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31 Of The Most Hilarious And Bizarre Ways People Have Tried To Get Hired For A Job
Interview With Expert
Job hunting has become almost like the Hunger Games, where multiple people are fighting to be chosen for just one spot. Folks have to face rejection upon rejection until they finally get an offer from one company. It’s a difficult job market, and people have to try their best to be hired.
With so much on the line, it’s no wonder that some people have resorted to extreme measures just to get noticed by the hiring team. This list is full of those creative and unhinged folks who did bizarre things to try and get a job.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
I made a fake recruitment company, I offered my current company an opportunity to take an employee without any recruiters charge since the recruitment company was new and acted like this was a goodwill gesture to get a chance to do more business with them. The employee I put forward was myself and have been with this company for 7 years now
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#2
Years ago I applied for a marketing job for a fine fragrance company in NYC. I printed my resume and folded it into an origami flower and FedEx’d the package to the hiring manager. It worked to get her attention and I got the job.
#3
I wanted to work at a fashion archive in Beverly Hills and during the interview they didn’t take me seriously so I reenacted the scene in devil wears Prada where Andy convinces Miranda to hire her almost word by word and they offered me the job that same day 😈
It might seem shocking that people are trying such unhinged things to try and get a job, but it does make one wonder if such hacks actually work. To learn a bit more about this, Bored Panda reached out to Peter Duris, who is the CEO and co-founder of Kickresume, for his insights.
Peter explained that “sometimes a stunt can pay off—there are some great stories about strange things candidates have done in order to either advertise their job hunt, or attract the attention of a specific company. Paying for a Google advert or even for an entire billboard to advertise yourself as a candidate is a bold tactic that quite a lot of people have tried.”
“Marketer Alec Brownstein made the news years ago by taking out online ads that would show up when creative directors at top agencies googled their own names. These kinds of stunts show that you have imagination and a sense of humour, which can make you stand out from the crowd.”
He added that “sometimes these tricks can miss the mark. For instance, candidates who go too far to get in touch with hiring managers at their dream company can make them feel uncomfortable by contacting them outside of work. Even if you try to get in touch with them sensitively, it still might make them feel as if you’re trying to dodge the company’s normal hiring processes.”
#4
I was interviewing for an Italian owned med tech company. They gave me an interview and then said I had to come back for an interview with the whole management team from Italy. Im a Boston irish girl with an irish name so I practiced how to say "Thank you for your time" so I could end the interview with that. They lit up and offered me the job on the spot.
Ann Tiques 3 months ago
The point seems to be that making a little extra effort to connect with people by learning some of their language shows a lot of positive qualities: forethought, ambition, empathy, cultural sensitivity, adaptability, attention to detail, skilled in interpersonal interaction.
#5
My dad pulled up to an office, poured 1/2 bottle of water on his head, ran in acting as if he was late to the interview. There wasn’t an interview scheduled but they felt guilty that he ran there. Got the job. Worked there for 10 years!!!!!
#6
Okay….when I put in an application and don’t hear back I usually call and lie and say I got a voicemail from someone about my application but can’t remember who. I’ve gotten an interview everytime…..
One of the reasons why people have to go through crazy lengths to get hired is that the job market is saturated with too many applicants. Peter explained that “the job market is a very competitive place and people feel like they have to stand out, especially if they’ve already been searching for a long time and have not had any luck securing a role.”
“I think candidates can get frustrated if they feel like they’re doing everything right, and still not getting anywhere. So this can lead to people thinking, ‘Let’s try something different.’ Searching for a job can also feel very impersonal sometimes. People might feel driven to try these stunts in an effort to bring more of their personality into their job hunt, showing off their creativity.”
“You probably do see more of these types of stunts in the creative industries, because people are trying to demonstrate that they have the imagination and creativity to succeed in this field. Many of the most famous stories in the news about these tricks to impress the hiring team are about people trying to break into this sector,” he shared.
#7
Got an Amazon delivery vest off eBay. Rang the company door bell while wearing the vest, and when I was let inside delivered a box addressed to the hiring manager with my resume in it.
#8
Called and asked about the status of my application. They couldn’t find it, they scheduled an interview with me, I started there the following Monday. I never filled out an application for the job to start with!
#9
the company took my video i posted and ran it as ads so i reached out and told them to pay me $500 for the video and then sent my resume and asked if they needed social media help. i was hired.
Being a job applicant in today’s market means having to jump through a lot of hoops during the application process. If a person is applying to more than one company, they have to fill in forms that always tend to have a lot of questions. It can become tiresome to copy-paste answers or keep having to share samples of one’s work.
Experts state that a candidate should make themselves stand out by sometimes spending 15 minutes extra on what they are sharing with the hiring manager. By doing this, they are showing the interviewer that they put in a bit more effort and that they give importance to the quality of work they are doing.
#10
There’s a story I heard where someone mailed their shoe to the hiring managers job and a note that said “now that I have my foot in the door can I schedule and interview”
#11
It was a hiring freeze, but I REALLY wanted to work for DC Comics NY. I drew a 3 foot poster of a character I made up and dropped with Warner Brothers HR director. They found a job for me. 😍 Greatest place to work ever!
#12
The job market was so saturated for biological sciences so I worked at a spicy club to specifically to network and sure enough I landed a job at Harvard as a Research Scientist from one of my customers 😂
As you can probably tell from this list, folks have gone to extreme lengths just to try and stand out to the hiring manager. To help candidates on this journey, experts share that it’s important to apply to at least 200 positions. This will help put out more feelers and make it more of a possibility to get hired in companies they actually like.
One mistake that people often make during the process is to only apply through job portals and not do any cold outreach. Networking and directly reaching out to the recruiting team or company head can help people bypass the screening process and stand out. Although there might still be rejections, these are a few ways to make the job application process easier.
#13
Not me but one of my friends used Uber share around San Francisco during start and end of working hours, spoke to the people who would come inside the cab for a referral and ended up getting few interviews.
#14
Normally I look up the person who reaches out to me for an interview and find their socials then I use small things I learned from stalking them to drop into conversation to make them favor me.
Bored Sailor 3 months ago
I like this one because of all the time you hear of companies tracking employees socials to hold it against them.
#15
My husband used to do maintenance for an company and he told me to apply for an office job and took my resume. Everyday he would ask the hiring manager when they would call and he would search through the resumes and put mine on top. I’ve worked there for 10 years
A difficult fact that all people applying for jobs need to come to terms with is that they’ll end up facing rejection. Getting that email from the hiring company can be absolutely gut-wrenching because it means that some time and effort has been wasted. It can also be tough for people who need the work in order to manage their household.
A good way to deal with these negative feelings is to remind yourself that you’ve dealt with uncertain times like this before and come through them. Rather than dwell on the tough moments, it’s important to keep applying and reframe each rejection as a stepping stone to the job of your dreams.
#16
A week went by without a response to the resume I sent in so I called to ask when they’d be scheduling an interview so I could put it on my calendar. They brought me in the next day.
#17
Changed the font on my resume to SF Pro so when they read it it feels "familiar" to them and think 'that's the one"
Bored Sailor 3 months ago
I wanted to see what SF Pro looked like compared to what I use, Garamond, which was changed for a contract bide and that is what the Technical Writer choose. On point my version of Microsoft Word it list all fonts even ones that need to be downloaded and SF Pro is not there. But Googled I guess it is an Apple font cause Apple has to do Apple.
#18
Told them I lived in NYC when I applied. Flew in with two days notice to interview. Had to move to NYC area within two weeks of being hired. I was definitely living in Dallas at the time. Still at the company 6 years later.
Hopefully, all of these crazy tricks that folks have used to try and get hired inspire you to come up with your own creative hacks. Even if they don’t always work out, one might suddenly hit the mark and get you the job that you want. So, until then, don’t lose hope and keep applying.
We’d love to hear if you’ve ever done anything unhinged to try and get a job. Share your stories in the comments.
#20
sent a picture of a T-rex trying to make a bed instead of my CV with a note saying I'm not sending my CV because I'm bored of doing that, if you like this pic meet me for a drink to discuss the job.
#21
I get their email. In the subject of my email I type RE: as if replying to THEM 😅
#22
Another time. I created a job profile about me in a word document. It wasn’t a resume or a cover letter but intrigued the hell out of companies. Got 4 job offers from it. Sent out to about 10.
#23
I made a fake job ad on Craigslist matching a job I wanted and then took the best resume sent to me and used it as a template for my own.
#24
A woman stopped by my boss’s office to ask about a job opening, but she spoke through her puppet
Philly Bob 3 months ago (edited)
There's a certain Russian head who speaks to the US through a puppet, so nothing new there.
#25
Lied and said I could ski. And they said “like professsionally?” And I said “yes” and they said “confident enough to ski alongside the British Olympic Skiing team and Royal Family” and I said “yes” and got the job the next day.
#27
Sat in the waiting area for 2 weeks straight every day to get an interview until the DON said “might as well pay you if you’re gonna be here”.
#28
I door dashed a box of Krispy Kreme to a local marketing agency with a personalized note. They rejected the order and I never got a job. Sigh.
#29
Say I was a manager for companies than no longer exist. They never question it nor can chase a reference 😂
#30
During an interview they needed 3 references and asked for each of their emials. I made 3 fake emails and did all the references of myself 💀
What do you think ?
Jrog 3 months ago
Yup. TikTok cr*p written by the clueless for the clueless
Load More Replies...
Lotekguy 3 months ago (edited)
On the non-hire side, a relative was being interviewed by a panel He knew it was going so badly that he had no chance. When someone asked what his greatest weakness was he answered "do you mean other than kryptonite?" No one even chuckled, proving it would have been a lousy place to work anyway.
Helena 3 months ago
If I crack comedy gold in an interview and no one so much as pity chuckles, I know I don't want to work there.
Load More Replies...
George S Gurchinoff III 3 months ago
On the opposite spectrum, my partner has been applying for a job every time he sees it listed. It's a restaurant and they keep hiring new rounds of people who we never see after a few weeks The hiring manager called him in for an interview, finally. She told him to stop applying. 😅
Jrog 3 months ago
Yup. TikTok cr*p written by the clueless for the clueless
Load More Replies... Lotekguy 3 months ago (edited)
On the non-hire side, a relative was being interviewed by a panel He knew it was going so badly that he had no chance. When someone asked what his greatest weakness was he answered "do you mean other than kryptonite?" No one even chuckled, proving it would have been a lousy place to work anyway.
Helena 3 months ago
If I crack comedy gold in an interview and no one so much as pity chuckles, I know I don't want to work there.
Load More Replies... George S Gurchinoff III 3 months ago
On the opposite spectrum, my partner has been applying for a job every time he sees it listed. It's a restaurant and they keep hiring new rounds of people who we never see after a few weeks The hiring manager called him in for an interview, finally. She told him to stop applying. 😅
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