How to Create a Video Resume that Gets Noticed

A video resume is a short clip, about a minute long, that you send along with your resume. It gives a recruiter something a PDF can’t, which is a feel for how you talk about your own work.

Has anyone here made a video resume?
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But there’s a catch, though. A lot of hiring managers aren’t fans. Alison Green from Ask a Manager says hiring managers “want to skim in 20 seconds and decide if we’re interested in more.” So if your video can’t make its case in about 20 seconds, it probably won’t get watched to the end.

What Is a Video Resume and When Should You Use One?

A video resume (people also call it a video CV) is you, on camera, explaining why you’re a good fit for a specific job. It goes with your resume. It doesn’t replace it.

It’s also different from a one-way video interview. There, the employer picks the questions. Here, you write the script and you decide whether to send it at all.

That decision is worth a minute of thought. SHRM has reported that recruiters find candidate videos slow to get through. Video also shows an employer things your resume doesn’t, like your age or ethnicity. They can’t legally hold that against you, but it’s your call whether to put it in front of them.

When a Video Resume Helps

• The job is mostly talking to people, like sales, customer success, teaching, recruiting, or anything on camera. Your video doubles as a work sample.
• The job post asks for one, or invites you to share anything else that supports your application.
• It’s a remote role where recorded video updates are part of the everyday work.
• You’re switching careers and need to explain the jump in your own words. A bullet point on a resume can’t do that.

When to Skip It

• You’re applying through a system with nowhere to put a link. The applicant tracking system reads text, so nobody will ever see your video.
• The posting says not to send extra materials.
• The company’s hiring process is very formal and you’d be the only one sending a video. It can come across as a gimmick.
• You can’t explain why you fit the role in under 90 seconds yet. Sort out your written pitch first.

What Should a Video Resume Include?

Stick to four parts and about 90 seconds. Anything more belongs on your written resume, which a recruiter can read faster than you can say it.

What to Say

1. Your name and the exact job title you’re applying for. 
2. Two or three skills that match the job post. 
3. One achievement with a number in it. 
4. Why this company or this role. 
5. What you’d like the recruiter to do next, like open your portfolio or book a quick call.

A Video Resume Format That Fits in 90 Seconds

• Hook, 0 to 10 seconds – Say your name and the exact role you want, plus the one result you’re proudest of.
• Proof, 10 to 50 seconds – Tell one story with a number in it, covering what the problem was and what changed because of you.
• Fit, 50 to 75 seconds – Say why this company or this kind of role. Be specific enough that you couldn’t paste it into another application.
• Next step, 75 to 90 seconds – Tell them what to do next, like open your portfolio or book a quick call.

Read it out loud with a timer before you record. 90 seconds usually comes out around 200 words. If you’re way over, cut the career history first, because your resume already has it.

How to Create a Video Resume Step by Step

You don’t need editing software or a fancy camera for this. A laptop webcam and a free Dadan account are enough. These steps use Dadan’s browser recorder, but it also works as a Chrome or Edge extension and as a Windows or Mac app.

Step 1: Write and Time Your Script

Use the four-part format above and write it the way you’d actually say it. Contractions are good. Big words you’d never use in conversation aren’t.

If you’re stuck on a first draft, Dadan’s teleprompter has an AI script generator that’ll give you something rough to work with. 

Rewrite it in your own words before you record. Recruiters can usually tell when someone’s reading words that aren’t theirs.

Step 2: Fix Your Light and Sound Before You Record

Sit facing a window or a lamp. If the light’s behind you, you’ll end up as a silhouette. Get the camera up to eye level too, which on a laptop usually means a stack of books.

Sound matters more than picture. People will put up with a slightly soft image, but an echoey room makes you hard to listen to. 

Pick a room with a rug or curtains and shut the door. Then run a quick check with Dadan’s free mic and webcam tester to make sure the right mic is picking you up.

Step 3: Record With the Teleprompter On

Open the Dadan online recorder and pick webcam-only mode. Paste your script into the teleprompter, then adjust the scroll speed and text size until they match how fast you talk. The script sits right next to your camera, so your eyes don’t drift off the lens while you read.

If you lose your place, pause and pick up from the same line. No need to start over.

If you’d rather talk from bullet points than read a full script, add them as private sticky notes next to the recording. They won’t show up in the video. You can also add a presenter tag with your name and the role you’re after, so it stays on screen the whole time.

Record two or three takes. The first one gets the nerves out, and the later ones almost always sound more relaxed.

Step 4: Cut Filler Words in the Transcript Editor

Once your video finishes processing, Dadan transcribes it, and you can edit the video just by editing the text in the Transcript Video Editor.

Click Remove Filler Words and Dadan highlights every “um” and “uh” and shows how much time you’ll save. Apply it, and they’re gone from both the audio and the transcript.

Silence removal takes care of long pauses. And if you tripped over a sentence, just delete it from the text. Here’s what that looks like.

One tip, though. Don’t strip out every pause. With no breathing room at all, you stop sounding like yourself.

Step 5: Add a Clear Title and Thumbnail

Give the video a name a recruiter would actually search for, like “Priya Nair, Customer Success Manager, video intro.” Then use the thumbnail picker to grab a frame where you’re looking at the camera. Nobody wants their first impression to be a half-blink.

Keep captions on, too. Plenty of recruiters open links with the sound off.

Step 6: Set Who Can See It

Before you share it, decide who should be able to see it. Dadan lets you put a password on the link and set an expiry date, so a video you made for one job doesn’t hang around for years.

This matters more than people think. A public video resume can pop up when a future employer googles your name, long after you’ve stopped looking for that job. 

If you want one on LinkedIn, record a general version with no company name in it and keep the tailored ones private.

Step 7: Share the Link and Watch for the View

Paste the link into your application email or the “additional information” box, or email it straight from Dadan. Send a link, not an MP4. Big attachments get caught by email filters, and a link just opens in the browser with the transcript next to it.

Dadan also shows you views and watch time, and it can notify you when someone opens your video. If you can see the recruiter watched the whole thing, that’s a good moment for a quick follow-up.

You can also add a button on the video page that opens your Calendly, so a recruiter can book a call without having to email you first.

How to Make Your Video Resume Stand Out to Recruiters

Recruiters judge a video resume the same way they judge a paper one, fast and on evidence. These video resume tips help that work in your favor.

Make It Readable as Well as Watchable

Some recruiters will never hit play, but most of them will skim text. On a Dadan link, the transcript sits right next to the video, so a recruiter can read your pitch in 20 seconds and jump to the part they care about.

Show One Example Instead of Describing Yourself

Calling yourself “passionate” or “detail-oriented” doesn’t do much, because everyone says it. 

Madeline Mann, a former HR leader who runs the Self Made Millennial YouTube channel, makes the same point about interviews. Give an example that proves the trait instead of just naming it.

Tailor the Opening and Reuse the Rest

You don’t have to record a whole new video for every job. Record your proof section once. 

Then, for each company, record a quick new opening and fit section and stitch them together in Dadan’s editor, which pulls clips from your library onto one timeline.

End With One Clear Next Step

Tell the recruiter exactly what to do when the video ends, whether that’s opening your portfolio or booking a call. If you just end on “thanks for watching,” you’re leaving them to figure out what comes next.

Common Video Resume Mistakes to Avoid

The most famous video resume ever made is a cautionary tale. Back in 2006, a Yale student named Aleksey Vayner sent an investment bank a video of himself showing off his athletic feats and reciting self-help slogans, and it went around the internet as a joke.

 

• Your mistakes probably won’t be that dramatic. But they usually come from the same place, which is trying to impress when you should be trying to inform.
• Reading your resume out loud just makes the video longer, because the recruiter already has it.
• Going past two minutes means recruiters often close it before they reach your best stuff.
• Sending the video instead of your resume can stall your application, because the applicant tracking system has nothing to read.
• Bad audio from a laptop fan or an echoey room hurts you more than a grainy picture does.
• Animation and music can work for a motion designer, but they’re a distraction if you’re applying to be a finance analyst.
• A fit section you could paste into any application tells the recruiter you didn’t tailor the video.

Best Tools for Creating a Video Resume

Honestly, you could make a video resume with just your phone. What the tool changes is how easy it is to fix mistakes and what the recruiter gets on their end. These four cover most situations.

1. Dadan

Dadan takes you from script to share link without switching tools. You draft with the AI script generator, read off the teleprompter while you record, then clean up the take by editing the transcript. Filler words come out in one click.

Your finished video gets its own page with the transcript beside it. The recruiter clicks a link and watches in their browser, with nothing to download.

Where Dadan really pulls ahead is what happens after you hit send. You can password-protect the link or set it to expire, and you can see who watched and for how long. You can also add a button that opens your Calendly.

Best for

• Candidates with no editing experience
• Anyone who wants to know when a recruiter has watched their video
• Client-facing and remote roles where video is part of the job

Key features

• Teleprompter with an AI script generator, adjustable scroll speed, and pause and resume
• Webcam or screen-and-webcam recording in the browser, the Chrome or Edge extension, or the Windows and Mac apps
• Transcript Editor with AI filler word and silence removal
• Auto transcription, captions, and AI-generated titles
• Password protection, expiry dates, and view analytics
• Call-to-action buttons, including Calendly booking

Pros

• Script, record, edit, and share in one tool
• Filler words and long pauses come out in one click
• Recruiters watch in the browser with the transcript alongside
• Password, expiry, and view tracking give you control after you send it

Cons

• Free plan has 5mins recording limit.

2. Clipchamp

Clipchamp is Microsoft’s video editor. It runs in the browser and comes with Windows 11. The free plan doesn’t add a watermark, and the AI subtitles and silence removal handle the fiddly stuff for you. It can record your webcam directly, too.

The downside comes after you’re done editing. Clipchamp hands you a video file, so you still have to upload it somewhere a recruiter can watch it. Whether you ever find out they watched depends on where you put it.

Best for

• Windows users already on Microsoft 365
• Candidates who want a free editor with no watermark

Key features

• Webcam and screen recording
• AI subtitles and silence removal
• Free stock media and templates
• Exports up to 1080p on the free plan, 4K with Premium

Pros

• Watermark-free 1080p exports on the free plan
• AI subtitles and silence removal at no cost
• Works in the browser and comes with Windows 11

Cons

• Exports a file you have to host somewhere else
• No built-in way to see whether a recruiter watched
• 4K and premium stock need a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family plan

3. iMovie

If you’ve got a Mac or an iPhone, you probably already have iMovie. It’s free, and you can start an edit on your phone and finish it on your Mac.

It’s a timeline editor, though. To cut a stumble, you have to find it on the timeline and trim it by hand, because there’s no transcript to work from. And like Clipchamp, you end up with a file you need to host somewhere else.

Best for

• Apple users who want an editor they already know
• People comfortable trimming clips by hand

Key features

• Free on Mac, iPhone, and iPad
• Titles, filters, and simple transitions
• Editing at up to 4K resolution
• Projects move between iPhone or iPad and Mac

Pros

• Completely free, with no paid tier
• Edits at up to 4K
• Start on your phone and finish on your Mac

Cons

• Apple devices only
• No transcript editing, so cutting mistakes is manual
• Exports a file you have to host somewhere else

4. Canva

Canva’s built-in video editor is a good pick if your video resume needs some visual polish, like on-screen text for your key numbers or a title card in your own colors. The templates make it quick, even if you’ve never designed anything.

Just don’t go overboard. A recruiter may have seen that exact template before, so use it for a moment or two and keep the focus on you.

Best for

• Creative and marketing roles where design is part of the job
• Adding on-screen text or a title card to a recorded clip

Key features

• Video templates and animated text
• Stock photo, video, and music library
• Brand colors and fonts on Pro
• MP4 export

Pros

• Templates make polished visuals easy for non-designers
• Large stock library for title cards and backgrounds
• Free plan covers basic video editing

Cons

• Popular templates can look familiar to recruiters
• Exports a file you have to host somewhere else
• Brand colors and fonts need Pro

Conclusion

Nobody’s grading your lighting. A video resume gets noticed when a recruiter knows who you are and what role you want within ten seconds, and can check your proof without pressing play.

So write your 200-word script tonight and record it tomorrow. Dadan’s free plan gives you a teleprompter to read from and a transcript editor to clean up the take, and you can start recording for free right in your browser.

FAQs

How long should a video resume be?

Aim for 60 to 90 seconds, and treat two minutes as the absolute limit. Anything past 90 seconds is usually career history your resume already covers.

What should I say in a video resume?

Say your name and the role you want, then tell one specific story with a result you can measure. Wrap up with why this company appeals to you and what you’d like the recruiter to do next.

How do I start a video resume?

Start with your name and the exact job title, like “Hi, I’m Priya, and I’m applying for the Customer Success Manager role.” Skip the long hello. The first ten seconds decide whether the recruiter keeps watching.

Should I include a video resume with my traditional resume?

Yes. A video resume should always go with your regular resume, never instead of it. Link it in your application email or the additional information field, and let the recruiter decide whether to watch.

What should I wear for a video resume?

Wear what you’d wear to an interview at that company, usually a notch more formal than their everyday dress code. Solid colors look better on camera than thin stripes or busy patterns, which can flicker on screen.

How do I record a professional video resume?

Face a light source, get the camera to eye level, and record in a quiet room with soft furnishings to cut the echo. A teleprompter, like the one in Dadan’s recorder, lets you keep eye contact without memorizing your script.

Can I create a video resume without video editing skills?

Yes. With a transcript-based editor like Dadan’s, you edit the video by deleting words from the text, and filler words come out in one click. You never have to touch a timeline.