Video Resumes; Why and How
All the platforms around us are switching to video. Blogs include video features, online news articles have video excerpts, and our social media seems to be pushing us towards reels.
Why? Because video is effective and engaging.
I predict that at some point in the future, it will be standard practice to send video introductions and resumes. The benefits are big; video is not only a far more effective form of communication than a traditional resume, but it also saves the employer a whole lot of time. You can communicate so much more in video format than you could dream of getting across in a CV.
Until the point at which these are commonplace, taking on this format means you will stand out as a brave innovator and communicator, which is exactly the kind of skills architecture firms are looking for.
Thirdly, I think video can be a great tool to fight bias. If you have a foreign name and feel this may set you at a disadvantage, be brave and jump in front of a camera and show that you are a communicative individual that is worth knowing. If you don’t have any relevant work experience, then surprise them by popping up on their screen and demonstrating other points of potential you have to offer! If you’re young, old, or have a disability - make video the medium that turns you into a human, rather than a statistic.
Sound intimidating?
It doesn’t need to be. These don’t need to be professionally produced marketing material, in fact, I think the more informal they are, the more they will feel like a genuine attempt to reach out, compared to some kind of slick persuasive spiel.
Here’s a quick hypothetical example that I filmed, pretty impromptu. This was my second attempt, and I only put ten minutes into jotting down a few points. I aimed it at Rebecca from Maytree Studios, and you can see her feedback and suggested improvements further down:
Tailor your approach
You’ll notice that my video is quite casual, and this is on purpose. One thing that is critical when job-seeking, whether applying in person, or by phone call, email or video, is to understand the practice you are approaching and to align your communication to represent an overlap of who they are with who you are. I cover this in a lot of detail in my FREE Jobseeker Workbook.
Maytree Studios are a small practice that prides itself on being family-friendly and ‘real’ people. So I’ve kept this in mind. Here are some examples of how I would change it for a few other well-known firms:
For WOWOWA, I’d focus on including some visual colour and excitement, after all, their motto is ‘life’s too short for boring spaces’.
For Peter Stutchbury Architecture, I’d film outside, near a beautiful tree or boulder.
For COX, I’d go more corporate, with a formal shirt and jacket.
What to talk about
I want to share another video with you, from Craig who is my assistant in The Architect Project (my membership platform). He also put this together in an impromptu effort - like me, we wanted to show a non-intimidating example of what you can quickly put together.
It may seem obvious that you want to talk about yourself when you’re doing an introduction video, but you should also spend time talking about the firm you’re contacting, as evidence that you’re a good fit. You’ll notice that Craig and I both took the approach of telling a short story about how we first heard of Maytree and that we both put a bit of emotion into our reaction. (If you know Rebecca from Maytree, you’ll also understand why Craig dropped a swear word or two in his video! A great example of tailoring your approach.)
Another similarity you’ll observe between our videos is our choice of examples about who we are and what skills we offer. Craig highlighted being a stay-at-home dad for a period and how tough it was, which would garner respect from a firm like Maytree, but probably be a topic left out if contacting many other firms. He also speaks about his interest in renovating post-war Brisbane cottages, which is very on point for the firm’s work. For me, pretending to have no work experience, it was important to draw on other sources of knowledge such as volunteer construction programs, and community advocacy experience.
How would this be different from those other firm examples? Here are some ideas, off the top of my head.
For WOWOWA, I might have highlighted a design competition I won, mentioned an artistic hobby, or spoken about a really exciting building or exhibition I recently visited.
For Peter Stutchbury Architecture, I would have spoken about the Country I was on, and where I grew up, and fondly recalled the Pittwater summer school I attended, which Peter tutored.
For COX, I might have focused on an Urban Design studio we did at Uni, referenced the Revit course I did at TAFE, and spoken about being the Sponsorship Manager for the Student Conference we hosted.
See it from the employer’s perspective
I’ve been on the other side of this scenario, and I’ll admit, responding to generic cover letters and battling technology to download or print a long portfolio, and then finding the time to actually read it, can feel like a chore. All I want to know, in a very short period of time, is who this person is and why they could be a good fit for our practice. Anything they can do to help me assess that more quickly is a godsend.
Once my interest is piqued, I’m happy to download a short resume and portfolio, and delve deeper into the skills and background of this person. If I continue to like what I see, then I might reach out for a meeting and would love for them to bring along further examples of their work to talk through together, in a format where I’m focused and have dedicated time to absorb that information.
Finish with a call to action
I hear this time and time again in marketing advice, and have also heard it applied to job seeking in a session with Stephen Drew from Architecture Social; finish by suggesting what you want them to do! Human brains take the path of least resistance, so if you can remove one more tiny barrier between this video and the offer of a meet/interview, then it’s worth doing.
You’ll notice in my video that I finish by saying that I’m in town in a fortnight, and I would love the opportunity to meet Rebecca for a coffee and show her some more of my work. Now that sounds reasonable and friendly without being demanding or expectant. It still leaves a door open for the employer to politely decline, but you’re hoping that somewhere subconsciously there’s a parental voice saying ‘now, be polite, and say yes!’
Rebecca’s response
So what did Rebecca think? She joined us as our guest in The Architect Project and as part of our session, we played these for her and asked for feedback!
Feedback on Sarah’s video:
Rebecca’s feedback for Craig:
What to do:
This is new territory and I won’t claim to be an expert, but here are my personal thoughts on how to go about creating your own video introduction:
Keep your video ideally at 1.5-2minutes.
Upload it to a hosting platform, like YouTube, so you can embed it directly in your email. Don’t make an employer download a huge file.
Do address it specifically to a person of choice. Do NOT record several generic videos to send to numerous firms.
Think about your dress, setting, and communication style, and how who YOU are can overlap with who THEY are. Download my FREE Jobseeker Workbook for more advice.
Introduce yourself, critical information like your qualifications, and briefly mention relevant work experience.
Include something that highlights that you know a bit about them and their work and share an interest in what they do, or how you are aligned with their values.
Summarise a few key skills that you bring to the table - both technical (drafting or visualisations) and soft skills (like problem-solving or teamwork).
Mention any attachments, and finish with a polite call to action.
“It’s easier to beat the crowd than compete with the crowd” - Stephen Drew, Architecture Employment Coach
I’d love to see what you produce! If you’re happy to share yours with others for inspiration, I would love to host them here, as examples, or perhaps even publish them on our social media or YouTube platform. Email me your examples at sarah@myfirstarchitecturejob.com
If you’re really brave, share it to a reel on your Instagram and I’ll possibly reshare it and add my comments - broadcasting it to hundreds of architects who follow our platform.
If you’re looking for more innovative job-seeking advice, you might enjoy this article on Portfolio-free Jobs.