Comments on: So a Guy in a Bunny Suit Walks into an Interview… CareerBuilder’s Findings Around Creative Job Seeker Behavior

By: HRM Today - Blog Archive » Hiring Via Text Message: Employer Trend on the Rise?

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:59:06 +0000

[...] are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on HR topics.We’ve heard of job seekers getting creative to make themselves stand out, particularly in light of the recession, but what about employers? In [...]

By: Helen

Helen — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 18:35:03 +0000

I think that the state of the economy plays a huge impact on both the recruiters and the potential employees. Recruiters are inundated with resumes of individuals who are under qualified, over qualified and those that upon viewing their resume seem like the perfect candiate when considering skill and experience. Potential employees are applying to all kinds of jobs whether they have the skills or not. As a job seeker, I read some of the unconventional ideas and even though they may draw attention, they would not be on my list. However just as I may show my resume to 10 different recruiters, they may all have their own thoughts on what my resume should look like, any unconventional idea may or may not work. Finding a job is a numbers game, requires individuals to do reasearch, be focused, be organized and most importantly must always be in action. At this stage of the game, think carefully of the idea and put it into action and follow up. Good luck to all job seekers, I know it is a jungle out there but you must above all stay positive.

By: Juli

Juli — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:21:34 +0000

I would like to reply to #29, Gene. I am a recruiter, and I have to disagree with what you said. I think recruiters are an INCREDIBLE resrouce, especially in this economy, because think about if a company pays a fee for you, you are THAT MUCH SAFER because the company not only spent the money to hire you, but also paid a fee.

Secondly, all recruiters that I know are trained NOT to have tunnel vision, but to rather be more effective in expressing and showing their hiring authorities how certain skills can be transferable. I know one of my best traits have been convining hiring authorities why they just “cannot pass this one up”. Alot of my offers have come simply based on personality match. As an executive recruiter, it is my job to not only match the skills….but the personality too. You can teach anyone the skills…but you cannot teach everyone how to have the “right fit” personality for the company.

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:55:55 +0000

This worked for me 3 times. I would see a job listed in an employment ad. I would then think up some “technical question” that needed to be answered by someone involved w/ that dept. I would get to speak w/ them and then mention that I was going to be in the area the next day…could I drop off my resume instead of mailing it. I would then get to meet a few people while dropping off my resume. They would then associate a person w/ the resume and I get get a formal interview. From there I was on my own, but got the job all 3 times.
Also, research the company and the employees before the interview. You probably know someone who knows someone at the company. You can also somehow work that into the conversations. For some reason common bonds help sway people.

By: Kind and caring HR Manager

Kind and caring HR Manager — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:43:26 +0000

Making a generalized statement like “you should avoid HR at all costs” is pretty short-sighted. Obviously the person who wrote that found himself in front of HR one too many times, for the wrong reasons (like discharge for inappropriate behavior or poor performance). Unfortunately, we “HR types” get to do the dirty work, including looking for the needle in the haystack of thousands of resumes, and when we show a commitment to hiring the best qualified to make YOUR job easier, we get criticized for it. And then when the guy in the bunny suit doesn’t deliver, we have to deal with that too.

By: Linda

Linda — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:46:14 +0000

In my view, many of the tactics people have used to get attention border on bizzare and I’d not be tempted to resort to anything like them. On the other hand, it has always puzzled me why some people are hired and others are not. Many times I suspected the person hiring tossed a coin or something of the sort. A few posts mentioned candidates should be hired based on their background. What precisely is meant by background? I have reason to suspect many resumes are not actually read carefully anyway no matter how they are put together. I know I have been emailed some job offers which did not match anything my resume says I can or would wish to do. Therefore, this scatter-gun approach to job application certainly goes both ways.

By: The Media Fairy

The Media Fairy — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:14:19 +0000

So, according to most of you stuffy HR people, if a job-seeker can’t afford a professional cover letter for their resume, no one will ever know if their skill set and personality might have been a perfect fit for the postion….Too bad. Professional resume writers are paid to be spin doctors. Unless the position is for a professional resume-writer, you may be missing out on some real talent by depending solely on the cover letter and ‘traditional methods’. Not everyone’s a writer, and personality only comes out in the interview. And unless you plan to put the new hire in a hidey-hole with no interaction with other employees, if the personality doesn’t fit, the skills become moot.

By: Billibong

Billibong — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:25:43 +0000

Yes, I agree with #60
Lighten up Mr. Jones (put a wiggle in your walk)!
Those HR people who have no empathy are in the wrong profession. Of course the candidate must be qualified (that goes without saying) but when there are 30 others just as qualified it’s a way to stand out from the crowd. There are plenty of very bored HR people out there, so I say it wouuln’t hurt to be a little creative!

By: wasted HR degree

wasted HR degree — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:44:23 +0000

Some of you guys really need to have the stick up your ass introduced to the chip on your shoulder. I wasted years getting an HR degree because I wanted to help people like these examples, who truly wanted an opportunity. You guys just protect the company and go to the country club. The balance of power is on the with you on the corporate side now, but that’s the thing about a balance, it can always be tipped. Solid companies of motivated people led by forward thinking, unselfish corporations will be back. I hope some of YOU guys can come up with clever ways to get a job then.

By: Linda Milward

Linda Milward — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:07:31 +0000

I think some of the tactics, while they may not be appropriate, were definitely imaginative. However, it does get frustrating when you send out your resume a hundred times, you are more than qualified for the position, and you get not so much as an acnowledgement note. My husband has been looking for a job in Mn as a Mfg Mgr, which he has done for 25+ years, with no success, so if these types of tactics work, then maybe it is something we should try, maybe once