According to research by employment search website Simply Hired, hiring managers get an average of 34 applications per job listing, but they spend time genuinely considering an average of only 12.6% of them – that’s less than 1/3. Some applicants may feel the need to go above and beyond the average application and do something unusual or unexpected to grab the hiring manager’s attention.
Simply Hired conducted a survey to find out whether or not “nontraditional” strategies to stand out are worth the risk, or whether it makes sense to stick to a traditional resume and cover letter. They surveyed over 500 hiring managers and over 500 job applicants to find out what sort of outside-of-the-box approaches applicants are willing to take, and which ones do and don’t pay off.
Most notably, the survey found that over 63% of hiring managers find attention-grabbing gimmicks totally unacceptable, with only 20.2% saying they were acceptable. Hiring managers were also given a list of unusual strategies to rank from most to least acceptable. Unsurprisingly, the least acceptable strategy was offering to sleep with the hiring manager – which should really go without saying.
Interestingly, hiring managers also really disliked when applicants persistently emailed their resumes over and over until they got a response. One or two follow-up emails after your initial application aren’t such a bad idea – but if you don’t get a response after that, continuing to pester the hiring manager isn’t going to help.
While sending baked goods to the office was considered a somewhat acceptable strategy, sending those same cookies to the manager’s home address was a big no-no. Desserts might sweeten your application, but not if you cross a professional boundary by bringing them to someone’s home – that’s just creepy.
Another tactic that hiring managers received fairly positively was “enduring extreme weather to hand-deliver a resume” – but waiting around for inclement weather to apply for a job doesn’t seem very efficient. However, hiring managers did respond well to applicants who went out of their way to demonstrate a skill, for example, by creating a mock product or presentation or completing their interview in a second language. A librarian who was surveyed said she landed her job by making her resume into a book and creating QR codes with links to her portfolio, while a woman applying to work at the hotel hopped behind the counter and started checking customers in.
It’s worth noting that while most hiring managers aren’t into your gimmicks and games, of the 12.9% of applicants who said they have risked an unusual strategy, 67.7% of those actually landed the job.
Still, it’s probably a safer bet to stick to the protocol and not try any theatrics. So then, what can you actually do to improve your chances of landing the job?
Applicants surveyed tended to focus most of their time on their resumes, but according to hiring managers, the interview and cover letter are “the top ways to stand out among the rest.” Sure, brush up your resume, but make sure to give equal time to writing a strong cover letter and practicing potential interview questions.
In the survey, applicants also tended to overestimate the importance of knowing people within the company and having a “unique” cover letter and interview question answers; meanwhile, they underestimated the importance of asking smart questions at the interview and personality. In fact, hiring managers reported that personality was the most impactful factor in their hiring decisions.
It appears that the best way to stand out in a job interview is to wow them with your personality and nail the interview. Weird outfits, stunts, and baked goods will only get you so far – and in fact, may backfire.
Ken Brand
March 5, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Pikes blend with 2 raw sugars and a dose of half & half is shooting from my nose. Another fine shire soiled.
Harp Seal, Spittle, Show Her My Big Techorati.
You crack me up! May I have another?
Cheers.
Ken Brand
March 5, 2009 at 3:30 pm
By the way, that’s “fine SHIRT soiled”, not shire.
And what kinda mutt is that in the picture?
Erion Shehaj
March 5, 2009 at 3:44 pm
I was at Sweet Tomatoes when I read this. Now my sweater smells like Big Chunk Chicken Noodle Soup 🙂
Bill Lublin
March 5, 2009 at 4:52 pm
If I were Toby, I might be upset that I was not featured on your signs. I would point out that in the case of my dog, Cisco, and Toby, and any other dogs, they are generally smarter than their owners. After all they live in the same houses as we do, but they don’t need to work.
Got to tell you that I’m not big on telling others whether they are or are not successful, and I think that doing so is presumptuous to say the least. You’re right that success in our business starts with what you sell and how much you make, not with your page rank. I might suggest that professional growth and contributing to the community come next, and that the truest success comes after your financial security and professional reputation have been established, and that success is found in charitable works and self-fulfillment, but maybe I’m missing something. I just don’t understand where your Google page rank comes into any of that.
In any case, if Toby is happy then you must be a success, his opinion is probably the most important one of all.
😉
ines
March 5, 2009 at 5:13 pm
I measure success in weather people like me or not? 😉 …without even saying cupholders
ines
March 5, 2009 at 5:14 pm
that’s “whether” – I hate when I think in Spanish and type in English
Chris Lengquist
March 5, 2009 at 6:42 pm
This has nothing to do with anything other than to say I was in Royals Stadium during Clint Hurdle’s very first major league at bat. Over the right field wall and into the fountain. I’ll never forget. I was just a kid….
John Wake
March 6, 2009 at 1:12 am
Congratulations on your success!
And you are covering the Cactus League too? Holy Mackerel!
Elaine Reese
March 6, 2009 at 9:18 am
As always, I love your posts. Only the income counts. I love (NOT) when someone says you MUST do this or that, or they brag about their ratings, traffic, etc. THEN you look to see if they have any bu$ine$$.
Now about your big Technorati rating ………
Melina Tomson
March 6, 2009 at 11:22 am
As long as you make your income goal who cares? Some people want to make $50k a year, some $500K.
Some people have kids that they actually want to spend time with. Some people would like to stay married.
People need to find their own balance and be okay with it. If you aren’t making your individual goals, then you need to continue to work hard to get what you want.
People don’t want the same things out of life.
Russell Shaw
March 6, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Even I am still working on fully being Russell Shaw and I had quite a head start. Nice one, sir.
teresa boardman
March 7, 2009 at 2:45 pm
If you are mediocre then I hope to reach that level one day too.
teresa boardman
March 7, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Except for the technorati rating and the page rank. LOL Just kidding you know I love you. 🙂