Suit Up for Video Resumes, Says New Vault Survey

Suit Up for Video Resumes, Says New Vault Survey

Respondents Advise Job Seekers to Look the Professional Part

According to a survey by career information media company Vault Inc. (www.Vault.com), 65% of employees say that a suit is the only appropriate sartorial option for a video resume. A business casual look is preferred by 31% of survey respondents, and just 4% of employees think that everyday casual wear is the best dress option. Said one survey respondent, “It’s pretty much an interview, so why not dress the part. You are selling your image, too.”

Vault’s 2007 Video Resume Survey was conducted in August of this year and is comprised of 266 responses from employees representing a variety of industries across the U.S. and beyond.

“Because video resumes are such a new phenomenon, there aren’t yet universal guidelines for their creation,” said Mark Oldman, co-president and co-founder of Vault.com. “We conducted this survey to give jobseekers a better idea of what works best in video resume.”

A majority of respondents, 34%, say that the most important facet of a video resume is to present a professional demeanor. Following closely behind is to keep the video short and succinct (28% of respondents believe this is most crucial) and having a well-rehearsed speech (20%).

Although most companies are not yet regularly receiving video resumes for open positions, Vault has found that 89% of employers said that they’d be willing to look at video resumes if they were submitted for a job.

An excellent video resume can help a job candidate get noticed. After all, as one survey respondent stated, “The greatest advantage of a video resume would be to highlight traits such as polish, professional presence and (one’s personal) ‘aura.’”

About Vault Inc.

Vault Inc. is the leading media company focused on careers. Vault offers over 120 nationally distributed books and is celebrated for its online resource, www.vault.com — which offers surveys and “insider” information on more than 4,500 employers, 4,000 colleges and universities, and hundreds of industries and occupations — as well as the much-praised Electronic WaterCooler™, the Internet’s first-ever network of message boards for professionals with nearly 2,000,000 searchable posts. Vault was founded in 1996 by Hussam Hamadeh, Samer Hamadeh, and Mark Oldman.

Contacts

Vault Inc.
Melanie London, 212-366-4212 x.386
mlondon {at} vault(.)com