The Unconventional Job Search

On my way to work this morning I heard on the radio a story about a man who had recently landed a job by buying billboard space and posting a picture of himself with the phrase “Save me from Emigration.”26-year-old Irishman Feilim Mac An lomaire, had been using traditional job search methods for nearly 10 months with no results. The billboard features a picture of the back Mac An lomaire holding a suitcase and looking across the ocean at pictures of the Statue of Liberty, Sydney Opera House, British Houses of Parliament, and the Toronto CN Tower. Below the picture it simply says “For more information and my C.V. contact: joblesspaddy@gmail.com.”(Associated Press, NPR.org).

The motivation behind this campaign, aside from not having a job, is the unemployment rate in Ireland is near 15% and many young people are leaving the country to pursue job opportunities. Mac An lomaire decided to take a different approach and not leave Ireland but take an unconventional job search approach. Mac An lomaire has a degree in marketing and put his skills to the test by bargaining for ad space and persuaded artist and photographers to give him a deal on their price. The stunt paid off, only two days after the ad was posted Mac An lomaire started receiving job offers and is expected to start his new position at the end of the month (Associated Press, NPR.org).

The story of Mac An lomaire is one of many stories that I’ve heard recently of unique job search strategies. Some similar success stories from Resumark.com include:

· Alec Brownstein, who bought ads on Google for names of top advertising executives. When those people did their customary search of their own names for press hits, they saw Brownstein’s ad along with a link back to his own website with his resume and portfolio of previous projects.

· Robin Stearns launched a website called Hire My Husband to help her spouse find a job.

· Jeff Donaldson, an engineer, used a chain letter method by mailing a well-written letter and a resume to all his contacts, asking them to forward it to anyone they knew who maybe in the position to help. He soon discovered that there were many people willing to forward his letter and he eventually got a contract.

Read more: http://www.resumark.com/blog/andrew/most-unusual-job-search-tactics-that-have-worked/#ixzz1PvCe6MzF

These types of job search strategies are not for everyone and may not always prove to be successful. However, we can learn from these success stories and try to think outside-the-box when job searching. I would not recommend relying solely on these unconventional methods but pairing it with a traditional approach may be beneficial. This type of mentality is important for job seekers to remember in this difficult climate.