Vayner, a Yale University student and aspiring investment banker, submitted a seven-minute video resume to a potential employer. (Check it out at )

In the video, titled “Impossible Is Nothing,” he showcases his physical abilities — grunting with exertion while apparently bench-pressing nearly 500 pounds, performing a suggestive ballroom dance with a scantily clad woman, and hitting the tennis courts with supposedly a 140 mph serve.

The video eventually found its way to YouTube, and the rest is history. He thought the video would help him stand out among applicants and that his success in physical pursuits would prove useful in his banking career, according to an interview in The New York Times.

Recruiters told WorkBytes that under no circumstances are personal videos acceptable — ever. They said resumes should be concise, detailed and relevant to the job you seek.

Trish Stueckradt, senior recruiter with Executive Resources in Des Moines, said if a resume doesn’t grab her within 15 seconds, then she knows it won’t catch the attention of a hiring manager, either.

“Any time you send a resume, that’s the first impression that a client receives from you,” Stueckradt said. It can also foreshadow what the quality of your work will look like, should you get hired.

“Less is more,” said Tom Darrow, an expert with the Society for Human Resource Management.

“The best way to do it is the way the company wants you to do it,” said Darrow, founder and principal of Talent Connections, a recruiting firm in Atlanta.

Recruiters gave us resume dos and don’ts:

Do:Use bullets with phrases, not sentences.

Be consistent. That includes the format of dates (like using only years, or listing months and years), and uniform font and spacing.

Include a summary of skills at the top of the resume. Follow that with job experience and education, which includes specific licenses you have or tests you’ve passed. She said recent college graduates can include information such as a grade-point average (anything over a 3.0) at the top of a resume. Seasoned workers should put that information at the bottom.

Include a specific objective in your resume.

Use strong verbs. Verbs such as “directed,” “managed,” “developed,” “coordinated,” “overcame” and “fixed” show that “you’re a person of action … a person of not just effort, but accomplishment,” said Darrow, who has been in the recruiting business for nearly 20 years.

Include keywords specific to your industry to make your resume “pop.”

Check your grammar and use spell check.

Use reverse chronological order when listing job experience.

Keep it brief. Resumes should be no more than two pages.

If you’re sending your resume electronically, send it as an attachment to an e-mail. Stueckradt suggests using Microsoft Word because many companies use that software.
Don’t:  Send a CD or DVD. They’re too much time and work for recruiters. Unless you’re applying for a video or graphic arts job, steer clear of them.