13 bizarre ways job candidates try to get noticed
You’ve no doubt interviewed a few odd ducks in your day. But of the job-seekers you’ve met and things you’ve seen, does any one of them top anything on this list?
The survey masters at CareerBuilder have done it again. They’ve come up with another must-see list of crazy oddities HR and hiring managers have experienced.
It asked recipients to share the most unusual tactics job-seekers have used to stand out during the interview/hiring process.
All told, CareerBuilder received more than 2,300 responses from HR and hiring pros.
It then winnowed down the list of submissions to these 13 head-shaking entries:
- “Candidate had a priest contact the hiring manager and ask for candidate to be hired.”
- “Candidate bought a first-class upgrade to sit next to hiring manager on a transatlantic flight.”
- “During the month of October, candidate came dressed in a costume for Halloween.”
- “Candidate’s wife made homemade lavender soap bars for the hiring manager as a thank you for taking the time to interview the candidate.”
- “Candidate asked hiring manager to share an ice cream cone.”
- “Candidate sent a pair of embroidered socks with a note saying he would knock the company’s socks off if hired.”
- “Candidate showed up in his camp counselor attire with some of the children from the camp he worked for to show his leadership capabilities.”
- “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.’”
- “Candidate mailed hiring manager money in an envelope.”
- “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.”
- “Candidate kissed hiring manager.”
- “Candidate gave hiring manager a book on a subject he knew candidate manager enjoyed.”
- “Candidate wore a tie that had the name of the company he was interviewing with on it.”
What job-seekers are being told to do
Of course, the aforementioned faux pas go against all forms of common sense and job-search advice.
But what are job-seekers being told to do when seeking employment?
When releasing the findings of the survey, CareerBuilder shared the advice Rosemary Haefner, chief HR officer for CareerBuilder, has for job candidates.
The highlights:
- Give examples of how your past experience will transfer to a perspective employer.
- Blog, tweet and comment about the things you know to build your credibility in that subject area online.
- Ask questions.
- Use numbers when promoting yourself — i.e., percentage of goals you hit, people impacted by your work, etc.?
- Send a follow-up note. It could be a thank you or a quick message to reiterate your interesting and qualifications for the job.
How many candidates to you find are following that advice?
What unusual things have you seen job-seekers do — or say — during the hiring process? Share them below, and we’ll include them in a future story on HR Morning.
