Far out Friday: Catchy video CV goes viral

Sorting through reams of near-replica CVs is an unenviable task that most HR professionals have to deal with at some stage. Any employer looking at this man’s application is in for a welcome break from routine however.

French-born Étienne Duval created his very own video – complete with accompanying rap – in the hopes of catching the attention of Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, whose company is renowned for its outside-of-the-box approach.

“To catch a big fish you need a big hook! I began this application like an architectural project, by finding the key criteria and playing with it,” Duval told Arch Daily.

“A cover letter is an ego trip, so I thought about these hip hop video clips and told myself; Why wouldn't I do the same?” he explained.

Duval wrote the lyrics and designed the storyboard during a two week trip then spent two days on the music which included composing the beat, recording the different vocal tracks and mixing everything together.

“Add to that at least a week for the video,” he commented.

The light-hearted and humorous video – dubbed ‘Yo Is More – may make employers smile but it’s also jam-packed with useful information about the candidate, including his education and work experience as well as the industry awards he’s picked up.

Incredibly, the video – which has been seen by 175,000 people – quickly reached its intended audience.

“I am honestly impressed with the ingenuity, skill, talent, self-irony and balls that Etienne Duval has demonstrated with Yo Is More, which has become an overnight YouTube sensation,” said Ingels.

You can watch the impressive application here: