Don’t let a lackluster video production resume derail your quest for a better job. Understandably, many people are intimidated by the process of pulling together a top-notch resume.
That’s partly because technology has transformed the job search landscape in the last few years. Another major factor is that as a video production professional, we only create or refresh our own resume once every few years. It’s hard to become an expert at anything with so little practice. Ambivalence can also cause “paralysis by analysis” during the resume process.
Here are some great tips to upgrade your resume:
Get Creative on Your Video Production Resume
Your resume needs to deliver instant impact to prospective employers. Resume research with eye-tracking technology done by the Ladders in 2012 shows that on average, employers spend just 6 to 10 seconds scanning your resume before rejecting it. That’s partly because the average employer receives 1,000 resumes for each open position. (Highly desirable jobs or companies receive even more.)
A one- or two-page resume format, with a crisp sans serif font, plenty of white space and accents in a single color (not multiple shades of a single color) performs best.
Link to Your Video Productions
The best advertisement for your skills is your past work. Include a live link to an online portfolio if possible. When listing your achievements, include a link to the project if it’s available online. For feature-length films, include a link to the movie trailer. Include a live link to your LinkedIn profile in your contact information. If you’re listed on other sites like IMDB, also include that link on your video production resume. (Some major film and TV studios actually use IMDB rankings as part of the selection process. Even for those that don’t, your listing is impressive.)
Highlight Your Achievements
Showcase your video production achievements by describing the impact you delivered for the company, not your routine duties. Once employers understand the value you delivered in past roles, they begin to see you as the solution to a business problem they are facing.
This means focusing on results beyond video production, including the number of views on YouTube, shares on Twitter, dollars in revenue generated, number of viewers … however success can be measured for that project.
Be Concise
“Death by bullet points” is a very common flaw in self-written resumes. Resume research with eye-tracking technology shows that when prospective employers encounter a list of more than six bullet points, they simply skip all of them. They will also skip any bullet point that’s more than two lines long, so keep those achievements compelling yet concise.
No matter how many credits you have, two pages is the absolute maximum for a modern resume of any type, including video production resumes. A longer resume is seen as an inability to communicate clearly and concisely.
Resume questions are always welcome in the comments. If your question is especially interesting, it may inspire a future blog!
About the Writer
Joni (Johnny) Holderman has written video production resumes across the spectrum, from senior executives at major motion picture studios and TV producers to entry-level videographers. As Chief Resume Strategist, Resume Writer and Founder of Thrive! Resumes, she delivers compelling career marketing tools with instant visual impact. Joni combines a passion for helping others achieve their professional goals with exceptional wordsmithing skills. She is a well-respected nonfiction ghostwriter, fiction editor and content creator who has earned the coveted ACRW resume writer certification.
