Dear Readers! The following post is part of Doria’s series “The Dream Job is No Accident.” Today you can read Part 15. You can find the previous articles using the search function under “Dream Job Series.” The next posts will appear weekly on the blog. Enjoy reading and developing your ideas!
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Now for the spectacular application formats: For all entrepreneurs.
The Persistent Chef
A chef once wanted to attend a prestigious Michelin-starred chef’s school. He received a rejection letter. But that wasn’t the end; it was just the beginning. He positioned himself at the delivery entrance of the Michelin-starred chef’s restaurant, intercepted him, and shoved his application under his nose. He was rejected again, but that didn’t deter him from trying repeatedly. He waited eight times at the delivery entrance. One might wonder what he didn’t understand about “no.” Simply put, the chef had only one answer: “Yes.” No matter when it came. On the eighth day, it happened. The Michelin-starred chef’s team was on their way to a soccer game, and they were short one person. That was his big chance. The chef asked him if he could play soccer. He gave his best on the team, and shortly after, he was hired by the Michelin-starred chef. Through his strategy, he demonstrated not only his cooking skills (in his resume) but also perseverance and determination.
Knock… uh, write on Wood!
Another example: Someone sent their resume on a wooden board to the head of a company. They got the job. While other candidates had similar qualifications, the reason for their hiring was the required creativity that only they displayed. For all other applications, it was just words on a piece of paper.
AdWords
One of the most well-known examples is AdWords advertising on the internet. Managers seem to enjoy Googling themselves. While searching for a job as a software developer, a candidate created a Google ad. When the manager of the company he wanted to work for searched online, he found this ad, which included the words “Googling yourself is fun, hiring me is even more.” He received 8 offers.
Learning Croatian
In search of a suitable position as a Croatian translator, a candidate had the following idea. She looked for companies that had Croatian customers but only offered German and English pages on their website. She translated a page into Croatian and sent it with the message “this will help you reach Croatian customers even more easily” to her target companies. She didn’t get a permanent position but received two large contracts.
Insurance
Another applicant wrote to several insurance companies. He presented his top sales skills on a well-designed slide, included reference letters, and enriched these documents with the phrase “Do you really want to lose me to … (here was the name of the competitor)?” Two weeks later, he could choose between two offers.
Conclusion:
Effective “marriage proposals” with so-called guerrilla marketing tools ensure that you stand out from the crowd. And if it still doesn’t result in an invitation for an interview, the least goal should be to “be remembered favorably.” Secure a VIP place in the other person’s mind! IMPORTANT! The focus is not only on creativity but also on making your competencies creatively tangible.
What does your extraordinary marriage proposal look like?
Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
