’re going into sales or a similar role, and want to stand out from the crowd, grab a camera and get going. These days, there’s no excuse, with plenty of online video CV platforms to help you get your video noticed. And remember: no matter how awkward you think you look, there is always someone worse.

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