by Carly Chynoweth By now most graduates know that having the wrong sort of video of themselves online will not do anything to help their job hunt. Not many employers include naked karaoke on their list of desirable characteristics when hiring the next generation of managers.

However, a small but growing number of candidates are using video CVs to showcase their skills to potential employers. “A video CV carves out a personal difference between you and other candidates,” says Keith Chaplin-Mabbutt, the chief executive of cvseeme, a video CV website. His argument is that traditional graduate CVs are weighted towards academic achievement but a 60-second clip gives candidates the chance to show a bit of personality.

Alec Cheung, 22, enjoyed using cvseeme to apply for a media production internship. “I included the things that I would normally put into a covering letter, but I had to choose very carefully because you only have 60 seconds, and you can’t speak too quickly,” he says. While he believes that video CVs will eventually replace covering letters, he would not create one for every job application unless the recruiter requested it or he felt it was appropriate to the industry.

One area where they are clearly useful is in recruiting for multilingual positions. Miranda Reid, the associate director of multilingualvacancies.com, says: “It lets the recruiter hear straight away what the candidate’s language skills are like before they decide on a proper interview.”

Ultimately, whether the idea takes off more generally depends on how such CVs are viewed by recruiters. At the moment, the jury is still out. Stevan Rolls, the head of human resources at Deloitte, the professional services firm, has no plans to adopt the idea. “We have a very well-established process that allows us to do all sorts of pre-screening, including telephone calls, and that works very well for us,” he says. “At this point I don’t think I would be comfortable to swap that for something like video CVs.”

But Shen Yap, a partner at Barnes Roffe, an accountancy firm, has found them useful in deciding on a shortlist for interview. All graduates whose traditional CVs meet basic requirements are invited to answer five pre-set questions using TalkingCV.com. “It gives us the opportunity to assess their ability to prepare answers and present them in an assertive fashion,” he says. “Good, clear communication is very important in our industry because it is client-facing.”

Sam Brown joined Barnes Roffe as a graduate trainee last September. He prepared much as he would for an interview: suit and tie, smart appearance, well-prepared answers. The main difference was that he could review each of his answers before he submitted them.
“Each time I wanted to make sure that the content was right, that I had spoken fluently and that my body language was appropriate,” he says. “I imagined that the camera was the person interviewing me.” Some of the more detailed questions took up to five takes to get right, he says.

Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters, advises graduates simply to follow the instructions given by recruiters. Adding a video CV when it is not requested is unlikely to improve your application, he says.
“However, if you are applying speculatively [rather than in response to an advertisement or a recruitment campaign] you might want to give the employer the option of seeing you through a video.”

If you do decide to make a video, what you say needs to be clear, coherent and relevant, and you must answer any questions you have been asked. Write a script beforehand and rehearse your answers — though not so much that you sound wooden.

You should look smart — dress as you would for an interview with the company. Keep your body language positive and open. Background and video quality are less important but you need to make sure that you are both visible and audible — and that your flatmates, siblings or colleagues are not.

Feedback is useful. Ask someone else to review your CV for sense and quality before you upload it. Do not rush things — allow time to review your work and redo it if needed.