Most Extraordinary Ways People Got Their Jobs

 

Like a lot of people Alec Brownstein needed a job, so he took matters into his own hands. He bought ads on Google for the top names on Madison Avenue. When those people did their customary search of their own name for press hits, the first thing they saw at the top of the page was Brownstein's ad: a direct pitch for work with a link back to his own web site, which features a bio and examples of his work.
 
Brownstein obeyed the number one rule of job search: identify your targets and get noticed by them. He created ads for just five executives, resulting in four interviews and two job offers, and all for around six dollars, which is less than most people pay for postage on a traditional resume mailing campaign. To top it all off, Brownstein proved his effectiveness in the world of advertising by selling himself, likely leaving the executives to wonder what he could do with a brand.

 
5. By a homeless sign on the street

 

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers offered a job and a house to a homeless man with a golden radio voice.
 
Ted Williams was spotted by the Columbus Dispatch newspaper standing near a highway exit ramp. In a video interview, Williams, holding a cardboard sign that asks motorists for help, says, "I'm an ex-radio announcer who has fallen on hard times." He explains in his smooth, deep voice that he grew up in New York and was drawn to radio at the age of 14.
 
As soon as he appeared on a local radio show that morning the offers began pouring in -- including a dream job with the Cleveland Cavaliers and a free house.

 
6. By Twitter giveaway

 

 

 

Jon Kolbe shipped copies of his resume and searched for job listings on message boards for seven months during 2009 before finally realizing he had had enough. At wit's end, he appeared on Twitter with a proposition: the first person to help him find a job would receive a free high-definition video camera. Before long, the connections held by fellow Twitter users managed to score Kolbe an interview.There's no word if anyone actually received the promised camera.

 
7. Through a billboard ad

 

 

Some individuals have taken the idiom "you have to spend money to make money" to its logical extreme by advertising their existence to prospective employers on billboards. Feilim Mac An Iomaire in Dublin, for instance, splurged $2,544 on a billboard with his contact information and a simple message: "Save Me From Emigration." He was indeed saved after being hired by an Ireland-based betting site.
 
Pasha Stocking made an even riskier investment by renting a billboard along Connecticut's I-95 for a $7,000. She didn't get a job from it, but the fame she earned from her purchase paid off in its own way; she ended up starting a public relations firm that helps people rent billboards.

 
8. Through a unique cover letter

 

 

Matthew Ross, a 22-year-old undergrad at San Diego State University, sent a refreshingly sincere cover letter by email that went viral. Rather than inflating his qualifications and bragging about his grades or past job experiences, the humble applicant simply stated his case and matter-of-factly asked for an internship - even if it meant shining shoes.
 
Ryan Bouley, an investment banker at Duff and Phelps, to whom he sent the email, said if someone with Matthew's qualifications were to come on board, he certainly would not be shining shoes and said he is just the type of person the company was looking for.
 
The response to the letter has been overwhelmingly positive, with some recipients describing it as "hilarious but bold" and "instant classic.''

 
9. By an interactive resume

 

 

 

PR and social media consultant Graeme Anthony put his skills to use in this interactive video resume, complete with links to additional sections like About Me and Timeline.
 
"I've produced this video because let's face it, communications have changed," Anthony says in the clip. "There's nothing wrong with a good old-fashioned pen and paper but it's evolved into something far more exciting and accessible."
 
Anthony sent the video directly to individual companies and had a job lined up before it even went public. However, after the video was posted on YouTube, he received so many offers that he eventually decided it made more sense to freelance.

 
10. By asking for possible employees to apply to hire him

 

 

Andrew Horner disrupted the established order in 2010 with a website that asked employers to apply to have him work for them. In addition to describing himself and his talents, the site outlined the kind of jobs he was looking for and the qualities he was looking for in an employer. Could something so jarringly different (and rather snarky) actually work? The results speak for themselves: Horner received 44 offers, accepting one of them at a mortgage financing site.