Comments on: Damn I Need A Job (dot com)

By: Damn I Need A Job | Reasons To Blog

Damn I Need A Job | Reasons To Blog — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:37:21 +0000

[...] Thanks for visiting!I first heard about Larry Dinsmore from Jibber Jobber, a Career Management Toolset, when they blogged Damn I Need A Job (dotcom). [...]

By: Find a Job

Find a Job — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:42:58 +0000

Hey customer-service, I would be interested in seeing how that looked on a resume. Got any pics?
~Larry
http://www.damnIneedAjob.com

By: customer-service.tv

customer-service.tv — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:24:46 +0000

This is a really old post but it was so intriguing I had to answer. When I was looking for a job in public relations, I had three dimensional plastic objects that were pneumonics of my name, and I put them in a small jewelry box. I put my resume in an envelope and taped it to the jewelry box. I think this is called “lumpy mail.” I had a friend in art school draw the objects and make them sort of a letterhead, which was on my resume and cover letter. When I did my follow-up calls a few days later, everyone remembered what I gave them and most remembered my name, too.

By: Sal Iannuzzi

Sal Iannuzzi — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:14:39 +0000

I just found a website that was founded by guys like that. The two created http://www.jobbi.com. I think they did a really sick job! Check it out.

By: jb

jb — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:04:33 +0000

I have had a similar idea over a year ago but only I didn’t know how to go about it, because of peoples perception there goes that nut (I wanted to hold a big sign up in the middle of rush hour traffic on the hwy) displaying my need for a job, but of couse I could not go through with it; one company said to me we receive millions of resume daily in other words good luck, looking for a job is very draining I wish employers will just take the time and look at peoples resumers because there is still alot of honest, reliable good people out there.

By: Jason Alba

Jason Alba — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 20:35:53 +0000

wow, it’s really interesting to see the different takes on this strategy! I would love to hear what Larry thinks, and what the peripheral affects have been (like getting mentioned in this world famous blog :p).

Clearly this isn’t for everyone, or for every position. It doesn’t trump networking, but it can be a great tactic. It has to be on-brand. It should be clever, and as Dave Perry says “brilliantly simple, simply brilliant.”

The bottom line is, it worked for him. And afaik he was going for a boring ol’ IT job

BTW, Kent, I usually underrate my own creativity… you are absolutely right. Before my first programming job I thought I had not a creative bone in my body. It came down to the fact that I’m not artistically talented, but I can think of creative things. Can’t we all?

By: Tiffany Monhollon

Tiffany Monhollon — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:05:17 +0000

I think it all boils down to the type of job you’re looking for, the type of company that will hire you, and who you are as a person whether this will work or not. Looking for a gig at a big firm on Wall Street? Avoid quirky video resume. Looking for a creative job in marketing? Creative job hunt away. But that’s just my two cents. Perhaps it depends a lot on the personality of the recruiter as well. . .

By: Steve Coerper

Steve Coerper — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 23:02:44 +0000

I love the creativity, a trait desired in almost every occupation except accounting. But the focus on what “I” want is, I think, a mistake. Gotta look long and hard and FOCUS ON what the employer wants.

And I think that’s where the creativity will come in in the 21st century: creative ways to determine the employer’s real needs and an interview structure that explores that, not the usual palooka of ‘what I did on my summer vacation’ or ‘why I think I will make a good employee.’

By: Brad Attig

Brad Attig — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:58:58 +0000

Jason,

As I always say, it goes back to one’s personal brand. Larry put his on a t-shirt and a consumer (employer) bought it. We’re in a pro-consumer world now. Their has never been a better time to be who you are and find the right role for yourself.

Would I advocate sending a pink, scented resume to a straight laced, conservative financial institution? Probably not. But, would someone that likes pink, scented resumes want to work for that place in the first place? Probably not.

To many people end up in a corporate culture that is “so not them.” Perhaps Larry has shown us a way to pre-interview the company.

“Those that take exception to my shirt aren’t my kind of people anyways.”

Regards,

Brad
http://www.myretailcareer.net

By: Darlene

Darlene — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 03:33:07 +0000

Creativity is under-rated. I actually think you can be very creative in your job search. I am a firm believer that differentiation can work for anyone in any industry. The t-shirt worked in this example, it may not work for someone else. What I can pull off may not work for someone else. I believe that your creativity must fit who you are or it is not genuine. I am sure that is why it worked in this case.