Person recording a video presentation — Unsplash — Unsplash / Vitaly Gariev

Building the Future of Video Resumes with AI

We’ve been telling our professional stories the same way for decades — black text on white paper.
But resumes were designed for printers, not people.

In an era where recruiters watch TikToks more than they read PDFs,
I started asking myself: What would a truly modern resume look like?

That question became the seed for my video-based resume platform —
a project that blends AI, UX, and storytelling to help people present their authentic selves.

The Problem: Words Flatten People

Traditional resumes reduce multidimensional humans into bullet points.
They hide personality, presence, and communication — the very traits that often decide hiring outcomes.

Even video interviews today are reactive, not expressive.
Candidates answer prompts instead of telling stories.

So the challenge wasn’t just “make a video resume app.”
It was: Can we design a medium where people feel seen, not scanned?

The Vision: From Résumé to Narrative

The idea was simple:
Let users record short, guided clips — 30 to 60 seconds each — that capture the “why” behind the work.

Then, layer AI on top to handle structure and delivery:

Generate concise video summaries for busy recruiters.
Transcribe and auto-tag key skills.
Provide subtle feedback on tone, clarity, and pacing.
Build searchable profiles based on expression, not just text.

The goal: an interface where people’s stories feel alive,
and hiring feels less like filtering, more like discovery.

The Core Stack

Building this wasn’t about cutting-edge models — it was about orchestration.

Frontend: Next.js + Tailwind + Framer Motion
Backend: Node / FastAPI hybrid for video processing
AI Layer: Whisper for transcription, GPT-4o for semantic tagging
Storage & Streaming: Supabase + Mux
Analytics: Simple events pipeline for engagement and recruiter behavior

Each recording triggers an async chain: upload → transcribe → analyze → enrich → store.
What made it magical wasn’t the pipeline — it was the UX feedback loop.

The AI Layer: Understanding, Not Grading

Most “AI hiring tools” use models to score people.
I wanted the opposite — an AI that helps candidates communicate better.

Instead of judgmental scores, the system highlights moments of clarity, filler words, and delivery rhythm.
Think of it as AI as a coach, not a gatekeeper.

One user told me:

“It felt like having a calm interviewer who actually wanted me to do well.”

That line stuck with me. That’s what the entire project was about.

Design Challenges

Vulnerability in Front of the Camera
Many users feel awkward recording themselves.
→ I designed guided scripts and ambient background prompts to make it feel conversational.
Performance vs. Authenticity
Too much editing makes it fake; too little makes it unpolished.
→ We added auto-cuts and lighting normalization while keeping facial motion intact.
Trust in AI Feedback
People don’t trust black-box analysis.
→ Every AI insight includes an example quote or timestamp for context.

What I Learned About Product and People

Tech is easy when the emotion is clear.
Once I knew I wanted users to feel seen, every technical choice aligned.
Emotion is a UX feature.
The smallest things — the pacing of captions, the tone of AI summaries — shape trust.
Distribution is part of design.
Building wasn’t enough; convincing people to try it was a separate design problem.

The Bigger Picture

We’re entering an age where AI meets self-expression.
Where creative, emotional communication will define employability more than credentials.

Video resumes aren’t about replacing LinkedIn.
They’re about reclaiming the narrative — letting your voice, energy, and story do the talking.

Someday soon, we might scroll job candidates the same way we scroll content:
searching not for keywords, but for resonance.

Music for Focus

🎧 “Midnight City” by M83 — bright, cinematic, and forward-looking.

This post is part of my “Human Interface” series — essays on building technology that amplifies authenticity instead of automation.