Creating a Video Resume

What is a video resume?

A video resume is not a list of your accomplishments and employment history turned into a
video. Paper still does a good job of summing those up. It is a short video that shows potential
employers the value you can bring to their company and helps you make an impression that
reaches beyond the page.

As more companies focus on creating a team culture built on shared values, creating a custom
video gives you a chance to make a great first impression because video demonstrates a
candidate’s professional presentation skills and character.

What is the content of a video resume? The video below will give you some good tips on how to
create your own video resume.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pohk2OjsFaY

Discussion: Based on the video resumes you have watched in THT Week 3, what do you
think the main components of a video resume are?

Activity 1:

Plan how you want to do your video resume and what you want to include in it based on
these guidelines.
1) Script (content, language)
- What info do you think is necessary to share?
- What are the suitable tenses to use?
2) Presentation (storyline, image, pronunciation & intonation)
3) Technical (noises, lighting)
4) Creativity

Activity 2
Based on the video resume samples in your THT week 3, plan your own video resume. Use
the boxes below to lay out your plan.

Introducing oneself Qualification

______________________ _____________________

_____________________ _____________________
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Info from resume Video Resume Script

Introducing Oneself


Qualification

_______________________

_______________________

Appendix

Guideline on creating Video Resume

Do's

1. Take time to prepare;

Researching and planning your video ahead of time will make the end product much better.   Read
the document on writing your script (or choosing your interview questions).  Also, look at other
video resumes to get ideas.

2. Focus on results;

Tell employers what QUANTIFIABLE RESULTS you've delivered for other companies or on
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other projects & what you can do for them.

3. Focus on your professional endeavors;

It’s ok to talk about volunteer work you do in your spare time or recreational hobbies if they show
your positive qualities, but focus primarily on your professional skills and experience.

4. Be concise;

Keep your video between 1-3 minutes long. (Less than 2 minutes if you’re posting your video
resume on Facebook).  Time flies when you are taping it, but not when a potential employer is
watching.

5. Introduce yourself;

Start by mentioning your name (first & last), and then tell a little summary about yourself.  Let the
employer know who you are.

6. Be thankful;

Don't forget to end your video by thanking the employer for their time and consideration.

7. Provide contact information;

If they liked what they saw, make sure they can contact you.

8. Create a script.

A storyboard or script will help you organize your video.  Reading it from a teleprompter can save
you from having to memorize, and allows you to make good eye contact.

9. Practice;

Get used to talking about yourself with confidence.  If you don’t sound natural, change the script. 
Practice in front of a mirror to get a feel for your facial expressions.

Don'ts

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1. Do Not Just start right in;

Take a moment to establish who you are & why they should continue to watch.   The first 20
seconds are the most important.

2. Do Not Tell your life story;

Keep the video short and the information relevant to the job & industry you are applying for.  One
of the worst things you can do is ramble on.

3. Do Not Use Run-on Sentences;

When speaking, a higher level of enthusiasm occurs at the beginning and end of the sentence.
Using long, drawn-out sentences eliminates voice inflection and may not keep the viewers’
attention.  Use short sentences when writing your script to keep enthusiasm and interest high.

4. Do Not Forget to thank the viewer for watching;

And invite them to contact you for further discussion.

Language Expression for Video Resume

Hello, my name is…

I just want a few minutes of your time to…

Currently, I am…

I already have a great…

In the last two years I’ve been…

I gained my experience on…

Along with my skills…

My past experience has also taught me to…

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I believe I can…

I can guarantee that…

You can contact me…

Thanks, so much for…

Intonation in Speech

Intonation, in phonetics, is the melodic pattern of an utterance. Intonation is primarily a matter of variation
in the pitch level of the voice (tone), but in such languages as English, stress and rhythm are also involved.
Intonation conveys differences of expressive meaning (e.g., happy, surprise, anger, caution).

In many languages, including English, intonation serves a grammatical function, distinguishing one type of
phrase or sentence from another. Thus, “Your name is John,” beginning with a medium pitch and ending
with a lower one (falling intonation), is a simple statement; “Your name is John?” with a rising
intonation (high final pitch), indicates a question.

Having suitable intonation in your video resume is very important to help deliver the information
effectively. It also helps the video to have a ‘character’ that portrays a certain quality and characteristics of
a person. Therefore, we need to use the correct intonations in order to project a professional image.

Rising and Falling Intonation

A rising intonation would simply be a rise in the human voice; it would be a change in pitch or an
upwards glide in the pitch of our voice.

Examples of Rising Intonation

1) Questions

We tend to use this rising intonation pattern when we are asking questions. So, the pitch of our voice tends
to go up. For instance:
“When does the meeting start?” ‘...start?’ rises up
^
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“Would you like a cup of tea?” '...tea?' rises up

^

The question is a sort of way of sending out an invitation for some kind of response from whoever you are
speaking to.

2) Lists

Another instance in which we would use this upward or rising inflection would be on lists. For example:
“I’d like some eggs, some milk, some cheese and some bread.”
^ ^ ^ ˅
Each item is spoken with a rising intonation, and we would use a falling intonation on ‘bread’ to say that
we have finished the list.

Examples of Falling Intonation

1) Statements and Exclamations

A falling intonation or downward intonation pattern, would simply mean that the pitch of the voice drops
down. For instance, if someone is making a statement or exclamation:

“That’s wonderful!” “I am glad that you are alright.”

^ ˅ ^ ˅
Notice how the pattern went up and then ended with a falling intonation.

2) Commands

Commands is another situation where falling intonation is applied. Try to speak these commands.
“Put that down!” “Go over there”
^ ˅ ^ ˅
“Stand against the wall” “Put that over there”
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^ ˅ ^ ˅
They should all ended with falling intonation.

3) Ends of Sentences

And we also tend to use this downward inflection (similar to lists) at the end of our sentences, indicating
that we have finished with what we want to say.

“That is all I have to share with you guys today.”

˅
“I am sure everyone is already aware of this issue.”
˅

Word Stress

Intonation is important to deliver information effectively. Another important aspect in speech or

presentation is stress. It functions to help emphasize important information in speech/presentation. Stress
pattern in presentation can be done by changing volume, pitch or tone and sometimes rhythm or speed.

Stress Rules

The basic rules of sentence stress are:

1. Content words are stressed.

2. Structure words are unstressed.
3. The time between stressed words is always the same.

The following tables can help to decide which words are content words and which words are structure
words.
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Content words – Stressed

words carrying the

meaning example

main verbs sell give, employ

nouns car, music, Mary

adjectives red, big, interesting

adverbs quickly, loudly, never

negative auxiliaries don’t, aren’t, can’t

Structure words – Unstressed

words for correct

grammar example

pronouns he, we, they

prepositions on, at, into

articles a, an, the

conjunctions and, but, because

auxiliary verbs do, be, have, can, must