“Experienced M.I.T. grad for hire,” and “I will buy an interview,” are the messages of many brave job hunters looking to draw attention to their career aspirations. On a daily basis we hear major corporations reducing human capital as a means for cutting costs and counteracting this recession. Jessica Dickler of CNNMoney.com recently reported that candidates outnumber job openings three to one. Is it any wonder that individuals seeking jobs will go to extreme lengths to attract the attention of potential employers?
The Untraditional Method for Finding Employment
Put aside the traditional methods of attending job fairs, emailing resumes, and networking. Those tactics work in a stable economy, with normal unemployment rates, but when times are tough it is a MUST to stand out from the crowd!
Desperate Times Call for Creative Measures
Many professionals are pioneering new job search tactics as evidenced in the following job search stories. Keep in mind that these guerrilla tactics should be taken with a grain of salt as not all of these actions have resulted in employment.
Send Tangible Objects To Get Their Attention!
• After an interview, one candidate followed up with the interviewer by sending him a T-shirt that said, “I interviewed Bob and lived to tell the tale.”
• Another applicant sent his resume on a giant hamburger roll, implying that “he was on a roll.”
• After going on a first interview and taking notice of an employer’s relatively empty office the job seeker showed up for the second interview with a plant to “add some life”.
• It’s even been reported that some job seekers have used singing telegrams as a creative way to get their resumes in front of prospective employers.
• One applicant had breakfast delivered to the office he wished to work at for an entire month until he was finally hired.
So if you are looking for ways to get a potential employers attention, below are a more extreme job search tactics to consider…
Sell Yourself
A few job seekers have tried putting their services up for auction on eBay. This was successful in gaining the professionals attention but also led to eBay removing the listings from its site. Perhaps they overpriced their services?
Create Public Visuals
•Now famous Joshua Persky, stood in the streets shamelessly self promoting his skills on a wooden sandwich board while passing out resumes to passersby.
•Javier Pujals had the interesting idea to pay companies for their time. If they took the time to interview him he would pay them based on the type of position he was being interviewed for. Employers could visit BuyAnInterview.com to access his fee schedule.
•One candidate even rented a billboard and placed a personal advertisement within view of a company’s office so the HR representative would see it.
Place a Bounty
One job seeker leveraged his personal network of family, friends, and colleagues to help him in his job search. He offered a cash bounty to the first person who referred him to his next job.
So How Far Would You Go To Get Your Next Job?
Would you audition on American Idol to sing your resume objectives? Or hire a sky writer to inscribe your contact information within the clouds? Whatever the method you use in these tough times, keep the outcome of your actions in mind. Remember to maintain a level of professionalism in whatever tactic you choose to distinguish yourself from the crowd and understand that if one of these crazy antics does get you hired that you’ll have an interesting reputation to live up to. Good luck and happy hunting!
