They say "You need to stand out of the crowd", "think out of the box". Check out 5 examples of people who found a job like no one did!
1. Make a billboard
After graduating with a first in Media Production, Adam Pacitti sent off over 200 hundred CVs without getting a single job offer.
His solution? Spending his last £500 on a billboard, of course.
The billboard featured a picture of the man himself, with the accompanying strapline: "I spent my last £500 on this billboard. Please give me a job."
Simple but effective, Adam soon landed himself a job at a creative agency. The stunt was actually part of a bigger viral marketing campaign that took months to prepare, but people mostly like the billboard.
2. Become a human billboard
A similar, albeit thriftier, take on Adam Pacitti's billboard campaign, Marketing graduate Alfred Anjani also landed a job by simply (and quite literally) putting himself out there.
He stood at Waterloo Station during rush hour, simply holding a piece of paper that read: "Marketing Graduate (BA Hons 2.1 Coventry Uni) Ask for a CV."
Eventually he caught the eye of one employer, who gave him a job at a recruitment firm. He's since returned to the spot with a sign that says "Now I'm hiring."
3. Put yourself on eBay
And you thought eBay was just for second-hand designer goods increasingly embittered bidding wars with people you’ve never met.
Teenager Josh Butler applied for more than 500 jobs after completing his A-levels, to no avail. So he decided to stick himself up on eBay.
Pricing himself at a modest £16,000, Josh's CV listed experience with everything from market stalls to property auctioneering – not to mention work as an extra in the Inbetweeners Movie.
The move earned him a couple of interviews, before he eventually landed a role as an FX broker. Whether or not Josh met asking price remains unconfirmed.
4. Give it a 'Game of Thrones' twist.
Ah yes, the 'crowbar in a popular culture reference to pique interest and boost SEO' tactic. You'd never catch us doing that.
Anyway, Reddit user blueddit4 posted his CV to the site, having packed it with GOT-style gems like "Thank you for reading my application via virtual crow."
A recruiter apparently replied with: "Greetings. I was just beginning to recover and get on with life after the last season ended. I'm unsure if I should thank you or hate you for bringing up the memories."
As long you're not emailing spoilers, we suppose you're always in with a shout.
5. Buy Google Ad space.
Copywriter Alec Brownstein was idly Googling his favourite Creative Directors while looking for jobs. Then he noticed something.
These Creative Directors didn't have any sponsored links attached to their names. Alec, ingeniously understanding the irresistible human instinct to Google one’s self, decided to buy that ad space.
The next time his dream employer Googled themselves, Alec's message would pop up: "Hey, Googling yourself is a lot of fun. Hiring me is fun, too."
Now Senior Copywriter at a major creative agency, it's probably safe to say the $6 he shelled out for the ad space has paid for itself.