There’s a lot you can do in 60 seconds. You can take a nice deep breath, think a thought, sneeze three or four times or turn on your computer- if you have a Mac, that is. The list is endless. You know what else can be done in 60 seconds that you probably never thought about? How about landing a job? You read right, it is possible. “But Chris, how?” Well, thank you for asking. Since I’m always looking to help my fellow man- man in this case being people- I’ll let you in on how I landed my job in virtually no time flat.
Like a lot of people, I was frustrated with the job market and lack of progress I was making. Submitting resume after resume did not seem to work as well as I was lead to believe. Being a recent graduate from DePaul University, I was hoping to land a job as soon as possible to start paying back those student loans. Finally, I came across an innocent article about a small start-up company that promised new tools to help give job seekers the competitive edge over other candidates. I figured why not? It couldn’t hurt.
So I joined the site, for free mind you, and created a profile. I noticed that what separated this site from all the others was the option to record a 60-second Profile Video. I created my Profile Video using my own webcam in less time than it took to fill out my basic profile information. After that was done, I submitted my video along with my resume and cover letter in an application for a marketing assistant position I found while on that company’s job board. Within the hour, I was invited by the company to do a Spotlight Interview. I followed the instructions they provided and within minutes, I was all set up to answer a series of questions they asked using my webcam.
Getting ready for the Spotlight Interview was pretty simple, too. All I did was put on a dress shirt, tie, and blazer. No need for dress pants, or regular pants for that matter. I actually did my Spotlight Interview in athletic shorts since you can only see from the waist up. For each question, I was given 60 seconds to respond, with the option of re-doing a take as many times as I wanted until I got the answer that best represented who I am.
The Spotlight Interview took no more than ten minutes. After submitting my responses I was again contacted that same afternoon with an offer to do an in-house interview. At the interview, the hiring manager informed me that they were impressed with my videos and said they felt I would be a great fit for their company because of how I presented myself and my professional drive. We shook hands later and I left knowing I was expected to report to work the following Wednesday.
The Profile Video made more of an impact on the hiring team than my resume ever could. Why? The Profile Video gave me a chance to portray who I am and express what I can do for them. It did not replace my resume, rather enhanced it. That 60-second video was all I needed to let the company know I was their guy. And that is how I landed an interview and an amazing job at Spark Hire in 60 seconds. Boom baby!
Questions? Ideas or suggestions? Follow me on twitter @ChrisComella or email me at [email protected]
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