Introduce Yourself to Potential Employers Via Video

Instead of a having a resume do the talking for them when looking for work, job-seekers can now introduce themselves to potential employers  with short videos done on a computer or a smartphone, uploaded to a website jobon.com.

A start-up in the digital world, Jobon.com brings together job-seekers and employers.  A prospective employer, who is registered as a customer at Jobon.com, can scroll through candidates and get a first impression within seconds, whenever it's convenient.

Meanwhile, the potential applicant can choose jobs, save them and then click "interview"  to answer typical interview questions in a brief video. The job-seeker  picks a question to answer, such as "Why are you the best person to hire?" The appicant answers, and if not satisfied with the initial try—after all, it's the first impression the employer will receive—the applicant can just re-record it.

"It gives job seekers a way to show all the things they can’t on paper, enthusiasm, level of interest, skill sets to be demonstrated on a video. They get to stand out in the crowd. It gives them an edge," said Chris Ourand of Severna Park, chief marketing officer for the site.

The hiring employers pay a fee to use the site, but it is free to the job seeker.

Jobon.com installed cameras onto the computers at the One-Stop Career Center in the Arnold Station shopping center for job-seekers to make a jobon.com video.

Donna Camp, manager of the center whose mission is to help local residents get jobs through training and computer availability, sees the value in this form of job hunting.

“We like it [video] because it will allow us to have a tool with partnered employers.  We can make it what we want to make it and it's an additional resource we can offer to cast a wider net for our job seekers," she said.

The center sees about 500 people a month through workshops and in the computer labs which serve a high number of professional-level dislocated workers with steady work histories, Camp said.

Instead of job postings, jobon.com lists workplaces (such as restaurants, retail, automotive) for prospective applicants to announce their availability with their profile video.

"Employers really prefer this method as they always have access to a fresh pipeline of talent and can just log-in to watch interviews instead of posting jobs to Craigslist. Our process condenses the most difficult aspects of hiring into just a few minutes," wrote Jody Presti, co-founder and CEO of Jobon.com.

The videos acts as a screening tool for the employers, especially helpful for those in the restaurant and grocery businesses where the turnover is high, Ourand said.

"It's a shorter more efficient way to hire," he said. "...You get better quality candidates. You already get the sense of the person," he said.

"Let a potential employer see your smile, your neat appearance, professional manner and pleasant voice —before the interview," Orand said. "These traits just don't shine through on a resume but they do make an impression when delivered on a 30-second video introduction."