How to Make an Audio Resume
Here is how to create an audio resume and what should be included in it:
• Record quality sound: If you cannot record quality sound with the equipment you have at home you need to hire a professional. Nothing is worse that listening to an audio resume that has terrible sound quality. Doing this will almost certainly backfire in your face and have your audio and regular resumes filed in the trash can.
• Load it with features: To jazz up your audio resume you can add a multitude of features to it. Use pictures, slide show presentations, and even music to make the most out of your audio resume. Make sure that you follow copyright procedures with any pictures or music you use. If you do include any video of yourself make it brief and focus instead on selling the potential employer on giving you an interview.
• Captions: Because different computers run at different speeds it is a good idea to add captions with your visual effects. If your audio and video are off in timing this can confuse the potential employer and have your audio resume trashed.
• Send paper too: While an audio resume is certainly different, you still want to send in your regular resume with it. The hope is once the employer goes over the audio resume that they will also view your regular resume and thus give you a call for an interview.
• Make the sale: Think of your audio resume as a commercial. The product you are trying to sell is you. You have to sound energetic and enthusiastic in order to ‘close’ the deal on an interview. The idea is to leave the prospective employer wanting more…more of you. If your voice is lazy and your audio resume is boring then chances are it isn’t going to work. Just as in a regular commercial you have to make the viewer want the product.
If all this sounds like a daunting task, fear not. There are plenty of quality resume services out there that actually specialize in making audio resumes. By creating an audio resume by yourself or by working one on one with one of these companies you can go a long way in setting yourself apart from the crowd and in today’s cut throat job market you need every advantage you can get.
Really? I’ve always heard it was hard to get HR managers to really look at your resume, much less listen to it! Sounds like a waste of time to me.