How creative do you need to be?

JOB APPLICATIONS: Employers today are increasingly asking more of job candidates. As a result, graduates are becoming more creative in trying to attract attention. How creative? You might be surprised.

A simple way to make a CV look better is by using expensive paper and fancy envelopes. James Callander, managing director of the British recruitment consultancy FreshMinds Talent, says he has even noticed an increase in the use of glittery stationery. Dropping off such a CV personally is also popular, as candidates hope it could lead to a meeting with one of the recruiters in the firm, Callander writes in The Guardian.

These days, however, a fancy CV may not be enough to show resourcefulness. Employers often look on online social media for potential recruits, something that Eric Gandhi realized and turned to his advantage. On his LinkedIn profile, he posted a CV he had designed to look like a Google search results page for the keywords "unique, hard-working, talented designer". It had the desired effect and caught the attention of Google. “An employee of Google found my Google-themed résumé on LinkedIn and he offered to refer me for a position there, which led to an interview,” Gandhi told The Goods.

Hoping to show his interviewer that he had the same interests as her, he told her that he liked cheerleading and baking.

Many graduates are now using social media to find jobs and to learn more about potential employers and interviewers. Being informed about the company you want to work for is a good thing. But use this information carefully, warns Callander. One job seeker found and read the Facebook page of the person he knew would interview him. Hoping to show he had the same interests as her, he told her that he liked cheerleading and baking. "I am not saying this happy coincidence is impossible, but in the context it was not only funny, but deceptive and very obvious,” says Callander.

Some candidates are going to lengths that don’t help one bit, as another of Callander’s examples shows. In this case, a Twitter follower decided to ambush his interviewer after the interviewer had tweeted where he was. It wasn’t a happy meeting!

Do old-fashioned media have a place in today's job market? Féilim Mac An Iomaire, until recently a 26-year-old unemployed marketing graduate from Galway, believes it does. He spent €2,000, his life savings, on a massive billboard ad asking for potential employers to contact him so he wouldn't have to emigrate. A few weeks later, Irish bookmakers Paddy Power offered him a job. Ken Robertson, from Paddy Power, told The Guardian: "In my mind Féilim is a true rock star. ... I have no doubt his energy, creativity and never-say-die attitude will be a massive plus to the brand."

Mac An Iomaire is happy that his creative application has paid off. "The last month has been the most chaotic of my life, so now I'm really just looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting stuck into my new job."