College coaches and scouts receive thousands of highlight videos from high school athletes every year.

These videos are an athlete’s resume and provide players an opportunity to put the best plays of their career in front of college recruiting staffs. Coaches and scouts use highlight videos to handpick athletes they believe will generate short- and long-term success for their football teams.

The decision is often made in a matter of seconds, so you need to make your best impression possible as quickly as possible.

“An athlete’s most impactful plays have to be in the first 30 seconds of the highlight tape,” said Dan Hoppen, a content producer for Hudl. “Those initial plays will determine if the tape grabs the attention of coaches or scouts. If not, on to the next one.”

The high volume of potential recruits necessitates that coaches and scouts to make quick judgments. While big plays at the front of a highlight tape can intrigue coaches to keep the film playing, Hoppen believes there are other elements that athletes can include to pique interest.

Here are some recommendations to make your highlight reel as good as it can possibly be, to give yourself the best chance possible.

Display ability to be complete at your position

Coaches love athletes. Specifically, coaches are always looking for athletes who can play all facets of their position, not a specialist.

“For example, while 50-yard touchdown passes are great, it is equally important for quarterbacks to show they have a complete skill set,” Hoppen said. “Can he throw timing routes? Is he mobile? If you incorporate plays that display the athletic ability to perform each skill that your position requires, you are going to get noticed.”

Show versatility

Remember, coaches love athletes. Athletes that can play multiple positions effectively are at a premium, because it gives the coach more options.

“If you play both sides of the ball or you play multiple positions, include some highlights that show that versatility,” Hoppen said. “Coaches want to see kids who are athletic, smart and who can be a factor in different positions on the field.”

Just as you can take steps to make your highlight reel more effective, there are also styling and editing decisions that can turn a coach off. Here are some of the things you need to avoid while compiling your video.

Don’t forget the spot shadow

Before the play begins, place a spotlight on your location on the field to make it easy for the viewer to identify you and follow you throughout the duration of the play.

“The spot shadow should allow the play to continue without interruption. Pauses in tape can annoy coaches and chip away at an athlete’s chance to make a positive impression,” said Hoppen.

Avoid showing the same play twice

You may think it is a great play, but if you show the same play twice, you risk wasting a coach’s valuable time.

“Coaches hate this,” Hoppen said. “Showing the same play twice will bother a coach or staff and can have a huge impact on their opinions.”

Hype music isn’t necessary

Be careful when adding music to your video, especially if the song has questionable lyrics or innuendoes, because it could be considered “a red flag” for coaches and scouts, Hoppen said.

More importantly, music isn’t even necessary and may put your chances at risk.

“Music has a bigger chance of having a negative impact on a highlight tape than a positive one. So do the safe thing,” said Hoppen.

Save the slo-mo for another day

Coaches are incredibly busy, thus if a coach decides to look at your tape, it is best that you don’t waste his time.

“Slowing a play down takes away precious time that coaches and scouts could be seeing multiple highlights,” Hoppen said. “Sticking to a consistent pace increases the chances that coaches and scouts will remain engaged in the tape.”

Avoid putting your highlights in chronological order

Always remember, coaches are incredibly busy and their time is extremely valuable. As a result, it is important to front load your video with the best plays first. After all, coaches don’t often watch an entire video before making a decision. Be sure that you put your best foot forward by putting your very best plays first.

“A lot of kids do it chronologically as the season goes on,” Hoppen said. “But front loading a highlight tape (with your best plays) gives them the best chance of making an impression on a coach or scout.”

Athletes that avoid these simple mistakes will provide decision makers with their best plays via an engaging video. In an audition as important as this one, quality is everything.

Make sure to check out Hudl.com for different ways to organize, search through and create highlight videos.