Hiring managers weigh in
Rachel Zupek,
From résumés accompanied by shoes to get candidates' "feet in
the door," to candidates sending cakes designed as business cards,
hiring managers have seen it all when it comes to memorable job-seeker
tactics.
Facing the most difficult job market in decades, job
seekers are often advised to stand out among the competition by using
creative and unconventional tactics to grab an employer's attention.
While that advice is sound and good, it raises the question of whether
or not these avant-garde approaches actually work.
Well -- it depends.
"I personally like those candidates that think outside of the box. As an HR professional, nothing makes me happier than knowing a candidate for a marketing
position has, for example, created a brochure that is actually his or
her résumé," says Vani Colombo, HR director for VIPdesk, a customer and concierge
service. "I'm always amazed when candidates break the rules with class
to stand out. It shows they are resourceful and willing to go the extra
mile."
Tactics that worked
Vinh Nguyen, 30, is
a great example of someone who didn't want to fall prey to the same
fate as other unsuccessful applicants -- but who stood out in a good
way. Career Tiger, a service that helps people find a job through unique and unconventional methods, helped Nguyen come up with this tactic:
When asked a question during an interview with a health-care IT
company, he surprised his interviewers by pulling out a whiteboard,
writing down his thought process and taking control of the interview.
"Differentiating
yourself from your competition makes sense. The idea is to show that
you are a thought leader in your area and that your knowledge is
valuable," Nguyen says. "It was awkward at first, but breaking away from
the norm will pay off as long as you put in the work beforehand
researching."
He got the job, and he is still working at the company as a project manager.
Dave Bowman, founder and chairman of TTG Consultants, a consulting firm, recalls a client who was a designer and really wanted to make an impression in an upcoming interview.
"As
the interview began, he would wheel in a model of a previous theme-park
exhibit he'd designed. He'd bring in with him three clowns who would be
playing musical instruments. They would walk around the room for a
minute or so, playing a song, and then exit, leaving the model for the
interviewer to view in more detail," Bowman says. "The idea worked. His
out-of-the-box tactics got him the job offer and at more money than he'd
expected."
While both of these unconventional methods worked in
these instances, many hiring managers say that alternative tactics often
walk a fine line between admirable and creative and just plain
inappropriate.
"I would consider a candidate who used a tactic if
it was ethical and demonstrated a behavior that would be relevant to the
job they were interested in," says Kim Lockhart, regional vice
president for Spherion Corp., a recruiting and staffing provider. "For
example, if someone was trying to get their name in consideration for a sales
position and was using techniques to obtain an interview similar to the
way they would approach securing a sale, I would consider it."
Tactics that didn't
Though
many job seekers have successfully used creative job-search tactics,
there seem to be an equal number of unsuccessful applicants, according
to some hiring managers.
A few months ago, Carolyn Turner, a business coach in Portland, Ore., was helping a client hire an office manager.
"We
had one applicant arrive unannounced at the office with a cherry pie
she had baked that morning. She explained that she wanted to stand out
from all the other applicants -- which she did, but just in a scary,
stalkerish kind of way," Turner says. "I got a call from the business
owner that day wondering what to do; no one wanted to eat the pie, but
she left it in her own pie plate, which meant they had to get it back to
her somehow. It was all just very awkward."
Turner says that
having gone through hundreds of résumés for that position, it became
clear that good candidates stand out just by how they present themselves
in their cover letters and résumés.
"There's really no need to go
over the top to get noticed," she says. "For the majority of businesses
and positions, a really well-written cover letter is more than enough.
You'd be surprised at how many badly written cover letters and résumés
there are."
Don't try this at home
Christine
Bolzan, CEO of Graduate Career Coaching, agrees with Turner and strongly
advises against extreme tactics in the job search. She says many
applicants who use these methods end up with a permanent "Do Not Hire"
label in their company file.
Bolzan recalls two examples of what not to try in your job-search efforts, one of which includes gift giving.
"I've
received flowers, wine, perfume and the most memorable of all -- a pair
of Ferragamo shoes, which was a generous attempt at a ping following
our brief conversation of great things to buy at Heathrow Duty Free,"
Bolzan says. "This is never appropriate. In fact, many companies have a
policy against accepting gifts of any sort."
Another job search
no-no? Stalking the interviewer, which Bolzan says she's encountered on
several different levels, including people who have waited in career
fair parking lots and others who've waited outside the office building.
"The
worst of all stalkers I've encountered followed me into the pool at my
hotel at 10 p.m. when I was trying to get a break from a long day at a
large-scale recruiting event," Bolzan says. "The same event where I
found over 100 different résumés secured by the wipers on my rental car
windshield, and woke in the morning to even more résumés slipped under
my hotel room door."
Remember the rules
Barring stalker behavior and lavish gifts, out-of-the-box tactics can work if you play your cards right. Greg Masiewich, manager of marketing and online communications for IQ Partners Inc., offers these tips:
1. Make it relevant
"Whatever
tactic you choose to use, make sure it's relevant to the position
you're applying for," Masiewich says. "If you choose a tactic that you
think will grab a hiring manager's attention but doesn't tie into the
job, the industry, or what you're about, then it can come off as just
seeming strange and weird instead of creative and clever."
2. Don't go too far
"It's
important to walk that fine line between different, yet not going too
far with trying to stand out. If you do something that's too overly
crazy, you can come off seeming a little creepy and weird instead of
like a star applicant with a sense of determination," Masiewich says.
"Remember, you want to grab their attention, not become a joke in the
office."
3. A good idea can get you an interview, but not a job
"Remember
that no matter the tactic you use to try and gain the attention of a
hiring manager, at the end of the day they're still going to hire the
person who they feel can do the job best," Masiewich says. "An
out-of-the-box tactic might get you an interview, but it's still up to
you to show you're not only determined, but also the best person for the
job."
Source: careerbuilder
