Job Seekers Resort to Unusual Tactics

A survey from leading US online career site careerbuilder.com has revealed that job seekers are facing the most difficult job market in decades, and many have resorted to using unconventional methods to stand out from the crowd.

According to the survey nearly one-in-five hiring managers (18 percent) reported that they are seeing more job seekers try unusual tactics to capture their attention in 2009 compared to last year. This is up from 12 percent in 2008.

Jason Ferrara, senior career adviser at CareerBuilder, said:

“The search for employment is taking longer and is more competitive than it has been in past years. To compensate, some candidates have turned to extreme tactics. While unusual job search antics may attract the attention of hiring managers, they need to be done with care and professionalism so that candidates are remembered for the right reasons.”

Some of the unusual tactics reported by hiring managers included:

• Candidate sent a shoe with a resume to “get my foot in the door.”
• Candidate staged a sit-in in the lobby to get a meeting with a director.
• Candidate washed cars in the parking lot.
• Candidate sent a resume wrapped as a present and said his skills were a “gift to the company.”
• Candidate handed out resumes at stoplights.
• Candidate sent a cake designed as a business card with the candidate’s picture.
• Candidate went to the same barber as the Chairman of the Board and had the barber speak on his behalf.
• Candidate handed out personalized coffee cups.
• Candidate came dressed in a bunny suit because it was near Easter.
• Candidate told the receptionist he had an interview with the manager. When he met the manager, he confessed that he was driving by and decided to stop in on a chance.

The survey was conducted online within the US by Harris Interactive on behalf of careerbuilder.com. It sampled 2,543 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time; not self-employed; with at least significant involvement in hiring decisions; non government) between February 20 and March 11, 2009.

CareerBuilder has recently begun referring to itself as “the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract their most important asset – their people”. CareerBuilder is selling itself as more than a jobs website, and says it works with the world’s top employers, providing resources for everything from employment branding and data analysis to talent acquisition.

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