Sabeer Bhatia, the co-founder of Hotmail and man responsible for making email the medium it is today, is now back with a new social video messaging app called Showreel. The platform’s objective is to create video resumes for job applications, match job seekers with companies, network building, and turn cold calls into business deals.
But how and why is this app any different, and why it could possibly become an inspiration for future similar platforms? People prefer video content over images on social media, which could be the next big thing in the job-seeking industry. Well, if you think about it, sending a video message to employers looks much more personalized and convenient.
The Introduction to ShowReel
As soon as you open the Showreel app, Sabeer Bhatia gives a minute-long video introduction on why you should be creating video content for your business or job profile to stand out from the crowd. To quote him, “If you are starting out in life and want to get noticed among the hundreds of resumes to hiring managers, you need personalized video content. If you are not seeking for a job currently, you can use this platform to practice interviews. The conversation between you and me, as well as the video you created will remain private, until ‘you’ decide to put it out.”
After the introductory video is over, you are presented with a well-designed screen that looks like social media. We have a Home button, Explore, Capture, Notifications, and Account at the bottom. At the top, you get to choose a topic to start a conversation, consisting of Professional, Personal, Startup, and Leadership. You can select any of the following, which contains a list of questions that Sabeer will be asking you. You get a ‘Swipe to Start’ feature at the bottom for starting the video conversation with Sabeer.
Compelling Tone
Since Sabeer cannot be present at all times, there is a video of him asking different questions at each step, which you have to record and send back. What I like about this app is that it has a compelling tone. It feels like you are having a conversation directly with the founder, and you are being listened to. Also, to see what a perfect showreel looks like, you can tap on the grid button where there are different reels that people have created using the application.
Sabeer Bhatia says that this format helps companies cut down on recruitment time by helping filter candidates faster. Also, he has plans to kick in AI for recruitment through better engineering.
Beyond recruitment, startup’s and matrimony, Bhatia already sees the platform being used to take surveys, especially where people find the written text difficult to understand. He also has plans to cover the health sector, where he will get doctors to formulate the right questions to plug gaps in the health system.