 "Photo: John Transue")
Graduating seniors now have a new career-planning tool when applying for jobs out of college. The traditional paper resumé, long relied on by potential candidates, could soon be replaced by modern motion-picture technology.
Video resumés give employers a visual companion to the list of accomplishments found on the traditional paper form. Employers implementing video resumés in their applicant search may be able to gain a greater understanding of their prospective employees than compared to a normal resumé alone.
Brenda Wood, assistant head of corporate relations of ING Direct in Wilmington, said the company has received one video resumé and was impressed by it.
"It's pretty edgy," Wood said. "It fits in with our branch - out-of-the-box type of thinking of doing things."
Marianne Green, assistant director of MBNA Career Services at the university, said video resumés are controversial.
"First of all, it's illegal to send a picture of yourself when applying for a job," Green said. "I find it shady because it shows race and gender. Companies can shy away from applicants if they know these things."
Job applicants could possibly be discriminated against because of the audio and video properties of video resumés, she said. The discrimination may be subconscious, but it may still happen.
Another problem with the new format is that applicants may not know how to complete the resumé or know what to include in the footage, Green said.
A video resumé could include someone talking about his or her accomplishments to the camera or it could be a collection of clips of the applicant's skills, but there is no set format, she said.
"One person could film something outgoing, and another could just tell something about their personality," Green said. "It's not a level playing field. You don't know if something's contrived and editing leaves more room for falsifying."
The footage could be anything from a one-sided interview to "a day in the life of John Doe," she said. There are no specific restrictions to the content and a video resumé may not provide an edge for an applicant.
"I'm just not sure where you would use it," Green said. "It may be something for the future, but not for now."
Senior Chris Morton said he does not have a video resumé but would consider filming one if he were applying for a job in banking or visual communications.
Morton said he would need a set of guidelines to format the resumé if he were to ever consider filming one.
"It's more personal," he said. "It gives a good first impression. People can really see how you are in film."
Sophomore Allie Simon, a nursing major, said a video resumé could be beneficial when applying for a job in her line of work.
"A lot of nursing is on-the-job," Simon said. "If people could see what you could do, it could help you get a job."
She said she would film herself completing tasks on-the-job and at the hospital which would benefit her potential employersreviewed the footage.
Simon said employers may suspect a film is staged if something dramatic happened. However, drama is not uncommon in a medical setting.
"Severe things happen in a hospital every day," she said.
Sophomore Anthony Vajda said he has mixed feelings about video resumés.
It is a tool to show employers that you are well-spoken, without the pressure of an interview, Vajda said.
"When you're talking, they can see you in your comfort zone and see the way you actually speak," he said.
Video resumés leave applicants susceptible to an employer's bias, Vajda said. The viewer could form sterotypes based on an applicant's appearance or mannerisms.
"Even if they don't purposefully discriminate, it's not like you're the only one applying for the job," he said. "Even though people don't consciously think about it, they may have prejudices."
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