First off, the word “wacky” should not be used in any form of writing. Second, this Yahoo Hot Jobs article – Wacky Job-Seeker Stunts – lists some . . . zany gimmicks for attempting to land a marketing/advertising position: Puts up posters of himself in your company parking lot. Attaches pineapple scratch-and-sniff stickers to his resume. Announces his candidacy with a singing telegram. Sends lottery tickets with her resume. Rents a billboard that you can see from your office to list his qualifications. Bakes cookies with icing to write several reasons why she should be hired. Delivers pre-paid Chinese food, including a fortune cookie with his name and number. Yeah,… Read More
Continue ReadingHow NOT To Describe Your Education
This sentence is from a cover email regarding a sales position: I am educated up to an MBA. I still am not sure what that means.
Continue ReadingWho Needs Validated Assessments?
Especially when you can simply look at someone’s shoes. This Yahoo News story has to be an April Fool’s joke: Mindset Media, a media company that examines personality traits of different consumers, found that people who buy more than three pairs of sneakers a year are 61 percent more likely to have the qualities of a modern leader. These qualities were defined as having ideas and vision, and a style with others that is both inclusive and decisive. The survey of 7,500 people, using market research group Nielsen’s online panel, found multi-sneaker buyers were 50 percent more likely to be very assertive and 47 percent more likely to be spontaneous.… Read More
Continue ReadingRelocate This
Here is a picture of my backyard this morning: This is no April Fool’s joke – 7″ of snow yesterday and last night. Honestly, do you wonder why we normally recruit locals for Minnesota-based sales positions?
Continue ReadingStupid Candidate Tricks
This post from Steven Rothberg over at CollegeRecruiter.com had me laughing. Isn’t it amazing how out-of-touch some candidates can be during a phone screen or interview? From Steven’s post: Candidate asked the interviewer for a ride home after the interview. Candidate smelled his armpits on the way to the interview room. Candidate said she could not provide a writing sample because all of her writing had been for the CIA and it was “classified.” You have to read the other 7 mistakes in the list. Unbelievable…and entertaining.
Continue ReadingNegative Penny Flow
Here’s a fun way to start your Monday – this sounds like the premise to a Steven Wright joke: “It costs almost 1.7 cents to make a penny,” said U.S. Mint director Ed Moy. Each year, the U.S. Mint makes 8 billion pennies, at a cost of $130 million. American taxpayers lose nearly $50 million in the process. The penny’s not alone. It costs nearly 10 cents to make a nickel.
Continue ReadingWhat NOT To Mention In A Cover Letter
I have been searching through online resumes and came across this commentary in a cover letter: I am a 63 year old male just recently let go from my job because I’m too old. Don’t worry, I’m fighting it but in the meantime, I need a job. You know, some things are better left unsaid.
Continue ReadingTeenage Millionaires
If you are truly looking for frustration inspiration today, check out this article from Forbes.com – How To Make A Million Before You Turn 20. Yup, the article profiles of 5 different teenage millionaires. I thought the second person was amazing: Cameron Johnson truly took that perspective to heart, parlaying one hit into the next. Back in 1994, when he was just 9, Johnson launched his first business out of his home in Virginia, making invitations for his parents’ holiday party. By the seasoned age of 11, Johnson had saved up several thousand dollars selling greeting cards. He called his company Cheers and Tears. But the little guy didn’t stop… Read More
Continue ReadingYour Average Awake Time
Every year this type of study comes out – U.S. workers are not getting enough sleep. I don’t know how anyone can truly know if this is accurate or not. Nonetheless, this little tidbit is interesting in a trivial way: The average wake up is at 5:35 a.m. and it’s followed by about two hours and 15 minutes at home before heading out to work, according to the survey. Average bedtime is 10:53.
Continue ReadingNot So Confidential
I got a kick out of this – I’m looking through resumes online and I came across one that was listed as confidential. Candidates put a title to their resume that often says “Experienced Sales Professional” or something of that sort. The candidate can then hide their personal contact information (name, address, phone, etc.) and their current employer. This person did that. Except the title for their resume was their actual name as in “John Doe’s resume.” Oops.
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