Applicants try unique methods to stand out in job search
Applicants try unique methods to stand out in job search
Sunday,
August
23,
2009
updated
Monday,
August
24,
8:35 am
How far will you go to grab a manager’s attention and land the open position?
Some workers tend to take extreme methods, which may help them stick out for the wrong reasons.
OfficeTeam, a staffing service, surveyed 250 executives in order to find the strangest stories they have heard or seen candidates do for a job offer. Here are some odd
examples:
• “I remember a job candidate bringing in milk and cookies.”
• “I have seen magnets on people’s cars directing others to Web sites for their résumés.”
• “I remember someone had his résumé delivered in a pizza box.”
• “A job applicant spritzed her résumé with perfume.”
• “Someone wrote a press release announcing she had been hired and used it as her cover letter.”
“It’s understandable for candidates who aren’t having luck with traditional job search methods to try more creative ways to get noticed,” says Robert Hosking, executive
director of OfficeTeam. “Although these tactics might grab an employer’s attention, they also carry an element of risk.”
Some job-searching methods can be depicted as desperate instead of proactive:
• “A person who was job hunting advertised his skills on a sandwich board.”
• “I’ve seen job candidates pay for billboards to get an employer’s attention.”
Other job applicants tend to gain attention from their packaging or formatting rather than from the résumé itself.
• “A woman dropped off a balloon with her résumé.”
• “We received a résumé made into a paper airplane.”
• “Once we received a résumé rolled into a bottle.”
• “A job seeker came in with an oversized schematic that he rolled out on the table and used to ‘pitch’ himself to me.”
• “I received a laminated résumé.”
Surveyed executives listed some past positive approaches used by job candidates:
• “Receiving handwritten notes as opposed to e-mails.”
• “Using a good reference — I swear by references, so that’s very important.”
• “People who take the time to research the company, do their homework and follow up on their ideas.”
• “People are dressing up more than they did in the past.”
• “The job seeker turned the table and wanted to know all about me. The tactic worked.”
“While unconventional methods can be hit or miss, one surefire way to stand out is by going the extra mile to showcase your skill set, professionalism and enthusiasm for
the position,” Hosking says.
For more information, visit www.officeteam.com.
Amy Winter is a columnist with Creators Syndicate. She can be reached at awinter@creators.com.
