ThrillList Miami - Review of HireMeNow.com, March 2009

When you lose your job in troubled times, you've gotta do two things: hustle for a new permanent gig, and drink yourself numb, because that's what unemployed people do. Since that Popov's not gonna pay for itself, find temp work with HireMeNow.

Your profile'll include things like said wage requirements, your scores on various skills tests (if you choose to take them), an upload of your normal resume, and the option of creating a Vintro (video resume), for which HMN provides sample scripts for scenarios like "willing to relocate", "recently laid off", and "seasoned sales professional' -- if you've sold in the past, and are coated in paprika.




Yes Virginia, There Are Advertising Jobs: Advertising Age, December 2008

How Digital Tools Can Turn Your Coveted Job into More Than Just Make Believe

'Tis the Season. A time of year veteran advertising workers are all too familiar with: egg nog, Christmas cookies and layoffs. This year, the number of layoffs has hit record highs. Few agencies are coming out of it unscathed, and out-of-work advertising veterans are scrambling to find jobs.

As Organic's director of talent acquisition, I've been swamped with requests from friends and strangers: "How do I find work in this economy?" The truth is, there are still some positions out there. But now more than ever, it's important to be strategic and persistent in your job search and to continue to upgrade your skills. The following are my own top 10 recommendations to help ensure your pursuit is successful:

Create marketing materials that reflect your personal brand. In such a competitive marketplace, it's important for job seekers to refine and communicate their personal brand. If a close friend described you in ten words or less, what would she say? Do some soul-searching to think about who you are and what differentiates you from others doing the same type of work. Make an exhaustive list of all of your projects, successes and failures. What is the consistent 'story' that this tells about you and what course your career has taken so far?

Create a web version of your resume. Many recruiters are using Boolean Logic -- a process of entering key words in a variety of formats -- in search engines such as Google and Yahoo. This enables us to find candidates with specific skill sets to meet our needs. If you post your website as an HTML doc on the web, we stand a good chance of finding you. If you have an entire portfolio website, make sure your web resume is a separate link attached to your web portfolio (and not buried in a Flash site), which will allow recruiters a better chance of finding you.

Consider producing a video resume. If constructed well, this is a terrific way to introduce yourself to a prospective employer in a customized format.

If you're creative, it's expected in this digital age that your portfolio is online. It makes a bad first impression with most creative directors and recruiters if you drop off a 'hard copy' of your book, rather than just forwarding a link.




Lights, Camera, Hire Me!: ABC News, August 2008

I grew up playing "Space Invaders" and watching MTV, rather than airing my dirty laundry on LiveJournal and making YouTube videos about my undying devotion to Justin Timberlake. As far as I was concerned, Web videos were for Hollywood hopefuls and people born after 1980, not privacy-happy old farts like me. So, when a friend in her 30s told me she was thinking of slapping a video resume of herself on the Web to land a new job, my first question was, "When did I miss the part where you decided to become a TV spokesmodel?"

But my friend wasn't looking to become the next Lara Spencer or Brooke Burke. She simply wanted a job in sales.

As the 2007 predictions of media outlets like Time, Newsweek and the New York Times would have us believe, my video-savvy pal is riding the next big job-hunting wave...since 2006, niche sites for video resume posters -- from HireMeNow.com, which caters to temps and contract workers...have sprung up...




Recording a Resume: Fox Business News, May 2008

Are video resumes worth the extra effort when finding a job? Anna Gilligan of Fox Business interviewed Phillip Thune, CEO of HireMeNow.com, who outlines how video resumes can help everyone get a job - even and especially those who normally get the jitters both in front of cameras and in the actual job interview.

"Video Resumes, or as we referred to them, VINTROs™, should be really short and show your personality," said Phillip Thune, CEO of HireMeNow.com. "Typically, the video resume covers the first question of the actual interview -- tell me a bit about yourself and why I should hire you..." "One of the great things about video resumes is that you are in total control; you can shoot the video 20 times if you want. The interviewer will then have a very favorable impression of that job candidate before they even meet them, and will likely keep that impression no matter how jittery the job candidate becomes in the interview itself..."

HireMeNow.com Survey Finds the Age of Video Resumes Has Arrived; Survey Discovers Length Does Matter: PRWeb, January 2008

Lantana, FL -- HireMeNow.com, LLC (www.HireMeNow.com), an online temporary and contract employment marketplace, announced today some formidable survey results indicating the age of video resumes has arrived, with more than 4 out of 5 hiring managers willing to view a video resume.

Three hundred human resource and business managers were surveyed in December 2007, and of them, 83 percent indicated they were willing to view a video resume as a part of the hiring process. Sixty-three percent immediately responded yes, and, of the remaining 37 percent who initially said no, maybe or don't know, 55 percent indicated they likely would view a video resume after viewing a satisfactory written resume. That's a total of 83 percent of respondents whose hiring decision could be impacted by receiving and viewing a video resume. And, while many respondents had not actually seen a video resume yet, only one respondent who had seen a video resume indicated she would not view a video resume again.

"While we don't believe a video resume should ever replace a written one, job seekers who add a video resume to their application will certainly have a leg up on their competition," said Allen Bornstein, President/Founder of HireMeNow.com. "The video resume, which we believe is best used as a video intro, or VINTRO, lets the job seeker show their enthusiasm, energy and attitude -- all important attributes in the hiring decision and ones that cannot be found on a written resume. So, hiring managers can gain a sense of not only a potential employee's qualifications, but whether the employee will fit into the organization's culture. And, candidates need not be anxious about creating a video resume -- they can take their time, plan their remarks and, if they make a mistake, they can just reshoot the video -- a privilege not found in a face-to-face interview."

Jerry Hogan, Director of Recruiting of Suffolk Construction, concurs, "Video resumes are an excellent addition to the hiring process. By being able to view a VINTRO, I can pretty much determine if that person will fit into our organization before I call them in for an interview, taking one large, time-consuming step out of the process."

The survey asked respondents how long a video resume should be, and 78% indicated it should be less than two minutes, with the most popular time period recommended being under one minute. Specifically, the respondents indicated that the time limit of a video resume should be:

• 1 minute or less (54 percent)
• 1-2 minutes (24 percent)
• 2-4 minutes (18 percent)
• 4+ minutes (4 percent)

"The desire to have the video resume last less than one minute is not surprising to us," said Phillip Thune, Chief Executive Officer of HireMeNow.com. "That's why we call our video resume a VINTRO, or video introduction. It's similar to what the cover letter traditionally encompasses: a very brief overview of why a company should hire a person and a highlight of relevant experience, with the added benefit that cover letters never had -- personality."

About HireMeNow.com
HireMeNow.com (www.HireMeNow.com) is the innovative combination of a self-service online temporary staffing firm and a professional and secure place for job candidates to post personal profiles, including VINTROs, or video resumes. At HireMeNow.com, companies seeking temporary help connect directly with workers seeking temporary or contract assignments. Unlike typical job boards, HireMeNow.com fulfills the traditional role of an employment agency, placing the temporary workers on its payroll, and handling all taxes and insurance. Clients do not have to pay to post jobs; they only pay for hours actually worked by the candidates they find on HireMeNow.com. HireMeNow.com believes it can bring the temporary staffing industry completely online, in a model that replicates the success of online travel booking -- hiring companies can simply plug in their candidate criteria, execute a simple search, find the temporary or contract worker that fits their job posting and hire them -- quickly, easily, and efficiently. For more information go to www.HireMeNow.com or call 1-888-440-HIRE.




Video Resumes Getting More Popular, Miami Herald, January 2008
More than four out of five hiring managers in Florida are willing to view a video resume, says a survey of 300 Florida human resources and business executives conducted in December by HireMeNow.com, a Lantana firm aiming to become the premier site for hosting video resumes.

Some managers said they would view a video resume only after viewing a promising written one. Just over half of managers said video resumes should be less than a minute long; most of the rest said no more than four minutes.




Video Resumes?, Tracey Sands, October 2007:
This past week I have been researching video resumes for a client. I was startled to realize how popular they are. Almost made me feel like I was behind times a little. Ha ha.

...in today's highly competitive job market, video resumes are an asset. But only if they are done correctly. If you do choose to make one, keep it professional.

And once your video is completed, you need to host it somewhere. At http://hiremenow.com they offer free hosting for your video. Then when you apply for a job you can just send your employer a link to your video.

In any case, if you've never heard of video resumes, now you have, and if you want to stand out from the competition, you'll actually make one.




S. Fla. Company Provides Video Resumes Online - HireMeNow.com Connects Jobseekers, Employers, NBC-6 South Florida, September 2007:
Want to improve your chances of landing a job? Try posting a video resume online.

"HireMeNow.com was designed specifically for job candidates to look professional and present themselves to employers," said Phillip Thune, CEO of HireMeNow.com, a new South Florida-based Web site.

"It's the way to really get across who you really feel that you are," said Brett Stern of Lord Daniel Sportswear, Inc., in Sunrise.

Stern used HireMeNow.com to post a job opening for his company.

"Are they energetic? If you're looking for somebody to answer phones, how do they speak?" Stern said. "Those are things that you certainly couldn't see on a resume, a normal resume. It's sort of like a normal resume on 3D. It's speaking to you. And that's the beauty of it."

Michelle Finkelstein, who is looking for a job in the legal profession, used HireMeNow.com's free service to post her video.

"It's great because it makes it easier on that initial interview face-to-face because you now know that this employer already knows what you look like, knows how you present yourself," Finkelstein said. "So it takes that little bit of edge off."

HireMeNow.com executives said their Web site is better than others because it has no socializing, and it's more streamlined, professional and selective about who can view postings.

"It also gives the candidate the ability to know when an employer has actually viewed their video resume," said Allen Bornstein, founder of HireMeNow.com. "It sends a notification back to the candidate that this employer has looked at your profile, your video resume, and maybe now is a good time to call them."

Finkelstein is one of about 1,000 jobseekers who have used HireMeNow.com so far. She said potential employers have already contacted her.





Sree Advice on Video Resumes by Sree Sreenivasan, WNBC-4 New York, August 2007:
I have enough troubles keeping my old-fashioned print resume current, but it now turns out that video resumes are all the rage.

Across the country, thousands of people are uploading their video resumes. Some are polished professionals; some are folks looking for their first jobs.

The advantages of such videos are that an employer can see your personality, what kind of presence you have and whether you can sell yourself as a job prospect.

Places to upload your video resumes: HireMeNow.com: What the site says: "HireMeNow.com is the most professional place on the Internet to post your video resume with reports detailing who watched your video, how often and when."




High-quality Video Resume 'Sells' Person, The Oklahoman, August 2007:
OU associate professor Scott Hodgson said it was only a matter of time before employers started using video resumes.

"The hard part is that, not only do people have to sell themselves on paper, but they have to learn how to sell themselves in person," Hodgson said.

He said it will be a challenge for some people, but the reward can be greater - future employers can get to know prospective employees much quicker. He said these employers will be looking at several video resumes, so applicants submitting videos should keep it concise.

"Short, sweet and to the point," Hodgson said.

According to HireMeNow.com, the site offers reports detailing who watched your video and how frequently.




Videos Can Give Job Applicants Star Quality, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, August 2007:
More online job boards are offering video resume options to job candidates, following the popularity of YouTube.com, MySpace.com and videos on the Internet. CareerBuilder.com, Jobster.com, Work Blast.com and the South Florida-based HireMe Now.com now provide hosting services for video resumes.

"A video is not meant to replace the resume, it's to enhance it," said Allen Borenstein, co-founder of HireMeNow.com, who sees video resumes as his firm's niche in the market.

Michelle Finkelstein, 25, a Boca Raton legal secretary who is looking for a paralegal position, recently put her video resume on HireMeNow.com. While it's too early to measure results, Finkelstein said she thinks her video resume will make her stand out from other candidates who have a similar level of experience.

A video resume can open an employer's door if a hiring manager sees a sparkle in someone's eye or something else that's appealing about the job candidate. Employers "want people who are more vibrant, not just robots," said Finkelstein, who thinks the video shows her communications skills.

Video resumes are "good for people who are nervous about first impressions," she said. "The potential employer knows what they look like, what they sound like and wants to meet them."

HireMeNow's Borenstein says public posting of video resumes runs the risk of negative comments, which can tarnish the image the job candidate is trying to present to potential employers. That's why HireMeNow's video resumes are password-protected so candidates have control over who views the resume. Job seekers also can check which employers have viewed their resume through the site.




"Video resumes are becoming a way that job candidates can separate themselves from the pack...", NBC-2 Fort Myers, July 2007:
Combine inexpensive, user-friendly cameras with the World Wide Web and video resumes are becoming a way that job candidates can separate themselves from the pack. One nationally recognized website that provides this service has ... a proven resume of its own.





Your Resume: Lights, Camera, Action; Job Seekers Say Video Resumes Can Make Them Look Better Than On Paper, New York Daily News, August 2007:
Digital videos e-mailed directly to companies or posted online, video resumes are redefining the way people apply for jobs.

"My paper resume speaks for itself, but there are probably thousands of guys with my experience," said (Scott) Levine, who once worked for accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. "Accounting people sometimes get pigeonholed. I wanted something to show one of my best assets - my personality."

A growing number of Web sites have launched services to help create and host video resumes, including HireMeNow.

(Mark) Oldman said video resumes will become an integral part of a job search. "In a few years, we expect the situation to change dramatically," Oldman said. "We think that video resumes will become a cornerstone of your application package.




Job Candidates Seek New Ways to Separate from Pack, Miami Herald, July 2007:
Job seekers are turning to video resumes -- made on the cheap with digital cameras and easy editing software -- to separate themselves from the pack.

While video resumes have been a requirement in some journalism and arts-related industries for some time, the concept is new to the jobs industry as a whole. According to a March survey of 309 U.S. employers in several industries by Vault.com, a career information website, 81 percent said they have never seen a video resume.

But some employment experts agree that the trend is likely to pick up steam, especially among younger, tech-savvy job seekers. In the Vault.com survey, 58 percent of employers surveyed said they would watch a video resume ''out of sheer curiosity,'' 31 percent responded, ''definitely, I think they are valuable'' and 11 percent said they would not watch because it ``would not be useful.''

Allen Bornstein, president of Lantana-based HireMeNow.com, said he founded the Web site because he felt that there needed to be a more professional channel for applicants to display their video resumes than YouTube, MySpace or Facebook profiles. So far, about 1,000 applicants have used the Web site since it launched this January.

Through a video resume, employers can see how presentable an applicant is and how articulate they are, both legitimate factors employers look for when hiring, HireMeNow.com's Bornstein said.




Video Resumes Catching on with Job Seekers, Palm Beach Post, July 2007:
More and more these days, a video resume may be just the thing to separate a prospective job candidate from the rest of the pack.

Indeed, with a plethora of cheap, easy-to-use cameras and video-editing software on the market, more job seekers are going the high-tech route to land a job.

And perhaps the biggest indication that the video resume trend is catching on: Several video resume-specific Web sites such as HireMeNow.com and GoCVone.com have launched in the past nine months.

Allen Bornstein, president of Lantana-based HireMeNow.com, said he founded the Web site because he felt that there needed to be a more professional channel for applicants to display their video resumes than YouTube, MySpace or Facebook profiles. So far, about 1,000 applicants have used the Web site since it launched this January.

HireMeNow.com applicants can upload video and their resume information after setting up a free account on the site. Then, they can e-mail the link to potential employers who can access the video with a password. What makes the Web site unique, is that it sends applicants notifications if an employer looked at their video resume, Bornstein said.

"It gives you an opportunity to know when to follow up," said Bornstein, who previously was the president of employee recruiting company Workgroup International Inc.




Job Hunters Post Video Resumes on Web, The Washington Times, June 2007:
A growing number of job candidates are swapping parchment for camcorders in an effort to set themselves apart from the competition.

Job hunters are sending their videos to companies and recruiters and are posting the videos online in hopes of attracting a potential employer.

Improved technology and a tech-friendly generation entering the work force are pushing video resumes into the mainstream, said David Morales, vice president of new product development for Chandler Hill, a national company that counsels professionals for career transitioning. Mr. Morales predicted the trend will continue to grow. "I think that as technology and speeds of the Internet and capabilities of desktop machines increase, we will start to see organizations embracing these types of technologies more and more," Mr. Morales said.




The Video Resume: a New Tool for Job Seekers, The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 2007:
Fallon Rechnitz is at the forefront in the hunt for employment. Video-resume services are only starting to emerge on the Internet, and the 22-year-old Arizona State senior believes the visuals can give her a leg up after graduating this month.

"I feel like my personality is what really seals the deal and if they can see my personality I'd get a better chance of getting the job," said Rechnitz.

Many employers welcome the chance to see a candidate before committing to an interview. Laurine Sargent said she wished she had video clips accompany the roughly 60 applications she received for a recent opening at her Phoenix-based real-estate firm.




Youth Spotting - Video Resume, The Daily Show, May 2007:
How do you make the leap from student to professional? Your resume is the most important part of the process, and today, more and more people are turning to video resumes.




Video Resumes Get The Job Done, CBS News, April 2007:
Is it time for you to update your resume? Many of today's job hunters are presenting their resumes via video instead of paper.




Lights! Camera! It's Time to Make a Résumé, New York Times, April 2007:
Vault Inc., a career consulting firm, informally asked employers if they would watch a video resume; if it were submitted to them, and most said yes. Employers also said video resumes would become a common addition to future job applications.

"I used (my video resume) to apply for the jobs I wanted the most," said (Lucy Cherkasets). "I wanted to be selective because this was a unique new way to approach the job search. It was something that certainly made me stand out. People, particularly H.R. professionals, were impressed by the initiative and creativity as well. It allowed me to show them my interest and got them to 'see' me before they even talked with me."




It's a Wrap. You're Hired!, Time magazine (In partnership with CNN), February 2007:
Video resumes have long tickled imaginations in Hollywood (can a blond legally apply to Harvard via VHS?) without making much of a dent in the real world. Enter Aleksey Vayner. The Yale student submitted his video resume, titled Impossible Is Nothing, to investment bank UBS last fall. It became a YouTube classic, while its karate-chopping, tennis-acing, deep-thought-having star became the joke of Wall Street. But another funny thing happened: Vayner's vanity creation awakened recruiters and job seekers to the possibilities of marrying the video CV to the Internet--and that may just revolutionize the job-search process as we know it.




Video Resumes Are Taking Off, CareerJournal.com, January 2007:
When Mona Lattouf's initial job-hunting efforts didn't pay off, the recent college grad got creative. Using a digital camera, the Orange County, Calif., resident created a two-minute 'video resume' that included highlights from her paper resume and answers to common interview questions. ...Within two to three weeks of sending hiring managers a link to her video, she received several calls back. "It was truly painless," says Ms. Lattouf, who landed a job as a junior accountant in October.

Video resumes are taking off, spurred by the combination of widespread broadband Internet usage, higher-quality video technology and increased enthusiasm for online video sharing. And young job seekers -- who may be long on enthusiasm but short on experience -- can use this technique to get an edge up on the competition.

If privacy is a concern, don't upload your video to video-sharing sites such as YouTube or Google Video.




The Wall Street Journal Online, December 2006:
Though the practice is still in its early stages, young job hunters are starting to make a video clip part of their job application.

The videos, which are typically no more than a few minutes long, give applicants a more direct way to sell themselves. ...They also help employers decide whom to bring into the office for a face-to-face interview.

Toll Brothers (a luxury home builder based in Horsham, Pa) uses video resumes to evaluate job candidates who apply to its engineering division. Job seekers are not required to make a video, but Mr. Jay Lehman (national director of recruiting) says it often helps. "You can see how well they prepared and that they were willing to go to the extra length and make a video."




The Video Resume - Has The Time Come?, ERE.net, October 2006:
...the only way an individual has had to brand themselves to a prospective employer is by creating a (written) resume. And let's face it: the resume is almost always a boring document that resembles the price sticker on a new car more than a promotional flyer. Lots of detail, but not much sizzle!

As I have frequently stressed in other articles, the Internet is quickly changing everything about recruiting. Video resumes...can provide more depth and understanding of candidates.

It seems clear to me that recruiters need to learn how to better sell their jobs using video and open up to the idea of video resumes.