8 Steps to Make a Video Job Application and Get Hired
How to make a video job application that stands out in the hiring process?
In this article, you’ll learn the steps to make a video job application to help you highlight your personality and stand out in the hiring process.
Understanding the steps to make a video job application can help you highlight your personality and uniquely showcase your communication skills to land the job.
And guess what?
It’s an essential skill as numerous organizations are moving toward leveraging video job applications.
According to a 2021 LinkedIn survey:
- 79% of hiring managers say that video job applications have become vital in the hiring process.
- 62% of candidates believe that a video job application helps them share their experiences and career goals, thus helping them land a job.
- 59% of job seekers believe video job application has become the new norm, and 41% have used them to stand out to hiring managers and recruiters.
- 57% of job seekers say a video job application helps them better showcase their personality and 41% to demonstrate their true selves.
Finally, video revolutionizes the hiring process, and 59% of companies say they have interviewed candidates over video.
So, let’s learn how you can make one for yourself.
Steps to Make a Video Job Application
Creating a video-based job application can be daunting.
But fret not because we’re here to help you.
In this article, you’ll learn eight simple steps to make a video job application and land your dream job.
Let’s get started.
1. Plan Your Video Job Application
One of the essential steps to making a video job application is to start with a plan.
Often, recruiters and hiring managers provide prompts or requirements in the job post for an accounting position and others.
Your video job application should answer nothing but the prompt provided.
Remember that staying relevant is important, and submitting an application that doesn’t answer the prompt could be the reason for your elimination in the hiring process.
Another thing you want to do when planning is to determine the format of your video application.
Do you plan to make a video job application in the form of a slideshow presentation or a simple video of yourself highlighting your experience and relevant qualities in point form?
Regardless of your chosen format, your video job application should be tailored to the job you’re applying for.
2. Draft Your Video Script
Once you’ve planned your video job application, craft your script.
In this case, you write down your talking points which will help you during the shooting process.
Drafting a script for your video will help ensure you present your points clearly without hesitating, especially for questions like “Why do you want to work here?”.
Your script should not be the same as what you’ve already included in your resume.
Here, you need to talk about unique skills or qualities relevant to the position you’re applying for that set you apart from other job seekers.
Be sure to make a powerful first impression by introducing yourself and stating why you’re the best fit for the job role in 2 or 3 sentences.
Here are important talking points to write in your script:
- A brief and compelling opening statement of why you are interested in the position advertised.
- How your skills can help the organization achieve its goals.
- The value or contribution you want to bring to the organization.
Elaborate on these points for about a minute, and don’t forget to highlight your relevant experience and accomplishments.
3. Do Some Rehearsals
When highlighting your skills, experience, and accomplishments in your video, you don’t want to appear as if you’re reading them out.
The recruiter or hiring manager might feel like you’re reading a script written by someone else. Besides, it sounds robotic.
So, make sure you’re looking into the camera. At the same time, you must speak like you’re talking to the recruiter.
To achieve this, you must rehearse your script thoroughly until you can speak about what you have written without looking at your script.
Shoot the first video of your job application, making sure you speak clearly and smile. Also, make sure you showcase your personality.
Watch your body language as well.
To show confidence, ensure you avoid crossing your arms and maintain eye contact as if you are conducting a face-to-face interview.
You can have a friend or family member film you as you practice talking about your points.
Note that your first shoot doesn’t have to be perfect.
Focus on getting your points across, then rehearse as much as possible until you’re comfortable and confident.
4. Plan the Shooting Area
Drafting your video script and rehearsing are two crucial steps to making a video job application that sets you apart from other applicants. They help ensure you don’t make mistakes in your final video.
The next crucial step is to find a good place to record your video.
Finding a well-lit location that’s free from distractions and noise. Use natural light to illuminate your face.
Recording your video indoors with a plain wall can help to make your video professional.
Ensure you dress professionally as if you’re conducting an in-person interview.
Before you start the recording, test things to ensure there is enough lighting and the audio is clear.
5. Shoot Your Video
Shooting your video is the most interesting step to making a video job application.
The good thing about shooting your video for your job application is that you don’t need a fancy device.
You can film an awesome video resume using your smartphone camera with a tripod. Alternatively, you can have a friend or colleague assist you in filming.
Ensure you set aside more time to film because you will need to shoot several videos until you get the best video you can present to the hiring manager.
When filming, stay upright and face the camera. You may even consider finding a professional videographer to take a beautiful video.
Also, don’t worry about making mistakes because there are good video editors available in the market, such as iMovie, Canva, and Movavi Video Editor, to polish it once done.
6. Proof Your Video
Before you start editing your video, check through it as you would typically proof an explainer video or how-to video.
Check the quality of the video and audio, ensuring that you maintain eye contact throughout the video.
You may also ask a friend or colleague to watch the video carefully to see whether there is a need for improvement in terms of video and audio quality and other areas.
7. Edit Your Video Carefully
Once you have watched the video several times and asked a friend or colleague to watch it, the next step is editing it based on the areas you have seen that need improvement.
To produce a professional video job application, you can use the best online video makers and create effective videos for your job application.
The good news about most video editing platforms is that you don’t need any expertise in technology to use them.
They are built for use by both techies and non-techies.
You can also watch YouTube videos to learn how to use these video editing tools.
Once done editing the video, save it in the format recommended by the recruiter or hiring manager.
The most common video formats are MP4, MOV, and AVI.
8. Submit Your Video Job Application
Congratulations!
Your video job resume is now ready for submission. Your friends or family may suggest some improvements, which will require you to go back to the editing step again.
But if all is well, submit your job application following the instructions provided by the recruiter or hiring manager.
Be sure to keep a copy of the video in a safe location since you may want to reuse it later.
Things to Include in Your Video Job Application
As more organizations move toward improving their screening with video job applications, you only have a few seconds or minutes to demonstrate your suitability for the job position and stand out from other applicants.
There is no room for adding too much information.
So, how do you make your application persuasive in the shortest possible way?
Here are the things to include in your video job application:
1. Highlight Your Strengths, Skills, and Qualifications
To set yourself apart from other applicants, you must demonstrate your skills, strengths, and qualifications while adhering to the guidelines stated in the position you’re applying for.
Briefly discuss relevant training and degrees you have received that are specific to the position.
2. Mention Recent Achievements or Accomplishments
Highlight recent achievements or accomplishments you achieved to show the skills you have applied that are relevant to the position. This will help demonstrate your suitability for the job position.
3. Avoid Restating What You Have Included in Your Resume
Repeating what you already said in your resume in the video job application can make it appear as if you lack creativity. At the same time, it can severely restrict your chances of showcasing your skills to your recruiters.
Conclusion
With more organizations requiring job seekers to send videos as part of the job application, learning the steps to make a video job application that gets you hired isn’t optional anymore.
Start by planning out your job application. Next, draft the script for your video application and do some rehearsals. You should also select an appropriate area to shoot the video without distractions.
Next, you can get down to shooting the video and proofing it well to ensure it’s up to the mark. You must also edit it carefully before you submit the application.
Some of the key things you should mention are your strengths, skills, recent achievements, and weaknesses too. Finally, don’t restate things that are there in your resume.
If you play your cards right, you’ll be able to stand out from the crowd. And that’s all you need to land the dream job you’ve always wanted.
Author Bio - Gaurav Sharma
Gaurav Sharma is the founder and CEO of Attrock, a results-driven digital marketing company. Grew an agency from 5-figure to 7-figure revenue in just two years | 10X leads | 2.8X conversions | 300K organic monthly traffic. He also contributes to top publications like HuffPost, Adweek, Business 2 Community, TechCrunch, and more.
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Gravatar Email ID: [email protected]
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