Some Job Seekers Resort to Crazy Antics

A CareerBuilder press release said nearly one-in-five hiring managers (18%) reported that they are seeing more job seekers try unusual tactics to capture their attention in 2009 compared to 12% of hiring managers who said the same in 2008.

Some of the most memorable tactics identified by hiring managers include:

• 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 search for employment is taking longer and is more competitive than it has been in past years,” noted Jason Ferrara, senior career adviser at CareerBuilder, in the press release. “To compensate, some candidates have turned to extreme tactics.”

The survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com among 2,543 hiring managers and human resource professionals.