Could a Video Resume Be Your Ticket to a New Job?

If you’re having trouble finding a job, maybe it’s your resume. And that could mean it’s time to take drastic measures — like ditching the standard format and trying a video resume instead.

Last summer, Matthew Epstein, a 2008 graduate of the University of Central Florida, wanted a marketing job at Google, but since it’s tough to even land an interview with the popular search engine company, he knew he’d have to find a way to stand out from the crowd.

He created an online video presentation to display both his skills and his personality, donning a cheesy mustache, a blazer and boxer shorts — a risky move, for sure, but one that paid off. The video went viral, racking up over a million views and bringing some 400,000 people to his website, and it resulted in interview offers from 80 companies including Microsoft, Amazon and — yes — Google.

After he took a job at an online startup, he wrote on his blog, “I was only unemployed for a month but I personally know friends and family who have been unemployed for 6+ months … If there’s one thing I learned from my campaign it’s that you can’t give up when things seem hopeless.”

If you’re going to try a video resume, just remember your audience. That accounting firm you have your eye on may not be impressed by an applicant in his underwear.

[Time]