Job Seeker Blog - Spark Hire

Keeping Your Video Resume Up-To-Date

We all know we should update our traditional resumes often— about every six months, and more often if you have changed jobs— but what about video resumes? With platforms like Spark Hire, updating your video resume is fast and easy. There is no excuse to let your video resume get out of date. In fact, video resumes can be put together so quickly, it is possible for you to update even more often. Consider the following excellent reasons—besides changing jobs or turning the calendar page— to update your video resume.

You finish an impressive project at work
Resumes should reflect your best accomplishments, so be sure to update them when you have a triumph. This triumph doesn’t have to come from work— a volunteer project, or good marks in a professional development class are also brag-worthy— but it should be related to your career and job search in some way. Talk a little bit about the challenges of your project, and explain how you overcame them with successful results. The freshness of your success will come across as enthusiasm for your work in your video resume— bonus!

Something big happens in your industry
Employers want to know that you are passionate about your work, which means paying close attention to industry news (and better yet, knowing how the news affects you and your potential employers). Talk about any recent discoveries, changing industry standards, legislation or other current events that might be pertinent to the job you are trying to get. Make smart references to the events and don’t mention it just for the sake of mentioning it. Video resumes provide a unique opportunity for telling a story about your professional vision and successes: use the industry news to foreground the kind of contribution you can make to your future company.

The seasons change, you get rid of those terrible bangs, Gangam Style is created…
Keeping your video resume up-to-date with pop culture references, seasonal charm, and style updates can help you stand out as someone who is engaged in the job search process. With Spark Hire’s easy-to-use platform, your video resume can consistently show your consciousness of current events, and your sense of humor. This brings us to the final reason to update video resumes in your job search…

The video resume you updated three months ago is now out of date
The disadvantage of talking about pop culture or seasonal references in video resumes is that they can quickly become out of date. Imagine your Christmas-themed video resume being viewed in mid-January…Yikes! Keep in mind that any video resume you submit to an employer during your job search could be viewed weeks, or months, after you create it. Make sure that your video resume will have at least a few months’ worth of shelf life. Your accomplishments at work, or industry news, will likely hold up without any problems. Your reference to Gangam Style might not (even though I like to think it will be cool forever!).

How often do you update your video resume during your job search? Leave a comment below, or send me a tweet: @ithinkther4iamb

IMAGE: Courtesy of Flickr by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer

Kristin Anderson

Kristin has a B.A. in English from the University of Iowa, with an emphasis in creative writing. In her free time she enjoys long walks, kitchen adventures, and making puns.

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