If you want to find a new job today, the first thing you have to understand is the MARKET!  We are in the most saturated market in the history of the United States.  That means we have more experienced, educated, and talented people (qualified candidates) for open positions than at any other time before.  Employers are overwhelmed with resumes.  Unless you are an absolutely outstanding candidate and have convinced someone of significance to read your resume, the chance of you landing a new job today is very low.  Your only alternative is to believe in yourself, think creatively and buck convention!

We've all heard the expression a million times - "Treat your job search like a job."  Well, that's half right!  You have to make a concentrated effort toward any goal if you expect to get the right return.  The full expression should be “Treat your job search like a job and treat yourself like a new company.”  As a company, you can market your products and services anyway that you want to, as long as the methods are legally, morally and ethically acceptable. As a candidate, the rules are exactly the same.  To attract new customers (employers), you need to brand yourself.  You and your availability (the company, product, service) are what you market, and your credentials (talent, experience, education), are what land you the job.  You research and target specific individuals, industries, organizations, locations, and groups, and advertise yourself to them.  With a well-branded identity and a strong advertising campaign, you separate yourself from the masses.

Ok...ok...so how do I find a job?  You have to suspend your pride and fear and stop worrying about "how this will make me look and who will remember me."  You want people to remember you!  You want everybody to remember you!  You want to call attention to yourself as a bold, intelligent and hungry candidate.  You want to provide as many "instant interviews" as possible.  You must stop believing that the only way to employment is a call, a resume, a recruiter, or a friend.  While these are all valuable avenues (which you will continue to pursue), they are simply not enough in our current employment market.  You must be creative in your job search, be distinctive and memorable.  Change the rules, make up your own rules, and believe that people are intelligent enough to separate initiative from desperation.  You have great value.  Now let the world know it! 

Have you ever tried any of these? If you haven't, your pride is costing you your new job.

1. Research a company, walk in the front door to the receptionist and with a firm handshake and big smile say "I wanna work here"!  Be prepared for any response(s)! 
2. Find the most expensive residential community in your area.  Print up 300 resumes and go flyering. 
3. Find the CEO's home address and ring the doorbell.  Tell him/her you'll cut the grass, shovel the driveway, or mend a fence for an interview. 
4. Make up a product or service (only on paper), that competes/aligns with your potential employer.  Offer to sell it to them for next to nothing for an interview. 
5. Throw a party!  Personally invite all the people that have rejected you, tell them how much stronger and confident you feel through your job search, and thank them for their kindness and professionalism.  NOTE: This is my personal favorite! It takes an unbelievable level of confidence & audacity. Go get 'em!
6. Dress sharp, and get out on the street corner with a cardboard sign that says "I Will Work For $$".  Have a lot of resumes available! 
7. Post your resume at all the grocery store bulletin boards. 
8. Create a challenge! Any relevant challenge!  Challenge somebody important in the company to a task.  Make up a prize.
9. Bring doughnuts! 
10. Make 'em laugh!  Photoshop yourself into the company picnic, you and CEO on the slopes, winning the Daytona, high fivin', buying out Microsoft. 
11. Send Valentines! Something simple, non-romantic, but personal, funny & happy..."Will you be my boss"? 
12. Create a blog about your potential employer(s).  Extol their virtues, cite opportunities for improvement, and request interviews of key members to expand your thoughts.  Get in the door!
13. Create road signs that point to your website/resume.  Target intersections rich in your field of employment (if possible).  Cardboard, or fabricated, quantity and legibility are the keys.
14. Dress up as Catwoman...ohh wait; I heard that one didn't actually work out so well. 
15. If the company has a cafeteria, make an appointment with anybody about anything, go get something to eat and make some friends...happen to have a lot of resumes available. 
16. Call up as a recruiter (have a friend call), tell them the first candidate is free no obligation, but you have a really valuable candidate they just have to interview. 
17. Start your own company.  There's never a good time or enough money to start a company...so start now.
18. Go to high-end stores/malls; put your resume on car windshields.  Somewhere on the resume include a thank you note.
19. Make a low cost barter/deal!  Any deal where a volume of people are served, your industry would be best.  A restaurant that keeps your resume at the hostess counter, a gas station at the cashier, a pizza place that deliveries to businesses. 
20. Setup a lemonade stand/bottled water in a downtown area.  Give away a free beverage with every resume. Dress like a candidate. 
21. Make up a newsletter, one, a hundred, whatever you can afford.  Make it about the company you are interested in, the CEO, the industry, anything that demonstrates your knowledge and competence.  Mail it!
22. Bring a puppy!  Tape up his paw!  Go to reception and say "I am sooo sorry, I really wanted to get you my resume, but I had to stop by the vet first.  Look, he likes you".  Everybody remembers the guy with the puppy.
23. Buy banner ads, keywords, set a price you can afford, and link it to your website/resume.
24. Put a sticker on your car with your website/resume.  Enlist others to do the same.
25. Rent space on someone else's vehicles, landscapers, roofers, electricians, etc.  Put a sticker on their vehicle/trailer with your website/resume.
26. Create a YouTube video that's funny, but also demonstrates your skills.  Include a reference/link to your website/resume.

Do you have any other ideas?  Please send them to me, I would be grateful to read them. The key is low cost, memorable, and doesn't land the candidate in jail.  Please include your idea, first name, last initial and city/state and I'll credit you.

Any creative success stories/attempts?  Pictures, videos?  Please send them to me!  Let the world know how your pride didn't stop you from seeking your next job.

 

Best creativity in landing your next job,

Marc 

Marc Cantor

Email: mdcantor@JobRadio.com