5 things to avoid in a video CV

A video CV is a great way to tell your interviewer all about you and your skill set, in a current, digital method. To ensure you can create the best video CV possible (and increase your chances of having your video CV viewed by employers) we have created this article explaining what a video CV is, and outlining our video CV tips, including the 5 things you should avoid in a video CV.

If you’ve not created a video CV before and are unsure how to make a good video CV, spend a few minutes reading our article about how to prepare a video CV, for some useful tips to help you get started.

What is a video CV?

A video CV is a recruitment tool that you can use to help land your ideal job role. It’s more than just your paper CV transformed into a video format. It’s a great way to showcase your personality and create a great first impression before your first interview.

Make sure to include a brief account of your professional experience, qualifications, and interests.

Like your paper CV, you’ll need to cover four essential areas:

• Education
• Experience
• Interests
• Why you should be the person they hire

Explore our full range of professional training courses to retrain or upskill for your career development.

When will you need a video CV?

There are a few occasions where you should use a video CV, but you will not need to use one every single time you apply for a job. Really, using a video CV depends on the industry or job you’re applying for. Video CVs are best to use if you’re applying for a creative or customer-facing job role, such as in advertising, marketing, media, PR, and sales.

That said, video CV’s can be used whenever you feel it would be good to make a personal impact with an employer. Just by taking the time to create a video CV, you will show potential employers that you’re prepared to go above and beyond to succeed.

If you need help writing your paper CV, we have created an article to help you learn how to write a CV.

5 things to avoid in a video CV

While a video CV is a great way to showcase your skills and explain why you’re perfect for the job role, you need to make sure you don’t fall into the trap of saying too much or recording your video in an unprofessional way.

To help you out, we have created a list of 5 things to avoid on your video CV, below.  

Moving around too much – Camera lenses tend to amplify movement, so even small seemingly normal gestures can look odd on video. You don’t want to come across as uncomfortable by fidgeting.

Not preparing enough - Reading from notes will most likely sound like you’re reading a script, and you want to sound as natural as possible. Go over your notes a few times before you start recording for the best results. Also, not using a high-quality camera will often do more harm than good.

Reading from a script – Reading from notes will most likely sound like you’re reading a script, and you want to sound as natural as possible. Go over your notes a few times before you start recording for the best results.

Don’t try to cover everything in your CV – Your written CV will fill in any gaps not covered in your video CV. Highlight key skills, relevant work experience, and highest/ most recent education achievements.

Stress! – A video CV is a nice piece of content to support your actual CV, not a replacement of your CV. Don’t get too worried about the video and try to relax. You will appear more relaxed and confident.

Not selling yourself enough – You have a great platform to really showcase your character and personality, so be sure you use this opportunity to sell yourself, your skills, and get your personality across for your interviewers.

Looking to undertake professional training to advance your career or ensure job security? Explore our range of training courses or call our team on +44 (0) 20 3198 7700 and one of our Course Consultants will be happy to talk through your training options.