You Don’t Say!

Published January 31, 2010

YouTube and Web-based technology that enables job seekers to add speech to a PowerPoint presentation are giving rise to the “talking résumé.”

But employers and recruiters aren’t necessarily all ears.

“We’re hearing a lot more talk about visual and audio, and sites are setting up capabilities to house these types of résumés,” says Brendan Cruickshank, vice president of the job search engine Juju.com. “If a company is progressive, it might take a look.”

Through speech and video, job seekers’ personalities come through. The unconventional approach can help them stand out from the competition, says Andy Zimmerman, vice president of business and development at Brainshark, an online-presentation software firm in Waltham, Mass. “In positions where HR professionals are requiring traditional résumés, using a talking résumé can serve as a sort of pre-interview, helping candidates get their foot in the door,” he says. “And talking résumés can be shared through social media, giving them more visibility. They’re in line with the way people communicate and share content today.”

But they’re not in line with the way most companies handle job applications, warns Newton, Mass.-based executive recruiter Mike Travis. “Sending one demonstrates profound ignorance of how the job search process works,” he says. “No one has time to listen to an audio résumé. HR people are already drowning in paper résumés.”

In addition, large corporations use computerized screening tools that shrink the pool of applicants by scanning résumés for key words relating to the job description. Talking résumés won’t work with this system, says Heather Hammitt, public relations chairwoman for the Illinois Society of Human Resources Management. However, they may be effective for positions in a progressive multimedia or tech field, she says.

When a candidate is confident that a talking résumé will be positively received, he or she should make it “easily digestible, short and to-the-point,” Zimmerman says.

“Rehearsing your script out loud before recording will help you to avoid sounding like you’re reading,” he adds.

Clear enunciation and an enthusiastic tone are critical. “Solid communication skills are a must-have requirement for most employers,” Zimmerman says, “so this is an opportunity to showcase your capabilities.

- Written By Dawn Klingensmith