Adapting to the digital era: ESP college students' challenges in composing video resumes

Abstract

The increased use of technology in screening procedures of job applications has led to the emergence of so-called ‘video resumes’. These are short videos created for job applicants to showcase their skills, qualifications, and previous experiences. Nevertheless, the creation of video resumes demands advanced multimodal abilities, involving the coordination of rhetorical conventions and linguistic expertise with other semiotic resources to effectively convey their desired professional image in response to job postings. Intriguingly, despite the growing adoption of video resumes in the global job market, they have received minimal attention from ESP researchers.

The objective of this study is to investigate the challenges faced by EFL college students when creating video resumes. This research involves conducting interviews with eight senior EFL students along with examining video productions by 42 students. The results of this study reveal that the primary difficulties encountered by these students include negotiating the projection of professional identity within time limitations, orchestrating multiple modes within their videos, negotiating technical obstacles, and fine-tuning their kinesic abilities. The study also suggests several pedagogical strategies to address these challenges, aiming to empower students in navigating the intricate aspects of video resumes related to branding, multimodality, technical proficiency, and communication.