Turning to video to help you land a dream job

Careers- msnbc.com: "Louie Bernstein lost his job as a general manager for an Atlanta computer company on Feb. 2 and immediately decided an ordinary résumé wouldn’t cut it in this job market.

So Bernstein, 57, turned to YouTube. He created an eight-minute video of a mock interview using his camcorder. He wrote the script and had his son play the role of interviewer, and he now sends a link to the video along with his résumé when applying for jobs.

“My wife thought I was crazy spending time on this when I should be doing the traditional stuff like networking,” he said. “But I need to do something that stands out and separates me from the average bear.”

Videos can set some job hunters apart, especially in a tight labor market. And a growing number of employers are actually turning to video to interview far-flung candidates.

That means you may have to get your Fellini hat on, or at least start thinking about how videos can help your career.

While Bernstein hasn’t gotten an interview yet, his video has already been viewed more than 100 times.

But other job seekers have found success with videos.



Take Eric Romer. He heard about a marketing manager job at razor company HeadBlade via Twitter and decided to set up a blog called “Hire Me, HeadBlade,” where he included a YouTube video of himself shaving his head with the company’s product.

“I got a response within 24 hours, and the founder/CEO flew me out to interview less than a week later,” said Romer.

Todd Greene, HeadBlade’s CEO, said: “When I saw Eric's head shave video, I knew that he is, indeed, a HeadBlader.”

Romer started his new gig in Culver City, Calif., on Jan. 18.

While some hiring managers shun the often amateurish mini movies, others rave about them.

“It’s virtually impossible to get an impression of someone from a résumé, and videos have saved us so much time in the screening process,” said Heather Logrippo, owner of Distinctive Homes magazine.

So many people look great on paper, she said, but when they show up for an interview, they don’t match what they put down in their résumé and cover letter."