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Job hunting online? Try the velfie!

In the age of internet, video selfies help you stand a cut above the rest. Read on to find out how!

First of all Video CVs are a choice and a choice made with conviction and heart.

Why bother to create one, you may ask.

You really don't have to but if you do, the advantages will surprise you positively and maybe the results will be beyond your wildest imagination.

So here we go again reimagining our careers and how we go about approaching the same.

Careers are no longer straight ladders climbed with gusto and at a feverish pace like our parents and the businessmen of the yester years

We are now depending more on talent, attitude and sincerity and any of which cannot necessarily be boxed in a designation, role or past experience and this is not to say that all the three are still not critical.

The CV is almost a lazy man's way out and is a very complacent way of representing yourself in the age of self- publishing where most of us are armed with high end phones and are taking videos all the time for every other reason be it a dance class to a birthday party to a baby shower.

So all of us are amateur filmmakers anyway, and it's time we harness the naïve skills in creating a career which we desire instead of just stumbling upon what comes our way.

Why Velfies?

Well we are now joining growing organisations and more than that we are all global which means hiring is happening across the world and a face to face meeting becomes difficult more and more

Other than that virtual teams are now being created and they require an interview process which is digital, online and not just a CV led competency assessment and phone conversation.

An audio visual version of a person’s profile also gives HR a chance to assess:

• Body Language
• Easiness
• Speech
• Clarity of Thought
• Warmth (Yes)
• Likeability (Yes, Yes)
• Passion and Vision...

...and many other softer skills which don’t come through on paper alone

Video CVs seem a little scary to the first timer but more and more it’s becoming simple and the beauty is there is no right or wrong way of making a Video CV.

You are the hero/heroine of your own CV and it's absolutely up to you to script your professional life and moreover a Video CV allows you to do a life story of ‘then till now’ and also being able to talk about where you want to go in a more credible manner.

In the age of multiple choices and careers you can make a second career out of your hobbies and interests and that is something you can never communicate in on MS Word.

Don't be very anxious of the end result. Have fun with it, stay open, accept your efforts, do it for yourself to begin with.

The author is an entrepreneur, traveller and blogger with a degree in HR and law and is pursuing a career in digital marketing.

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Job hunting online? Try the velfie!

Never tried a Velfie before? Fret not, here are some basic Do's and Don'ts to begin with:

• Keep it short; not more than two minutes.
• Keep it engaging; don't drone.
• Have a sense of humour? Use it. No one wants to watch a boring video!
• Highlight points in sections, just like you would in a CV
• Have a story to tell? Remember this is YOUR film!
• Think of a CV as the trailer of your professional life and go from there.

The technicality of making a Video CV can be dealt with by using Free Apps on Android and iTunes and also Web Based Applications.

The best is to just sit in a quiet room and shoot yourself on a phone, upload and then share.

Video CVs can be uploaded on your social profiles especially Twitter and Linkedin to begin with.

What you put in the video will either make the HR like you enough to call you for an interview or maybe not. But the effort that you put in will go a long way in creating an unforgettable first impression.

Remember that Google hires people regularly based on the videos they create on YouTube!

Be prepared! Velfies are coming!!