Friday, September 30, 2011

Selling yourself


The other day, I was at work when I googled the name of my company "EnviroMedia" to get to our webpage. I do this a lot, instead of typing the entire url directly into the address bar. Then, an ad on the side of the page caught my eye. It said: "Hey EnviroMedia, I'd like to work for you & help make our world a better place."



Curious, I clicked the ad and saw that it was created by a man named Chris Stiner. He is so interested in working for EnviroMedia that he actually bought a google ad to catch the company's attention. As you can see, it comes up at the very top of the page when searching 'EnviroMedia':


Upon clicking the ad, one sees: "Why I Want to Work for EnviroMedia" in large font. This is followed by a brief paragraph, directed to EnviroMedia's president, explaining the reasons he created the ad and how much he hopes to be considered for a position. Scrolling down, one can see his complete resume.

My initial reaction was, "Who the hell is this guy? Is this for real?" I showed a few people passing by my desk, and they were all equally surprised. We had a good laugh at the fact that he had a typo in the first sentence (not so professional), and also admitted to being "uncreative."

"I hope my approach with the ad you just clicked on is not a turn off. Trying to find a creative way to grab your attention has lead my rather non-creative brain to this method. I tend to Google myself from time-to-time and I was hoping you did the same."

While companies aren't typically looking for uncreative people with bad grammar, I think the ad was a very clever way to capture an employer's attention. I wasn't able to catch anyone from upper management to ask them if they saw the ad, but I can bet if they haven't already, they will soon.

None of my co-workers were eager to give Chris Stiner props when I showed them the ad, but part of me wonders if they were asking themselves, "Why haven't I thought of that?"


AD: http://www.thirtyghostsrecords.com/chris.htm

10 comments:

Caitlyn said...

I never would have thought to create an ad to try and get a job. I don't know if I consider it unique or just a tad bit desperate. I doubt I would go that route to get the job.

ag292 said...

I think this is a pretty creative way to get a job. I've seen people buy billboards to catch a potential employers attention. I'm sure a Google ad was a little more cost effective. This guy gets kudos in my book.

Sara Bergmanson said...

This is a funny story. I wonder how much the ad actually costs...

Jesse said...

I like it! Definitely think desperate, but he did something no other employee of theirs has done before

Anita Santa-Coloma said...

This is so odd that somebody actually purchased an ad to catch an employers attention. His statement is so true also, I'm sure everyone, especially business', have googled themselves from time to time.

Samantha Sambola said...

When people try and get creative on the job hunt, it's always hard to tell if it will come off impressive or desperate. I think it depends on the company and its owner/employees. Everyone has a different opinion!

Fran said...

Now that did get me thinking as well. I'd definitely get anything I put on the internet for a future job double, even triple proofed before submitting. I'm very conscious about what I put on the internet now considering future employment. Thanks for sharing.

Lori Jones said...

I feel like this could definitely help you stand out in a pile of resumes for some companies but the typo dies very little to help his chances. It makes me wonder if this will become a bandwagon trend considering the economy.

LeahBaker said...

I think it's a great idea - he may not get hired for the job he wants, but somebody else may see it and hire him. At this point in the job market you have to do something that sets you apart and puts you on the top of the list.

carolyn_crawford said...

He needs to give himself more credit that was creative. Google ads aren't free either so he must have really wanted it.