How to Record a Video Resume on Your Phone

A video resume is not your whole resume read aloud. It's a one-minute answer to "Why should we talk to you?" Recruiters skim, so every sentence has a job. Use this structure and word budget, based on a pace of about 150 words per minute:

Start from our video resume script template and fill in the brackets, or write your own using the tips below.

Hi, I'm Jordan Lee, and I'm a customer support lead at a software company in Denver.

Last year my team cut average response time from nine hours to under two, and our customer satisfaction score went from 82 to 94 percent. [PAUSE] I did that by rebuilding our help center and training six new agents.

What I enjoy most is turning a frustrated customer into a loyal one. I'm good at spotting patterns in tickets and fixing the cause, not just the symptom.

I'm now looking for a customer success manager role where I can work with larger accounts. [SMILE] If that sounds like a fit for your team, my email and LinkedIn are on the screen. Thanks for watching, and I'd love to talk.

Notice the short sentences, the contractions and the two numbers in the proof section. Read it out loud: it should sound like you talking, not like a cover letter.

• Lead with a number. "Grew sales 30 percent" sticks; "results-driven professional" doesn't.
• Pick one story. One strong example beats a list of five weak ones.
• Tailor the ask. Name the role or industry. A generic video reads as a generic candidate.
• Cut jargon and acronyms unless the recruiter will definitely know them.
• Add cues like [PAUSE] after your main result and [SMILE] before your closing line. You'll see them on the prompter but won't say them.

Write the script in the app with Write Script and New Script, or import it from your device files (for example, a .docx or .txt file).

• Eye level. Put the phone on a tripod or a stack of books so the front camera is level with your eyes. Looking down at a phone is the most common, and most unflattering, mistake.
• Distance. About an arm's length away. Frame yourself from mid-chest up, with a little space above your head.
• Orientation. The app records in portrait or landscape. Landscape suits most job sites and email links; portrait suits mobile-first platforms. If you're not sure, choose landscape.
• Light. Face a window for soft, even light. Avoid having a window or lamp behind you, which turns you into a silhouette.
• Sound. Pick a quiet room. Rugs, curtains and a sofa reduce echo far more than you'd expect.
• Background. Clean and simple. A plain wall or a tidy bookshelf works; a messy room distracts.

Open your script and tap Record a New Take. Before you record:

1. Text Area: keep the script to a short block near the top of the screen, right under the front camera, so your eyes stay close to the lens.
2. Font Size: large enough to read comfortably from arm's length, with five to eight words per line.
3. Position: Center keeps your eyes in the middle of the frame.
4. Speed: start at the default of 15 and adjust after a practice take. You're aiming for a calm pace of about 140–150 wpm.
5. Video Quality: choose HD 1080p if your phone supports it.
6. Lock Auto-Exposure (in Settings) stops the brightness shifting if you move your hands or the light changes.

Turn on Automatic Teleprompter Stop in Settings too, so the prompter stops when you reach the end of the script.

1. Do a practice take. Read the whole script once and watch it back. Check your framing, light and sound, and whether the Speed felt right.
2. Adjust and record for real. Tap record. You'll get a 5-second countdown before the script starts scrolling. Use it to look into the lens and smile.
3. Keep going if you slip slightly. A small stumble sounds human. If you lose your place, tap Stop Scroll (Stop Scrolling on Android), then tap again to resume.
4. Record two or three takes. The second is usually the most relaxed.
5. Compare them in My Takes and pick the one where you sound most like yourself. Delete the rest to save space.

See the recording features for more on takes and video quality.

You don't need hours of practice. This routine gets most people from first draft to a take they're happy with in about 15 minutes:

1. Read the script aloud three times (3 minutes). First for sense, second to fix awkward lines, third at your natural pace. Time the third read. At 150 wpm, a 140-word script should take just under a minute.
2. Edit (3 minutes). Cut any sentence you stumbled on twice. Swap formal words for everyday ones.
3. Set up (4 minutes). Phone at eye level, light in front, prompter settings as above.
4. Practice take (2 minutes). Record and watch it back once with sound.
5. Real takes (3 minutes). Two or three full takes, back to back, while you're warmed up.

If you're short on time, never skip step one. Reading the script aloud is what makes the difference between sounding scripted and sounding prepared.

• Add captions (Pro). Many recruiters watch on mute. Use Add Captions/Subtitle in Video to generate captions, fix any words, then set the Caption Style.
• Add an outro card (Pro). Outro / Closing adds a business card with your name and email or phone number at the end. See the outro card.
• Keep the intro short. If you add a title, keep it to a few seconds. Recruiters want to see you quickly.
• Export. Use Share or Download Video and choose HD 1080p for the sharpest result.

Upload the file to a cloud folder or a video platform with link sharing, check the link opens in a private browser window, then paste it into your application, your email signature or your LinkedIn profile.

• Going long. Past 90 seconds, attention drops. Cut to the strongest result.
• Reading your resume line by line. They already have it. Tell them what it doesn't show.
• Text far from the lens. A script at the bottom of the screen makes you look down in every frame.
• Backlight. A bright window behind you hides your face.
• No clear ask. Always say the role you want and how to reach you.