How do you make yourself stand out in a crowd of job seekers competing for the same position? Hiring managers nationwide shared the most unconventional methods job seekers used to grab their attention in CareerBuilder.com's latest survey "How to Get in the Front Door."

  The top ten most unusual methods include:

   1.   Candidate sent a singing telegram to the employer, highlighting his
        qualifications
   2.   Candidate wore a tuxedo to the interview
   3.   Candidate brought references live in person with her to the
        interview
   4.   Candidate sent a videotape of his typical working day with his
        resume
   5.   Candidate took out an ad in a trade journal
   6.   Candidate brought Starbuck's for the entire office
   7.   Candidate repeatedly sat next to the hiring manager at church
   8.   Candidate sent a flower arrangement resume - attached to each flower
        were little cards with resume information
   9.   Candidate photocopied his face as a background for his resume
   10.  Candidate had her current boss cold call the hiring manager to tout
        her qualifications before even applying

"Multiple people are vying for the same open positions in most situations," said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources 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."

For more information about CareerBuilder.com surveys, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pr_main.aspx .

Survey Methodology

The CareerBuilder.com survey, "How to Get in the Front Door," was conducted from May 17 to May 27, 2005. Methodology used to collect survey responses totaling more than 650 hiring managers for this study involved selecting a random sample of comScore Networks panel members. These Web Panel members were approached via an e-mail invitation, which asked them to participate in a short online survey. The results of this survey are statistically accurate to within +/- 3.84 percentage points (19 times out of 20).

About CareerBuilder.com

CareerBuilder.com is the nation's largest online job network with more than 20 million unique visitors and over 1 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. , Tribune Company , and Knight Ridder, Inc. , the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 650 partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences. These include more than 165 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 30,000 of the nation's top employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com's easy job postings, 13 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. Millions of job seekers visit the site every month to search for opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic email job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. For more information about CareerBuilder.com products and services, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com/ .

   Media Contact:
   Jennifer Sullivan
   (773) 527-1164
   jennifer.sullivan@careerbuilder.com

SOURCE: CareerBuilder.com