Can you confidently, fluently and informatively introduce yourself in less than 60 seconds? This skill is rarely developed, yet it is a must-have skill for job-seekers.
How about a video self-introduction? Do you know how to plan, present and post-produce your video self-introduction to create a strong first impression?
If you don’t, then don’t do it – you will stand out for the wrong reasons and defeat the purpose of a video self-introduction. But if you take the time to follow the instructions below, you will enjoy an unfair advantage in the hiring process. Because very few people are actually doing it.
The job search and the inevitable “tell me about yourself”
If you are well-prepared for your job hunt, you have so far done the following:
- thought about the kind of job you want to apply for,
- researched job ads for this type of position to uncover the relevant skills, education and personality traits,
- customized your resume and cover letters accordingly, and
- Optimized your LinkedIn profile with suitable Headline, About, and Experience sections.
You are now getting ready for the inevitable “tell me about yourself” interview question. So, why not take some more time to develop this skill and plan it well and make a video self-introduction?
Why?
Because this will kill a three birds with one stone and prepare you to
- Answer the self-introduction question fluently in an interview,
- See yourself talk about yourself, which may be awkward but very important to hear your fluency and see your body language, and
- Post a personable video self-introduction on Linkedin for the recruiters to see you come to life from your written resume.
Although it is not required by most recruiters, a video self-introduction is an underused – but excellent – opportunity to shine through the piles of candidate resumes.
This is especially true for recent graduates who have little or no experience. A big selling point for you guys is your likeability and fresh enthusiasm, which is what needs to come through in your video application.
Actually, this is the purpose of your video self-introduction:
- to help the viewer decide whether they want to work with you as a person.
So, it is worth the time and energy to prepare a unique, descriptive, and fluent self-introduction.
The 3-Ps to making an outstanding self-introduction video
To do this, your video self-introduction needs to be carefully planned, presented and then post-produced. For these 3 steps, you will need a well-written script, basic technology to record and edit the video, and a suitable place to shoot the video. You will not need fancy cameras, video editing skills, or any other excuse.
Let’s take a look at each of these 3 steps.
STEP 1: Planning – to be seen and heard as you are
Here’s what you will need:
- A good script which is later turned into notes or prompts for practice; it is best to aim for 60 secs, or about 140 words, but if you really need more, try to keep it less than 90 secs, or 230 words (see more below),
- a smart phone with a camera, and if possible a microphone, and
- A quiet, well-lit place (like in front of a window with natural light) with a plain background to shoot the video; if there is no natural light, then two lamps at 45 degrees to either side of your face, and make sure your light source is not behind your head because this will make your face too dark.
STEP 2: Presenting – to be natural and likeable
Here’s what you will need:
- Video framing of you from the waist up so that you can show your hand gestures
- Natural speaking speed, clear speaking and conversational style, like you are talking to the viewer
- Natural, relaxed facial expressions and smiles; you can only do this if you practice several times, otherwise your eyes move left to right and it will be obvious you are trying to remember a script
- Eye contact … with the camera lens; if this feels awkward, put a picture of someone who makes you feel comfortable in front of the camera lens (cut out a hole through the picture first!)
- Suitable clothes for the type of job you are applying for
- Several takes; you should practice a lot with a good script and then concise notes before you record, but then you will need to record several times to get a take you are comfortable with.
STEP 3: Post-producing – to be smooth and fluent
Here’s what you will need:
- Review of the video to make sure the image and sound are stable and clear, and without any distractions,
- Video editing 1: to remove ums and pauses, or even to combine some parts from different takes to get the smoothest, most fluent and most likeable presentation of yourself
- Video editing 2: if you are a bit more familiar with the software, you can add filters and adjust coloring and clean out the sound with the sound “compression” function.
Planning your content: What will you say and how will you say it?
So, now you know what to do to prepare, present and post-produce your video, what are you going to say?
This is the most important stage and the most time consuming. But it is well worth the time spent to create a good impression in interviews and to recruiters who see your self-introduction video.
First, you should not just echo your resume. The content here should be more like a good Linkedin Profile “About” section: focus on past achievements, talents, personality and passion. (See this tutorial for a basic version and this for a more advanced version.)
You should first make some notes in a list or idea map. Then choose the ones that put you in the best light for the type of job you are looking for. But put something in the video that can show something interesting or unique about you. This is called a hook.
| Self-introduction notes Education in music → Viola (hook: viola = bridge)Personality – team player, challenge and step out of comfort zone, adaptable, patient, detail-orientedExperience – flight attendant – interact with lots (#) of people, letter of commendation Goal – sales and marketingBack to school – # hrs of ITI English and Chinese business classes |
If you have a hook, use it
The above information comes from one of my students, Elizabeth. She described her viola talents as a metaphor for her interpersonal skills in team situations. That was a great hook! It is unique and will be remembered above all the other candidates who simply said they are good team players and with strong collaboration skills.
In Elizabeth’s case, she first planned out her ideas to combine personality and experience with her education and work and future goals.
After a lot of thinking, writing and rewriting, Elizabeth came up with her viola hook and a unique story with specific details (viola, number of served passengers, number of hours of training) that emphasize her collaborative personality and strong communication skills. She realized that these will be important and very relevant for her planned future career in sales and marketing. Here is Elizabeth’s self-introduction:
| ExampleHi, my name is Elizabeth Chao. A few years ago, I graduated from NTNU with a bachelor’s degree in Music and a major in viola. Although no longer part of my career plan, the viola has deeply impacted who I am. Between the violin and cello, the role of the viola in an orchestra is a bridge. This is like me: I am an excellent team player and I am a good mediator between different people in a group. I like to step out of my comfort zone, so after graduating, I became a flight attendant. I once served about 600 passengers in one day and often collaborated with more than 70 cabin crew in a month. This work experience gave me the opportunity to interact with hundreds of different people every day and trained me to quickly observe and react to ever-changing work environments. In my first 5 months, I even received a letter of commendation from a VIP passenger who praised my attention to detail and warm and patient service. With a goal to improve my knowledge and skills in sales and marketing, I joined TAITRA’s International Trade Institute for over 250 hours of business content courses in Chinese and more than 400 hours of Business English communication skills. I am now ready to enter sales and marketing, and perhaps make a contribution to your organization. Thank you. (230 <90 secs) |
This is Elizabeth’s fourth or fifth draft. It is more detailed and flows much better than the earlier versions. One problem that learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) often face is writing in an overly formal style. Elizabeth’s early drafts were also quite formal in style.
Making your script conversational
Once you have your ideas, and you have written a first draft, you will need to simplify the sentences and make them sound conversational.
Let’s look at the first draft of Misty, a recent university graduate. Although it does not have an interesting hook, it is clear and the information is relevant. However, you will notice that the underlined sections are quite formal in writing style and not suitable for the conversational style we want in a self-introduction.
| Self introduction: Misty draft 1 – overly formal style My name is Misty Tsan. I graduated from McGill University in Canada with a bachelor’s degree in Arts. I majored in Psychology and minored in Commerce. Having a background in psychology has helped me to be more open-minded and sensitive to differences among individuals, which has strengthened my interpersonal and communication skills. During my university studies, I also worked as a teaching assistant in the summers. This experience gave me the opportunity to interact closely with people and taught me the importance of collaboration in a professional setting. Although I earned a minor in commerce, I still desired to advance and broaden my knowledge in international business. Therefore, I decided to participate in the six-month intensive business training at the TAITRA’s International Trade Institute to further enhance my skills in areas, e.g., international trade, business plan, negotiation, and business English. In such a way, I have become more confident and am eager to apply my skill sets to the international trade industry. It is my hope to have the opportunity to meet with you and show you how I can contribute to your company. Thank you for your time. (189 words; 75 secs) |
The underlined words and phrases are either unnecessarily long and wordy (“During my university studies”, “It is my hope”, “Thank you for your time”), or too formal for regular spoken English (“opportunity”, “Therefore”). The revised more conversational version below has put the changes in CAPITAL LETTERS to clearly see the difference.
| Self-introduction: Misty draft 2 with spoken English HI! My name is Misty Tsan. I graduated from McGill University in Canada with a bachelor’s degree in Arts, WITH a major in Psychology and minor in Commerce. MY background in psychology has helped me to be more open-minded and sensitive to differences among individuals, AND THIS has strengthened my interpersonal and communication skills. IN university, I also worked as a teaching assistant in the summers. This experience gave me the CHANCE to interact closely with people and taught me the importance of TEAMWORK in a professional setting. Although I have a minor in commerce, I still WANTED to IMPROVE my knowledge in international business. THIS IS why I decided to JOIN the six-month intensive business training at the TAITRA’s International Trade Institute to IMPROVE my skills in areas SUCH AS international trade, MARKETING, SALES, negotiation, and business English. NOW I AM more confident and eager to apply my SKILLS IN international trade. IF YOU THINK I CAN MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO YOUR COMPANY, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. Thank you. (173 words, 70 secs) |
Chunking – Revising the script to make it easier to read
The second draft flows better. It is easier to listen to, and it is easier to speak as well. It also starts with “Hi!” like Misty is actually talking to the viewer.
But before Misty records her self-introduction video, she should break down the paragraph into sentences and the sentences into chunks to help her know how to read the text aloud in a more natural way.
| Self-introduction: Misty draft 3, in chunks for reading aloud HI! My name is Misty Tsan. I graduated from McGill University in Canada with a bachelor’s degree in Arts, WITH a major in Psychology and minor in Commerce. MY background in psychology has helped me to be more open-minded and sensitive to differences among individuals, AND THIS has strengthened my interpersonal and communication skills. IN university, I also worked as a teaching assistant in the summers. This experience gave me the CHANCE to interact closely with people and taught me the importance of TEAMWORK in a professional setting. Although I have a minor in commerce, I still WANTED to IMPROVE my knowledge in international business. THIS IS why I decided to JOIN the six-month intensive business training at TAITRA’s International Trade Institute to IMPROVE my skills in areas SUCH AS international trade, MARKETING, SALES, negotiation, and business English. NOW I AM more confident and eager to apply my SKILLS IN international trade. IF YOU THINK I CAN MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO YOUR COMPANY, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. Thank you. (173 words, 70 secs) |
Once you finish chunking your script. Practice about 10-20 times to get the flow and intonation. At this point, you should reduce the script to a short list of keywords or phrases, practice some more, and then record.
This will prevent you from simply reading the script aloud and it will allow you to look at the camera for eye contact with the viewer. It will make you relaxed enough to smile, too. Try to sound friendly and like someone that others want on their team.
| Self-introduction: Misty draft 4, key word prompts Hi Graduated McGill – Psych and Commerce Open-minded and sensitive Interpersonal and communication skills Improve knowledge – ITI Int’l trade, marketing … Confident and eager to apply Make a contribution to your company Love to hear from you Thank you |
Time worth spending …
In short, remember the 3-Ps of plan, present and post-edit. Follow these steps and take the time to write a relevant, detailed, and unique story. Make the script conversational and chunk the sentences into pieces that prevent you from reading in a monotone way. Then practice the script, and then practice again. And again. Then, reduce the script to notes and practice once more. When you are ready, then make sure your space is quiet and well-lit and hit record. Look at the lens, smile and let yourself come through.
Even at this point, you will need to record several times before you feel comfortable and are able to speak and look like you are having a natural conversation. Once you can do that, put the video on your Linkedin profile and attach a link to your resume or job application documents, you are already way ahead of your competition.
The video self-introduction is a strategy that is overlooked and ignored by the vast majority of job seekers. And many who make these videos do not prepare enough and end up doing more harm than good to their chances of getting job interviews. Why not take advantage of this oversight and spend the time and attention to follow the 3-Ps? It will be one of the best returns you can get on time investment to help your chances of getting called for job interviews.
