Impossible is Nothing (2006)

About

“Impossible Is Nothing” is the title of a larger-than-life video resumé created by then Yale University student Aleksey Vayner in October 2006. One of the companies he applied at leaked the video, which spread like wildfire across the interwebs.

original video (non-self-posted)

Update: the video has been scrubbed off of Youtube by Aleksey. Here is an alternate.

Even though only one question was asked — “how do some people like yourself become very proficient in their field much faster than most?” — Vayner manages to give a 6 minute answer.

Spread

According to Forbes Magazine bankers at UBS who had received Vayner’s application immediately e-mailed the video to friends. Too good not to share, the video soon ended up on public video sites, blogs and social networks.

Search Trending

blue = “Impossible is nothing”, red = “Aleksey Vayner”

Itemized contents of job application

• Cover letter
• Resume: One and a half page
• Writing Sample: Eight pages
• A glamour shot of Vayner
• Seven-minute video that features the following feats by Vayner (in order):
  • Interview: gives advice for achieving life goals
  • Bench press: 495 pounds (225 kilograms)
  • Downhill skiing: with jumps
  • Tennis serve: 140 miles per hour (225 km/h or 63 m/s)
  • Ballroom dancing: with female dancer
  • Karate chop: seven bricks broken

More about Aleksey

The New Yorker wrote about Aleksey’s past fibs:

1. Claims to have won two games against tennis great Pete Sampras, and taught Jerry Seinfeld and Harrison Ford to play
2. The Dalai Lama wrote his college recommendation letter
3. He was an action star and professional skier

Read the full article here

Aleksey also sent numerous cease-and-desist letters to YouTube, various blogs, and UBS for their involvement with spreading the video.

Remixes

The famous Michael Cera parody, “Impossible is the opposite of possible”:

NSFW parody

Mainstream Crossover

The CBS series How I Met Your Mother took on the idea of the shamelessly self-promotional video resume with Barney Stinson’s Video Resume, for the character played by Neil Patrick Harris.

For the record… he didn’t got the job.