Three innovative ways workers used to get their resumes noticed this year

This is the weekly Work Life newsletter. If you are interested in more careers-related content, sign up to receive it in your inbox. Sent every Monday afternoon.

It’s no secret that landing a job today is no easy task.

With job vacancy rates continuing to drop across Canada, competition has intensified. Adding to the challenge, many companies are now using artificial intelligence tools to scan resumes, often without applicants realizing it. A staggering 97 per cent of Fortune 500 companies use AI for hiring.

So, if you feel like your resume might just be tossed into a virtual black hole — maybe it has been.

These factors have led to job seekers taking more creative approaches to getting their resume in front of potential employers this year. Here are three from around the world that we find particularly interesting:

1. Send a pizza: The chief executive officer of software company Antimetal said one candidate was “100-per-cent getting an interview” after sending his resume along with a pizza. He also included a handwritten note with a URL to his website and took initiative to fix some links in the company’s documents.
2. Make a (really good) video: After being let go from LinkedIn, one job seeker landed a job at Google with nearly double the salary with this tactic: instead of a traditional resume, she crafted a video resume and included pre-recorded references, which she says played a crucial role in securing the job at Google’s Dublin office. The application also included documents outlining her weaknesses and strategies to overcome them. It wasn’t easy though; her video resume took more than 10 hours to make.
3. Become a walking billboard: A 21-year-old recent graduate from Wuhan University in China was struggling to secure an internship so he drew inspiration from elderly locals in his hometown that would often walk about with advertising signs. He printed his resume on a T-shirt to attract potential employers, complete with a QR code for easy contact. After going viral on social media, he secured an internship in the running apparel industry.

While these ideas can be inspiring, there’s no doubt that getting noticed still takes a lot of luck, and in some cases a pizza budget.

However, when it comes to AI and its potentially negative impact on those looking for work, we’re already seeing changes with new laws like this one in New York City that governs the use of AI in the hiring process.

There is still more progress to see, while some job seekers are able to opt out of having their resume “scanned by a machine,” employment lawyers say it still doesn’t ensure a human will see it.

Fast fact

Golden years versus new careers

71 per cent

According to an Express Employment Survey, this is the percentage of employers that said more older workers were applying to entry-level jobs than three years ago — and more than half of them prefer to hire those older workers. Shane Schick offers tips to help recent grads overcome this challenge and get their foot in the door.

Read more

Career guidance

The duty to disclose

Fibbing on your resume, omitting information during the hiring process or engaging in romantic relationships with a coworker can come with serious consequences. Workplace law expert Daniel Lublin advises workers to be aware of company policies that may mandate the disclosure of personal relationships. He also warns that sprucing up your credentials or making other false claims about your qualifications can lead to dismissal without severance, even many years later.

Read more

Quoted

Attracting good people in a bad economy

“Tupperware is such a strong brand, and MLMs have had a second life all over social media. Now, the phrase is social selling less than multi-level marketing, but anyone with Facebook or email has probably had a friend ping them about their side hustle,” says Katrina Onstad, executive producer of The Globe and Mail podcast Lately.

In this episode, The Globe explores the rebranding of multi-level marketing as “social selling” and why people keep joining when 99.7 per cent make no money or lose money.

Listen

On our radar

From yoga to cocktails

Just years ago, commercial landlords in Toronto were investing in employee-centered amenities like gyms and yoga studios. Since the pandemic prompted many people to find a way to get active at home, property managers are turning to fine fare and libations as a strategy to woo more workers and consumers back into the space.

Read more