Unusual Things Job Seekers Do to Get Noticed

According to a new survey, job seekers are doing some creative and crazy things to land a job, but are the tactics working?

The national online survey was conducted on behalf of CareerBuilder by Harris Poll between May 11 and June 7, 2016, and included more than 2,300 full-time, U.S. hiring and human resources managers across industries and company sizes.

“Candidates are realizing that an extraordinary cover letter and resume with strong references aren’t enough, that if you really want the gig, you have to stand out from the competition,” said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer for CareerBuilder.

“Unfortunately, what many aren’t realizing is that the catch is making sure you do that in a professional, respectful way.”

Doing Whatever It Takes 

Hiring managers gave the following examples of unusual tactics job seekers used to stand out, not always for the right reasons:

1. Candidate had a priest contact the hiring manager and ask for candidate to be hired.
2. Candidate bought a first class upgrade to sit next to hiring manager on a transatlantic flight.
3. During the month of October, candidate came dressed in a costume for Halloween.
4. Candidate’s wife made homemade lavender soap bars for the hiring manager as a thank you for taking the time to interview the candidate.
5. Candidate asked hiring manager to share an ice cream cone.
6. Candidate sent a pair of embroidered socks with a note saying he would knock the company’s socks off if hired.
7. Candidate showed up in his camp counselor attire with some of the children from the camp he worked for to show his leadership capabilities.
8. Candidate sent a shoe with a flower in it as a thank you after the interview. The note said: “Trying to get my foot in the door.”
9. Candidate mailed hiring manager money in an envelope.
10. Candidate arrived to interview in a white limousine, an hour early, dressed in a three-piece suit. The open position was middle-wage and had a required dress code of khakis, company button-down and black shoes.
11. Candidate kissed hiring manager.
12. Candidate gave hiring manager a book on a subject he knew candidate manager enjoyed.
13. Candidate wore a tie that had the name of the company he was interviewing with on it.