In an increasingly competitive jobs' market, would-be employees are resorting to ever more desperate measures to get noticed, including hiring singing telegrams and buying the whole office coffees, a U.S survey has found.
A survey by employment website CareerBuilder.com looked at the most unconventional methods job seekers used to get a foot in the door.
It found job seekers were using an array of increasingly unusual and sometimes downright bizarre methods to get attention.
These included sending a singing telegram highlighting their qualifications, wearing a tuxedo to the interview and bringing references along in person.
Others sent a videotape of their typical working day along with their CV, took advertisements out in trade journals, brought Starbuck's for the entire office or repeatedly sat next to the hiring manager at church.
The survey also discovered that one candidate who sent a flower arrangement with their CV, with little cards about the information on their CV attached to each flower.
Another popular, albeit unusual method, included putting a picture of their face as a background on their CV.
One candidate even got her current boss to cold call the hiring manager to tout her qualifications before applying.
"Multiple people are vying for the same open positions in most situations," said Rosemary Haefner, vice-president of HR at CareerBuilder.com.
"Trying something out of the ordinary to market your skills and accomplishments can give you an edge over other applicants.
"The key to executing effectively and making yourself memorable for the right reasons is coupling creativity with professionalism and persistence," she added.
