Posted under Branding, Job Search on June 3rd, 2008
A recent article by Lisa Belkin in the New York Times highlighted the stories of a few job seekers who went to unusual lengths to stand out above the competition. These risk-takers may not have been aware that they were branding themselves, but the hiring-decision makers considering them certainly were. Having the courage to be different really paid off for them.
As you read the following scenario of one of the job seekers profiled in the article, you get an idea of the powerful brand attributes he tapped into.
After being laid off, George was getting nowhere with the personnel office of the company he wanted to work for next. His ingenious method to make headway was to print up business cards that were rounder and larger than usual. On the front was the photo of a pizza and on the back, along with his contact information, was the promise of a pizza for the first person to get him an interview.
Wearing a suit and tie, George positioned himself outside the company headquarters and handed out his cards to any takers. After a few days, he hit the mark with one manager who decided that anyone who made such an effort deserved to at least be heard.
His innovative campaign worked and branded him as innovative, bold, and a problem-solver, among other things. He got the job, probably because his stunt proved him to be a good fit for that company. One can only assume he was the kind of person they were looking for all along, but before he tried a gutsy approach, he was lost in the sea of other candidates.
Posted by Meg Guiseppi
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