As job hunting strategies go, it’s one of the oddest ever conceived; but an aspiring web product manager has taken an unusual step to try and find the right job. Paris-based Philippe Dubost has created a CV in the form of an Amazon product page to show off his skills!
Rather than just sending an ordinary résumé or speculative e-mail, Dubost has gone the extra mile, but do stunts like that actually work? At a time when finding a job is more difficult than it has been for several years, doing something leftfield could help candidates to stand out, but it might not necessarily be a good thing.
Think it through
A number of experts believe that doing something out of the ordinary in order to get a job is a decent idea, but needs to be thought through carefully.
Oliver Adderley from Online Resourcing said: “As the average applications per vacancy increases, anything a job seeker can do to stand out is positive. Remain professional though, you don’t want it to backfire!”
Applications for new jobs are increasing in many cases, especially with unemployment being high in many of the world’s biggest economies such as the UK, US and the Eurozone. This makes it harder for candidates to impress prospective employers and recruiters, leaving them to think of innovative ways to find the best job possible.
Traditional methods work best
It can be a struggle to find the perfect job at any time, irrespective of external factors, but it’s worthwhile to do more than just place blind faith in your CV or covering letter.
Samantha McGawley, the marketing manager for Jobs Direct, explained how important it is to do something a little different:
“The jobs market is heavily saturated and competition for positions is higher than ever. If you can find a way to separate yourself from other candidates and give yourself an edge, then by all means try it out!”, she said.
You might wonder what you could try out to emerge from the ever-growing pack of jobseekers, but there are ways.
Head online
The internet is arguably the most valuable resource at your disposal. You can look for jobs there and advertise yourself. For the latter, you should consider:
- Creating a LinkedIn profile. Recruiters can easily spot it and if you complete your profile, you’ll have something to link to.
- Setting up a blog or personal website. This will significantly boost your personal brand, and you can try out some of your wackier ideas there.
- Search as many different sites for jobs as possible. There is quite a number of job sites today – don’t hesitate to search on them as much as you can!
All of the above can give you more to rely on before hearing back after applying for a role. Also, it means you can experiment without going too far.