Last week’s post about the “Laid Off Need a Job” bracelets many job seekers have begun wearing generated so many thought-provoking comments, I wanted to do a follow-up…

Most respondents were either very turned off by the trend – with many of you describing the bracelets as “immature,” “unprofessional,” and reeking of “plastic and desperation – a little like Pam Anderson these days” –  or very supportive, commonly calling the idea “innovative.” Commenter Cheryl even wrote, “Some of my best hires were discovered through a casual conversation at a grocery store or while at a social event. You can’t always judge a book by its cover – look at Susan Boyle.”

( And then of course, were the few of you who were neutral and simply felt bad that Lance Armstrong‘s “Livestrong” thunder was being stolen.  I’m sure Lance is grateful for the support.)

But even if they didn’t necessarily foresee the bracelets’ effectiveness in leading to job offers, several respondents were at least sympathetic for those wearing them. Someone pointed out that while this tactic might seem “desperate” to some…well, that’s because a lot of job seekers who’ve been laid off and can’t find work do feel desperate.

Perhaps commenter Kiley put it best: “Has anyone thought that with all of the ‘real people’ that are out of work, that maybe, just maybe this lousy bracelet gives some people hope? And an understanding that they are not the only ones suffering right now?”

That said, I was curious to see if anyone’s changed their first impression – one way or the other – since first hearing about these bracelets (whether from my previous post, various media stories on the topic or word of mouth).

After all, it’s easy to blow off this trend as silly, but as many of you have pointed out, it’s worth taking into consideration that we’re not exactly in the same type of job market we were in a few years back, when unemployment rates weren’t at record highs and there was no talk about the economy falling off a cliff.  Job seekers today are using every avenue possible to make an impression, network and find leads – and those avenues may be unconventional, but they don’t necessarily have to be deal breakers…