• Curtis Ying applied to Adobe 12 times before landing a user experience designer role.
• He said a video cover letter helped him stand out among other applicants.
• He shared his tips for making a video cover letter.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Curtis Ying, a 30-year-old user experience designer at Adobe who lives in California. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Adobe did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

In January 2023, I was laid off from my product designer job. I had a few months of severance and some savings, so it didn't feel like the world was crashing down.

Rather than immediately applying to various employers, I decided to focus on landing a job at one company in particular: Adobe.

About a month before I was laid off, my friend who works at Adobe gave me a tour of the company's headquarters in San Jose, California. I fell in love with graphic design after my cousin taught me how to use Adobe Illustrator, and I was already using the company's products on a regular basis. Working at Adobe became a dream job of mine. After I was laid off, landing a job at Adobe became my top priority.

I figured the best way to make this happen was to do something unique in my application that would help me stand out: creating a video cover letter. For about a month, I only applied to one position — a role at Adobe that I didn't get — while I worked on the video.

After finishing the video in February, I kept a close eye on Adobe's job postings. Over a six-month period, I applied to 10 Adobe jobs — including some I was probably underqualified for — and was rejected from all of them. Then, in December 2023, I applied for my 12th Adobe role of the year — a user experience designer position — and landed an interview. After going through the process, I accepted an offer for a full-time contract role with a six-figure salary. Thirteen months after my layoff, I'd accomplished my goal.

Video cover letters can "humanize your application"

I first became intrigued by video cover letters after seeing a YouTube video in which someone sang about why they wanted to work at a particular company. They ended up getting the job, and the video left a strong impression on me. I decided to create my own video cover letter to include with my Adobe applications.

In the video, which ran about a minute and a half, I talked about how I got interested in graphic and UX design, my education and work experience, the design tools and techniques I knew well, a few fun facts about myself, and why I wanted to work at Adobe. While I didn't have a professional microphone, I recorded myself using a Canon DSLR camera set up on a tripod. I edited the footage with Adobe Premiere Pro.

I used two different methods to include my video cover letter in my application. First, I uploaded the video to YouTube as an unlisted video and hyperlinked it at the top of my résumé with the text "watch my video cover letter." I also embedded a snapshot of the video in a PDF titled "video cover letter," added the same hyperlink, and attached that document as well.

Some people told me not to focus exclusively on Adobe — that I shouldn't put all my eggs in one basket. But I was hesitant to change my approach. Applying to other jobs felt a little like admitting that landing a job at Adobe might not be possible.

Several months into my job search, I started applying to some companies other than Adobe using a second video cover letter I made that was more generic. But Adobe remained my target employer.

In addition to creating a customized video cover letter, I pursued a second strategy: networking with Adobe employees. In June 2023, I posted my Adobe video cover letter on LinkedIn. I wasn't sure how it would be received, but it proved to be a good decision, as it helped me grow my Adobe network. Even as the rejections came in, I felt I'd built so many connections at Adobe that it was probably easier to land a job there than anywhere else — and that kept me motivated.

I think my video cover letter definitely helped me land a job at Adobe. The hiring manager I interviewed with told me it gave them a sense of my personality and helped me stand out among other applicants. Posting the video on LinkedIn also led to some connections that I believe boosted my application.

I don't think a video cover letter has to be as highly produced as mine to be helpful for job seekers. It doesn't have to have a beautiful background or the perfect lighting, but if you can be concise and speak naturally, I think it can work.

One of the reasons I highly advocate for video cover letters is that they humanize your application, which is typically just lines of text in a résumé and cover letter. When you're competing with sometimes thousands of applicants in a challenging job market, I think having a video cover letter can help you stand out. I see absolutely no downsides to it.

• Video cover letters could help applicants stand out in a competitive job market.
• Career experts said video cover letters can showcase your personality and enthusiasm for a role.
• However, you may want to avoid making one if you're not comfortable speaking on camera.

If you're struggling to get hired, it could be worth submitting a video cover letter.

"Unlike traditional cover letters, a video cover letter lets you showcase your personality, skills, and experience in a way that's unexpected, which can really help you stand out and make an impression," Andrew McCaskill, a career expert at LinkedIn, told Business Insider.

Hundreds of Americans told BI how they've struggled to find work in the last year. While the unemployment rate remains low compared to historical levels, businesses are hiring at nearly the lowest rate since 2013, excluding a temporary dip in 2020. In response to these challenges, some Americans are trying alternative ways to stand out, such as recording video cover letters. McCaskill, along with career experts from Indeed and ZipRecruiter, told Business Insider that video cover letters could give candidates an edge in a challenging job market.

Similar to written cover letters, video versions allow applicants to introduce themselves, explain why they're interested in the role, and share their qualifications. There isn't much data on the prevalence of video cover letters, but the career experts BI spoke with said they've become more common since the pandemic — when employees grew more accustomed to virtual work.

To be sure, there's some debate over how important a traditional cover letter is for today's job seekers. However, the career experts BI spoke to said that for many, the potential rewards of a video cover letter are likely to outweigh the downsides.

What to consider when making a video cover letter

Sam DeMase, a career expert at ZipRecruiter, said that including an unprompted video cover letter isn't "mainstream" yet but has become more common in recent years. She said the rise may have been driven by younger job seekers who may prefer video content — like TikTok and YouTube videos — to the written word.

"It lets candidates showcase personality, communication style, and presence — things that a résumé or even a written cover letter can't fully capture," DeMase said.

However, a video cover letter should supplement — not replace — a written cover letter, particularly when a company has a specific requirement for the latter, the career experts told BI.

DeMase said a video cover letter should be between 60 and 90 seconds and include a brief introduction of yourself, an explanation of how your skills and experience align with the job description — including a couple of specific examples — and why you're excited about the role and company.

"Our data shows that the No. 1 thing employers care about is that you have aligned experience and skills," DeMase said. "So that's going to be the priority."

DeMase and Priya Rathod, a career expert at Indeed, encouraged job seekers to write out a script but avoid reading directly from it. And be mindful of how quickly they're speaking.

"You don't want to speak too fast," DeMase said. "That can come across as nervous, low confidence, and unprofessional."

See below for an example video cover letter DeMase created and shared with Business Insider.

McCaskill stressed the importance of aesthetics: Make sure the video's background isn't distracting and that you're dressed professionally. Additionally, he said it's important to show your excitement for the role.

"The reality is companies want to hire people who want to work there," he said. "Be yourself, show some passion, and clearly share why this specific role and company speak to you, your values, and where you want to take your career next."

DeMase said you should film the video vertically on your phone and speak to the camera like you would on a video call. She recommended uploading the video to YouTube as an unlisted video, which can only be viewed by someone with the link.

While speaking to the camera should suffice, DeMase said people who have video editing skills could consider including visual representations of their work — or finding other ways to get creative. McCaskill pointed to a "standout example" of a highly produced video cover letter posted last year on LinkedIn by Marta Puerto, a job seeker who was looking for a product marketing position.

"Her video went viral and landed her hundreds of interview requests and a job," he said.

For applicants who include a written cover letter, DeMase suggested putting the link at the top of their cover letter with a note saying something like, "If you prefer to watch a short video of me highlighting why I think I'm a great fit for this position, click here." For applicants who decide not to include a written cover letter, she said placing the link at the top of their résumé next to their contact information is a good option.

Video cover letters may not be a fit for everyone

The career experts BI spoke to said video cover letters could be particularly helpful for customer-facing roles or jobs that require strong communication skills.

"For those in media, marketing, or creative industries, a high-quality video cover letter can also double as a portfolio piece, showcasing your skills in film production or content creation," Rathod said.

A LinkedIn representative shared an example video cover letter made by Curtis Ying, a graphic and web design professional who applied for — and landed — a job at Adobe last year.

DeMase said video cover letters could also be helpful for applicants in industries like business consulting, marketing, and tech. However, she cautioned against the practice for some older job seekers.

"I think when you're older, sending a video could open you up to potential age discrimination, which a lot of folks deal with," she said.

Lastly, use your judgment when deciding to submit a video cover letter. If an employer is "super old school" or you're not confident speaking on camera, you may want to reconsider, DeMase said.

"Done well, a video cover letter can help you stand out and leave a lasting impression with hiring managers," Rathod said.

Have video cover letters or other creative job search strategies helped you land interviews or a job offer? Contact this reporter at [email protected].