I love technology, especially when it makes my life easier in some way. But, when technology simply decorates or accessorizes an already annoying process, I get angry! This time my anger is focused on video resumes, the technological equivalent of hoop earrings on a pig. Having worked in human resources for the past 10 years, I am open to anything that can make the process of recruiting and selecting the right job candidates simpler, more reliable and more considerate of everyone’s time and needs. Video resumes are not it!
The irony of video resumes is that, while they represent a leap forward (now we can see and say it, instead of just reading it), they are actually a step backwards when you consider the purpose of resumes and applications. Resumes and applications are not simply cumbersome paper hoops we have to jump through to land a job; they are cornerstones of equality in the recruiting and selection process. Resumes and applications allow each of us to lay out our work history, educational background and other job-related information before potential employers, without revealing personal traits (pesky traits like race, skin color, gender, national origin, and age) that may lead unscrupulous hiring managers and HR managers to toss our resumes and applications into the circular file BEFORE we have an opportunity to compete for jobs for which we are actually qualified, and before our rights under Title VII (the Civil Rights Act) apply.
You see, as jobseekers, we are not entitled to an interview simply because we are qualified and send in a resume or application. However, if we submit a resume or application and are selected for an interview–whether via phone or in person–we can then be considered an applicant. Once an applicant, the law prohibits employers from discriminating against us on the basis of the personal traits listed above. This means employers cannot ask questions designed to reveal our race, religion, age, marital status, disability, veterans status, etc. Obviously, with video resumes, an employer need not ask questions; need not review your qualifications. Nope. S/he can simply check out your video resume on YouTube, see your face, listen to your voice, guess your weight and decide not to bother considering your work history or education, or your actual resume or application. They won’t even have to include your information as part of the applicant records they are required by the EEOC and Title VII to retain.
Proponents of video resumes argue that video resumes will allow jobseekers to make “an impression” on potential employers, to “seal the deal with their winning personalities”.
I submit that the truth is that virtually all of the impressions that might be made are not worth making. I can think of only a small handful of job applicants that might actually be served well by video resumes–and that’s assuming the employers’ agents are fair and open to any qualified applicant. Actors, communications managers, instructors MIGHT benefit in some way from having their potential employer see and hear them prior to interviewing them. But, the very tiny head-start that might be gained is completely outweighed by the risk.
And, ultimately, employers could realize the same value provided by video resumes by making them part of the interviewing process in much the same way as a case study. Applicants who make it through the initial interviews could be asked to create a video presentation. The applicant could be given an assignment that would help ensure that s/he actually submits something useful to the employer that also manages not to embarrass a well-meaning and otherwise qualified applicant.
Finally, video resumes don’t actually save time by reviewing video versus paper or electronic resumes and applications; human resources managers and hiring managers will now have to sit through hours of painfully poorly produced videos, most of which won’t bring them any closer to ferreting out the best applicants.
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