Extreme Job Hunting

[rheanick 42]

People like Robin Stearns and Mark Heuer have taken job hunting to a new level in today's troubled economy.

To help find work for her husband, Stearns started the site myhusbandneedsajob.com. The homepage shows her near San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge holding a handmade sign: "Hire my husband." The rest of site focuses on the resume and accomplishments of Mike, who earned an MBA from Georgetown last year.

"This site was born out of frustration with the job market," Robin wrote on the site. "After almost ten months of watching my wonderful husband work tirelessly to find a job, I decided to take matters into my own hands and help him stand out in a sea of unemployed."

Mark Heuer, an unemployed management professional, rented a large billboard along a Milwaukee highway in March. His face appears next to the words "Results Driven Sales & Operations Manager. Mark4hire.com."

Both Stearns and Heuer received international media coverage and thousands of messages, but relevant job leads were scarce.

"There are no job offers yet," said Stearns two weeks after her site went up, but her husband had lined up some interviews in the San Francisco area as a result.

Pushing Out New Boundaries

These approaches are just two creative examples of extreme job hunting. With the unemployment rate above 8% nationally and 5 million people looking for work, some job seekers are buying display ads on social networking sites, posting elaborate video resumes, and wearing sandwich boards or custom-made T-shirts with a cover letter printed on the back.

While the tactics can make you stand out, some experts caution about getting too creative.

"Even in today's market, it's excelling at the fundamentals that helps job seekers stand out," says Andy Denka, executive director of financial staffing firm Accountemps. "Individuals should focus their efforts first and foremost on creative top-notch resumes, networking with everyone they know, and honing their interview skills."

Networking efforts actually led Heuer to the billboard idea, he says. "I thought, 'How can I get in front of more people?' Highway 45 in Milwaukee captures 100,000+ cars a day."

How's Your Tolerance for Risk?

If you want to go beyond the basics and try more risky job-hunting tactics, consider these suggestions:

* Treat the job search like a courtship, and make the first move. "Don't wait for a company to post a job ad," says Denka. "If there are businesses you are interested in working for, research how you can contribute to their success and contact them directly."

* Work for free. Approach a company that interests you and offer to work for free for a set number of hours each week, over a period of two months, says Katy Piotrowski, author of "The Career Coward's Guide to Job Searching."

"This is a great way to get your foot in the door, prove your worth, and assist the company to get to a place where they can actually hire you," she says. "This method results in long-term employment about 50% of the time."

* Volunteer or take a lead role in a professional association. "If you're in finance, you take on a treasury position with a local community group," says Denka. "In the process, you'll enhance your resume, meet potential business contacts and keep your abilities current."

Just Be Proactive

Kentucky resident Larry Dinsmore is proprietor of the site DamnINeedaJob.com, which sells T-shirts emblazoned with custom cover letters. He started the site while he was out of work, hoping it would inspire others.

"These times require some creativity, and when you think you've done everything, there's always something else," Dinsmore says. "Don't just sit back and wait on responses to resumes. Be proactive and make things happen!"

[Cuchita 1]

Sad but true, I don't know what my baby will do in this country.