How To Make A Video Cover Letter | Video Example Included

How I Made My Video Cover Letter

Here is an example of my video cover letter. I had my friend Lance, who owns Foura Films, help with the recording and the editing. I didn’t want to go out on location somewhere so we just filmed the project at my house. Before Lance showed up to help with the filming I had pulled out some “props” that I wanted in the video and I wrote down a soft script of what I wanted to say. It turned out to be pretty smooth overall. Check it out!

Steps To Make A Video Cover Letter

I get this question all the time, “how do I make a video cover letter?”. Well, it’s actually a lot easier than you think and it is a lot more effective, in my opinion, than the tradition cover letter. Whether you have a camera phone, old school video recorder like April O’Neil (TMNT), creepy web cam, or even a high end Red Camera, you can create an awesome video cover letter.

On YouTube there are 3 billion videos viewed a day and YouTube is just one of the many ways you can host your video online. Video is a fantastic medium to market yourself. Check out this quote from Steve Garfield, Videographer and Video Blogger:

“Video is just one part of a marketing plan. It fits certain messeges & people better than others.”

So if you really want to capture the attention of  someone do it through video. You’re chances of getting a response through video are exponentially greater than if you were to just submit a document.

I said that making a video cover letter is easier than you think, right? Well, I’m now going to outline a couple of tips to make your video process a little easier so you don’t have to spend days trying to get the video just right.

How To Make A Video Cover Letter Tips

1. Outline / Write down what you are going to say (This will cut down on the amount of takes)
2. Find a comfortable and predictable environment (No distractions will keep the stress level to a minimum)
3. Be Natural (Just be your yourself. People want to see the real you)
4. Be Confident, Clear, and Concise (These are just some public speaking tips)
5. Keep It Simple (Don’t overdue it, you don’t want to be the butt of jokes)
6. Don’t Regurgitate the resume (Highlight your professional and personal high points)

Optional Tips

1. Either edit the video yourself or try and get someone to help (This will improve the quality tremendously!)
2. Try cool effects, but don’t distract (This can make a video look pro, but don’t distract from yourself)

You’re now ready to go ahead and start filming. Don’t worry if the only thing you have to record with is your phone. It’s the creativity and resourcefulness that count. I have yet to see any video cover letter win an Oscar or a Grammy, so just make it and have fun!