An innovative and out-of-the-box thinking young graduate recently landed the job of his life by taking a new, or some might say old approach to job hunting. Job hunting has certainly evolved over the years. His approach teaches us all something about shying away from convention.
After applying for over 300 jobs after graduating from Coventry University with a 2:1 he was at the end of his tether. He decided to head to London Waterloo train station with a billboard stating “marketing graduate (BA Honours 2.1 Coventry Uni). Ask for a CV”.
Laden down with a stack of CVs he got many approaches from the city slickers who were impressed by his direct approach. He has now landed a role as a marketing agent in a recruitment agency, the Asoria group.
Around half of graduates today are working in this stepping stone jobs in the hospitality industry, or doing part-time temp roles. It is incredibly hard to stand out from the crowd these days, especially in competitive niche. Alfred’s story shows us that it is possible to stand out if you take a different approach.
What most people do when they job hunting is they spam out CVs to all and sundry, from Monster.com to Locanto, without really focusing on the roles they are applying to. It is true that having a tailored approach to each application is time-consuming. However, it is the only way that you will get noticed.
Graduates these days are using social media more and more to interact with employers. LinkedIn is a great way to find the details of potential employers and to connect with them directly.
It is clear that you have to go the extra mile if you want the job that will take you the extra mile. With more graduates in the marketplace than ever before it is important that you take an approach that will appeal to employers.
It doesn’t have to be as drastic as we approach the Alfred took, but a simple phone call to a company with the name of the person recruiting is going to be far more effective than an email through a jobsite. A connection on LinkedIn will equally raise you into their consciousness.
Alfred’s story is an interesting one and brings lots of lessons to the forefront of our minds, and helps us to remember that it is still possible to stand out if you do something a bit different.
