I received an email last week from a senior executive entitled “Help me and win an iPad”. Essentially, if I forwarded his details on to my contacts and he got a job through this introduction, he would give both of us an iPad.
I must admit the approach stood out and it provoked an interesting debate at the office.
However my thoughts were that if I was still a recruiter, I’d have most likely not read any further. My initial reaction was whilst I thought his approach was innovative, it followed a fairly tacky theme.
His approach gave the impression of a tacky sales promotion and not high level merchandise. Not only did this equate his career to an iPad but this would attract the wrong sort of bucket shop recruiter, and his details will be slung around the internet for all and sundry. Hardly a quality, measured approach.
On the flip side if this is the result you want, then I’m sure it will open a few doors however I am hesitant to suggest this will provide a quality response and that the right sort of opportunities that will be good for the development of your career in the long term will unveil themselves. You never know but you want to avoid prejudicing your application before you’ve even started.
To this effect, I assumed that this executive was either not very good, desperate or both.
My role is completely different now, I am focused on the executive, their career and how they promote themselves. Therefore I am always interested in new approaches to the job hunt and I was therefore intrigued to find out what he does….
He’s actually a pretty good candidate.
He’s set up a very effective microsite to present his CV and showcase the projects he’s worked on and highlighted his achievements.
I’m all for new ideas to set yourself aside from the rest as past blogs have stated however this has to be combined with a quality measured approach. You want to be remembered for the right reasons and my fear that the iPad approach can evoke a bad first impression.
There are better ways of setting yourself aside from the rest, and I have many suggestions for our clients during their consult. For example why not send in hard copy applications in addition to the email application – receiving a letter is a refreshing change and can prove just as effective.
I hope you have a productive week….