YouTube résumé tips

Here's the good news if you're thinking of setting yourself apart with a video résumé. It's not hard to stand out in the sea of mediocrity that's already on the Web. One important thing to remember is that Cameron-esque video tricks are not necessary. If you aren't experienced in filming, and you don't have a friend who can help, just do something stationary using a decent camera and a tripod. Keep it brief and express your personality. That's what this is about.

Below are few examples of the best and worst video applicants on YouTube:

THE GOOD

1. Gary Schutt, musician

Props for:

• Introducing himself right away and getting straight to the point
• Showing a varied body of his work (in this case, musical performances)
• Using labels and effects that supplement, rather than distract from, his overall presentation

2. Erik Zarnitz, meteorologist

Props for:

• Presenting clear contact information at the beginning and end
• Showing himself doing the job he wants to get (in this case, presenting weather on TV)
• Keeping it simple

3. Allen Ulbricht, Web project manager

Props for:

• Clearly stating his professional objectives
• Conveying an obvious passion for his field
• Injecting his personality and humor (even if it's a little quirky)

THE BAD

1. Leo Gabriel Samoiloff, profession unknown

Jeers for:

• Leaving in seven seconds of dead air before he realized the camera was on
• Merely restating his résumé and presenting no additional aspects of himself
• Being completely boring

2. Ben Hampton, PR associate

Jeers for:

• Trying to execute a clumsy tracking shot through his house, when a stationary shot would do just as well
• Going apeshit with editing gimmicks and running his text résumé in the style of scrolling Star Wars text
• Being overly stilted

3. Matt Bennett, IT manager

Jeers for:

• Exhibiting a wild, casual style completely inappropriate to the job he is seeking
• Treating the résumé as though it is a movie, complete with staged skits
• Being potentially insane