This past summer, a 20-year-old looking for work garnered Nicolas Cage more press attention than he received at the releases of ?Season of the Witch,? ?Kick-Ass,? and ?Ghost Rider? combined when she sent a photo of the actor in lieu of her resume to a potential employer.
York University student Vanessa Hodja posted a screenshot of the email and crazy-eyed picture of Cage to her Tumblr page writing, ?I ACCIDENTALLY SENT MY POTENTIAL FUTURE BOSS A PICTURE OF NIC CAGE RATHER THAN MY COVER LETTER + RESUME.?
Hodja gained instant online fame when the blunder went viral. Unsurprisingly, she wasn?t offered the no experience needed administrative assistant position she desired.
Hodja?s Nicolas Cage photo attachment may have been a mistake, but there are plenty of professionals looking for work whose attempts to get creative with their job applications made them stand out for all the wrong reasons. When it comes to getting crafty with job hunting, be memorable for the right reasons. Here?s how:
Think Outside of the Resume
Creative cover letters and resumes are the job applications of the future. They?re a great way for professionals looking for work to be creative and stand out from other applicants, and employers enjoy the innovative initiative. Video and infographic applications feature job seekers? personalities and special skills without making them seem like Nicolas-Cage-loving oddballs.
Highlight A Social Profile
CNN?s Doug Gross recently published a story asking, ?Are social media making the resume obsolete?? The article examined the growing trend of the social media job search?employers placing more emphasis on web presence and social profiles than the traditional resume. If you truly want to stand out in the application process, expand your resume to include a social media profile like Twitter or Pinterest that highlights your personality without discrediting your professional abilities.
Give Your Resume A Makeover
If new age job applications simply aren?t for you, consider giving your paper resume a fresh new look. Adobe InDesign is a great tool for spicing up a plain resume. Job seekers unfamiliar with design software can create simple designs in Microsoft Word or have their resumes printed on pre-designed templates. JobMob posted a nice collection of resume designs to get job seekers inspired.
Sometimes the simplest way to stand out in the application process is to precisely follow protocol. Most job seekers don?t mistake a poorly labeled picture of Nicolas Cage as their resume, but many do forget to properly follow-up after interviews, hurting their chance of receiving a job offer. A recent survey of more than 500 HR managers at companies with 20 or more employees revealed that 91 percent found it helpful for a promising job candidate to send a thank you note following an interview. When it comes to applying and interviewing for jobs, saying thanks is one of the simplest and best ways to stand out.
If you ever find yourself in a position where you made a horrible application mistake like Vanessa Hodja?s Nicolas Cage photo blunder, follow Jena McGregor?s advice on The Washington Post and don?t broadcast your mistake for the whole world to see.
Do you consider yourself to be a memorable job applicant? How do you stand out for the right reasons?
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For this post, YouTern thanks our friends at Jackalope Jobs!
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About the Author:??Sudy Bharadwaj is a co-founder and the CEO of?Jackalope Jobs, a job seeker focused platform, making the job search social, fast and easy. Learn how Sudy and Jackalope Jobs obsess over job seekers by connecting with them on?Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
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