Another week has passed, and another group of people have started using new internet technology to connect with others and build business.  Hopefully, that group of people includes some lawyers.  Welcome to part 18 of our blog series on social media for attorneys.  This week we will focus we will continue our discussion on promoting yourself to potential employers.

In last week’s post, we discussed how you can use blogs and social networks to highlight your potential and accomplishments so that when it comes time to get a new job, you are more than ready to put your name out there.  This week, we will expand on that idea by diving into something that is relatively new, the video resume.

Video resumes are the wave of the future.  There are already a number of websites out there that promote the fact that job searches are more effective, for both the applicant and the hiring organization with video resumes.  They allow you to see not only a one sided list of accomplishments on one sheet of paper, they give you a feeling of how the person carries themselves, their personality and energy, and offers a more personal approach to recruiting.

In my opinion, everyone should set up a video resume now, because in the future it may be the norm.  Creating a video resume is very easy.  All you need is a type of digital camera, maybe a web cam or a Flip Camera.  Set it up in a quiet room in your house and just discuss the strong points of your personality, past accomplishments, reasons you’re a good hire, etc.  The best thing about a video resume is that it allows your personality to come out.  Don’t be afraid to stand out a little, this will convey something to a potential employee that a standard resume cannot.

Then, download the video onto your computer and edit it down to something that you can use.  An ideal length is somewhere between 3-5 minutes, because any video that is too long will just bore the viewer, and you will lose their attention very easily.  Make it quick and to the point.  You can download very simple editing software for free, or pay for something a bit more complex if needed.

Then, once you have your final product, upload it to the web.  Join a video resume hosting site, like the ones at Vault.com, HireVue, and ResumeVideo.  A simple Google search for the term “video resumes” will give you hundreds of sites that are entertaining the idea of including video resumes in future projects, which will tell you that this is a growing trend.

Also, you can post your video on your own sites.  Post it on your blog along with a copy of your standard resume so people have more to look at.  Or you can post it to a Facebook or LinkedIn page to get it more exposure.  Even uploading it to YouTube is a good idea, because from there you can just copy and place the link anywhere you want.

If all of this sounds too technically difficult, you can hire an IT professional or video editor at minimal cost.  You can also go online and find thousands of tutorials to help you get started on your own.  You will find that it is much simpler than you originally thought.

When you are ready to search for a new job, get the video some exposure by talking about it and sharing it with as many potential employers as you can.  It will get the word out that you are creative and a forward thinker.  And, if you provide the right content, it may land you an interview faster than any other method out there.

Past Installments of this Series:
Part One – Intro to Social Media for Attorneys
Part Two – Signing up for the Networks
Part Three – Using Blogs as an Information Source
Part Four – Start Blogging Today
Part Five – Introduction to Twitter
Part Six – Introduction to LinkedIn
Part Seven – Networks as a Communication Tool
Part Eight – Submit Yourself to Blog Catalogs
Part Nine – Put Your PR Department to Work
Part Ten – Lend us your Comments
Part Eleven – Intro to Viral Marketing
Part Twelve – Answer Questions 2.0
Part Thirteen – The Big Picture
Part Fourteen – Interactions on Blogs
Part Fifteen – Interactions on Networks
Part Sixteen – Recruiting on the Networks
Part Seventeen – Promote Yourself to Get a Job