Naff CVs or inventive?
May 1, 2007 1:41 PM
The following have either been sent or happened to me / have been suggested by inventive colleagues
"Persuasive" things I would not recommend...
"I printed it on different colour paper, so it will stand out"
(Providing the recruiter looks at all of the CVs at the same time. Most recruiters are impressed by nice paper. They are even generally more impressed by a well-written CV).
"Rip a £50 note in half and then attach 1 half to the CV and write on a piece of paper attached to it: "if you want to make some money ...
(Might work if you are hiring people for the real life "Sopranos" or "Family Fortunes").
Blackmail.
(Never tried it, and thankfully it has never worked with me. Yet).
I meant bribery...
(that has never, ahem.... worked either!)
On the pretence of enquiring on one's application, sending cake to the recruiting manager.
(Now you are talking. Not technically bribery, if nothing can be proven. Depending on the destruction of all crumbs.).
Set up a picket line outside the nominated office in which you would like to work.(It might take some time).
Attach a photo.
(Works if you are very very good looking perhaps, but is that the type of superficial company you want to work for? Oh. Okay.)
From "The Apprentice" - send a pair of trousers with holes in the knees telling the prospective employer they are on their knees begging for the role
(Might work. In a knee patch sewing factory).
Send a tea bag with a CV
(Have a brew whilst you read this... of course, the more paranoid recruiter would fear being poisioned by someone they had turned down in a past selection process. I am glad I am not paranoid enough to think that out loud or in public.)
Rhyming couplets or a rhyming covering letter
(Works if you want a role on "Lord of the Rings: The next Generation")
My personal favourite was the guy who sent me his life history in 8 A4 pages. I have changed the names, but it began:
ROD was born in 1969, the son of JAKE (hippy) and MARGARET (hippy chick). Ignored at school, ROD used to dream of going to the moon whilst staring at the groovy wallpaper in his early 70s lounge... etc..
We would love to hear more inventive ideas for attracting attention and securing a lucrative role...
On a more serious note, please sign the petition to put pressure behind the campaign to free Alan...
Comments
Like the latest addition to your blog page. If you are stuck for an idea (which I doubt) I have got a couple of daft things people have done on interviews with me if you want them (true ones, not made up, honestly) but I am sure you and readers of the blog page have funnier ones!
1) Had a young girl picking her nose (up to the knuckle, no less), so I passed her a tissue along with "the look", you know, the sort your mum gives you that stops you in your tracks - it did! Needless to say she did not get the job; I just made sure the door knob she used as she went out got a good clean afterwards.
2) Had a girl with a false leg from the knee down who thought taking it off and making a big issue of it would make me feel sorry/embarrassed enough to give her the job - it did not, her attitude put me off not the prosthetic leg, that had nothing to do with it.
3) Had a cocky young lad lob his CV in a folder at me from the doorway onto my desk "to get my attention" - it did but not the attention he wanted, the interview was very short after that stunt.
4) Had a young lad fart loudly as he was so nervous - tried unsuccessfully not to laugh and to ignore it but lost the thread of my conversation, so we took a recess (and I took a fresh breath outside) and we started again - I actually employed him, the fact he could carry on after embarrassing himself so much impressed me! Yeah I know I am strange!
A-M - May 2, 2007 4:33 PM
Patience is a virtue. Companies save more money in the long run by spending time upfront finding the right employee.
Gretchen - May 3, 2007 4:40 PM
Use the sentence "I know you wife and I know your mistress, are you sure you dont want to hire me?" (5 points, 20 if you get the job)
Bianca - May 7, 2007 2:10 PM
I think Bianca wins on the advice front. There is no escaping that type of logic.
A-M, it sounds that you have not been sourcing candidates from the right, ahem, pool...
Joe Mc - May 21, 2007 1:41 PM