Winning bosses over with video resumes

CREATIVE, hardworking, well-organised, ambitious and ready to learn.

These words flashed on the screen, as a warm smile spread across her face. Introducing herself and her qualifications in a video, Nur Hidayah Sazali’s attempt to attract potential employers worked like a charm.

Her one-and-a-half minute video resume landed her three job interviews.

“I had applied for a fewjobsvia email, attached with my video resume and digital portfolio.

“I took a leap of faith with my video resume so that I could charm potential employers with my personality,” says Nur Hidayah, 27, who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Education (Teaching English as a Second Language).

Not long after that, she received responses from recruiters.

“They were very impressed as they rarely receive such job applications,” she recalls of her application three years ago.

Nur Hidayah learnt how to make videos from an assignment at her alma mater, International Islamic University Malaysia.

She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Education while working as a junior graphic designer at the university’s communication office.

Nur Hidayah says competition in the job market is getting tougher.

“You need to brand yourself in the most unique way possible.

“I strongly believe that video resumes can show one’s personality with a twist of their own story. That’s what makes one’s job application different from others,” she says.

A good video resume can touch the hearts of potential employers – something a traditional paper CV won’t be able to do, she feels.

Nadhirah Mohamad, 26, who also filmed a video resume, says she scored an interview as a radio traffic presenter with it.

She agrees that video resumes are becoming a trend among young job seekers.

“It can help both employers and employees in many ways. It can save time for employers as they can shortlist candidates if they find what they want from the video,” she says.

Nadhirah, from Sabah, says a traditional resume alone is not enough as employers will not be able to gauge a candidate’s soft skills or personality.

“As such, I think a video resume is a great way to showcase yourself to employers,” she says.