Replace your résumé with a vis-u-me

Neil Baum, MD

Just a few years ago, it was standard for job applicants to submit their CV, and more recently, their one-page résumé. However, now résumés are dying. A new approach to make a dynamic presentation to a potential employer is to submit a video or vis-u-me to make you more hirable. Modern hiring is distinct from submitting a standard CV or résumé to potential employers, HR departments, or physician recruitment firms. In this era of AI and social media, résumés are losing their cachet. They are being replaced with video résumés or vis-u-me’s.

When you send the traditional résumé, you wait and usually hear nothing. A one-page piece of paper doesn't capture your energy, your thinking, or your personality. Today, the market is saturated with graduating medical students, residents, and fellows seeking employment opportunities. If you want to differentiate your background, accomplishments, and personality, it's time to consider creating a video résumé.

Video résumés provide an opportunity to stand out from the crowd and showcase your energy, enthusiasm, and communication skills.

Getting Started

Start with why you want the job and why you are the most qualified for the position. If you have specialized training or skills, this is an opportunity to highlight your unique abilities. If you have trained with a luminary in a particular field, then drop their name and institution. If you have an interest in a specific area of research and have previously published papers in this area, then include that in your vis-u-me. Suppose you have a geographic connection to the area where you are seeking employment. In that case, the vis-u-me' is an opportunity to mention this. Today, having social media skills is an advantage, as this is a skill that young physicians often possess, which can be an asset to the practice.

My advice is to avoid reading your vis-u-me. A compelling vis-u-me takes practice and multiple rehearsals. Throughout my 40+ year career as a physician, I have enjoyed delivering presentations to both colleagues and lay audiences, having given several hundred presentations. However, I had very little skill when I started public speaking, and I had no one to critique my presentations to let me know how I did or how I could improve.

The Microsoft Presenter Coach evaluates your pacing, pitch, use of filler words, informal speech, euphemisms, and whether you have used culturally sensitive terms, as well as detecting when you're being overly wordy. Amazingly, the program can determine whether you are simply reading the text on a slide or using it as bullet points for further elaboration or discussion.

When you request the presenter coach to evaluate your presentation after the rehearsal, you will receive a dashboard report that includes statistics and suggestions for improvements.

You can request the Presenter Coach by opening PowerPoint and clicking on "Slide Show", then select "Rehearse with Coach." When you are ready to begin, select "Start Rehearsing" in the drop-down dialog box by selecting "Show real-time feedback". (Figure 1)

Figure 1

Start speaking when you see "Start talking and we'll show feedback for your speech here" appear in the dialog box by selecting "Show real-time feedback". (Figure 2)

Figure 2

During your practice session, the Presenter Coach will offer on-screen guidance about pacing, the volume of your voice, inclusive language, caution about the use of profanity, filler words, i.e., um, uh, er, ah, and you know and can even determine if you're reading the text on the slide. (Figure 3)

Figure 3

After you have completed your practice round, exit the full-screen view. The Presenter Coach opens a "Rehearsal Report," which appears as a dashboard that summarizes your program and even offers helpful hints and recommendations. To see the recommendations, select "Learn More" in the section of the Rehearsal Report that you want additional information. (Figure 4)

Figure 4

You should rehearse in a quiet place without any extraneous noise. Turn off your cell phone, and silence your landline (remember that antiquated piece of technology?) After you complete the rehearsal and review the summary report, it will disappear when you close the PowerPoint program. Initially, I wanted to save a copy of my report to track my progress, and I was able to do this by taking a screenshot of the report and keeping it as a .pdf or .jpeg file.

Your vis-u-me does not need to be perfect. Remember, you are applying for a medical position, not a newscaster. It is permissible to let your human foibles come through; even a few stumbles make you relatable.

Dress for your audience and the job you are interested in. Wearing scrubs is not the impression you want to make. A shirt, tie, and a white coat are the most appropriate attire.

At the end of your vis-u-me', include your contact information, offer to be available to answer any questions, be willing to continue the conversation with a Zoom interview, or visit the practice or facility for a face-to-face discussion. I suggest including your start date availability. I would not mention salary or benefits you are expecting in the vis-u-me'.

Bottom line: Because in a noisy world, a human connection wins out. Résumés won't vanish, but they're no longer enough. You don't stand out with just a résumé. You want to differentiate yourself from the other applicants, and a vis-u-me is a unique way to accomplish this. My take-home message is that if you're tired of sending and praying for a job response, try speaking and connecting.

Neil Baum, MD, a Professor of Clinical Urology at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. Dr. Baum is the author of several books, including the best-selling book, Marketing Your Medical Practice-Ethically, Effectively, and Economically, which has sold over 225,000 copies and has been translated into Spanish.