Probably not. Unless, perhaps, you are looking for a job in media or advertising.

Video CVs are not common for most types of jobs. The risk is that if you only send a video CV, no one will look at it. Moreover, it is a little more difficult to skim through a video than a written document, thus you are asking for a greater effort on the part of HR.

When a recruiter looks at a CV, he/she can concentrate almost exclusively on the information contained in it. A video CV can be watched from many points of view – not just content, but also the means of presentation (much more so than in a written CV). Your clothes, your voice, your behavior could all distract from what you are saying about yourself and your achievements. Thus the first impression that the recruiter gets may be based on superficialities such as the way you move, your tone, and your smile or lack of it. Such impressions are better left to the face-to-face interview.

However, if video CVs are the norm in your intended work field, then check out other people’s video CVs. There are plenty available on YouTube and also on professional recruitment sites.

Watch them and decide what you think works well and what you should avoid.

The ones that often work the best tend to be the simplest. They:

• have no distractors so that what the HR person sees is much the same as they would see in a good quality Skype call, i.e. you sitting down (preferably in front of a white background) without performing any particular actions

• are shot in one session, i.e. not in a series of different locations at different times

A major issue is your skills in the English language. If you are a non-native speaker:

• ensure you have your script (i.e. what you say in your video) corrected by a native speaker

• use short sentences (long sentences are more difficult to say)

• only use words that you can pronounce correctly

• enunciate clearly and do not speak too fast