OfficeTeam, a staffing service, gathered impressions from 650 HR managers impressed by applicants who conveyed that they really wanted a job (officeteam.com).
One brought her résumé under coffee and donuts. Another, lugging a suitcase, did a presto! Out came “letters of reference, certificates of achievement and other accolades,” OfficeTeam reports.
Another, upon hearing that the hiring manager wasn’t feeling well, took action. She mailed a handmade get-well card.
A would-be detailer strutted his stuff in his own car. A man who wanted an entry-level job wore a three-piece suit. Then there is the group of candidates, “persistent in calling to make sure they got the position," OfficeTeam says.
Know the environment you’re about to enter. Ms. Coffee-and-Donuts probably applied in a team environment. The Traveler should have been looking for a job hiring a “star” or a bureaucrat. Ms. Get-Well belonged in a tight-knit group where being personal and “real” was acceptable.
Could the tactics have backfired? You bet. Ms. Coffee-and-Donuts didn’t belong in a no-nonsense environment that cared only about her résumé. The Traveler might have worked out in sales but not in administration. Ms. Get-Well didn’t belong in creative services unless her illustrations were top-notch.
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