It’s not uncommon for recruiters to receive “gifts” from candidates, in a bid to either stand out from the crowd or thank them for their hard work.
A card or email would generally do the trick, however some people clearly had other ideas.
JobMob recently asked recruiters to reveal the most bizarre objects they have ever received from candidates and there are some shockers on the list!
If you’ve got plans to send breast-shaped cupcakes or baby photos to a recruiter in the near future, I suggest you rethink your job search strategy.
1) Breast-shaped cake
Lyman A. Montgomery explained how she had once received a thank you card and gift a few days after interviewing a young woman for a role. Upon opening the gift she was faced with a cake shaped as a pair of breasts. The candidate later explained it was meant for her husband and withdrew her application in embarrassment. Sounds like she mad a bit of a boob of that one!
2) A bag of fried pork
Jane Perdue told the tale of when a candidate sent her a packet of fried pork. Their explanation was that he’d “Crunch all the companies problems away.” I just hope that Jane isn’t a veggie.
3) Dog biscuits
This might sound barking mad, but the candidate was interviewing for an advertising role at a Pet Products Company, so it’s more relevant than it sounds! He cleverly sent Valentino Martinez the dog biscuits designed and packaged carefully, demonstrating how he would market them.
4) A tea bag
Samantha Lacey says that she once received a resume with a teabag attached to it with a note saying “take the time to make yourself a cup of tea before you read this. This will be the most important document you read all day.” Unfortunately his arrogance held him back and he did not get the role. I guess he wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea!
5) A resume written as a Playboy centrefold
Rich Arzaga told JobMob about a resume he received that was written in the style of a Playboy centrefold, e.g. Height, Weight, Measurements, Most Likes, Least Likes, etc. Under “biggest turn-ons”, she said that she liked intelligent people. She misspelled intelligent.” Awkward.
6) A picture of a key
Duane Roberts shared how a candidate sent a picture of a key with the caption “Thanks for opening that door for me.” Very clever!
7) A resume in a Chinese takeaway box
Lisa A. Doorly received a resume folded in the shape of a fortune cookie in a Chinese takeaway box. Unfortunately they weren’t destined to land the role, as the resume content didn’t live up to the creative delivery!
8) Newborn baby photos
Rich Matteo wasn’t sure if the candidate was just a proud father or was trying to trick him into giving him the role when he received a collection of baby photos.
And a few from the Twitter community…
9) Super cool sunglasses…on sticks
I’m not entirely sure what these are, but Tricia was happy with it so it did the trick!
Awesome gift from a candidate! I love my job! #TeamLuxottica pic.twitter.com/WNw3q06MuS
— Tricia Nenni (@TriciaNenni) November 21, 2014
10) A babygrow
I hope she has a baby or this could be pretty random. If not she could always send it to the guy with the baby photos…
A gift from a candidate I helped find a new job. Unecessary, but appreciated! @DubinGroup is the Best Place to Work! pic.twitter.com/Y4yh7comUY
— Kelly DeFinis (@KellyDeFinis) July 31, 2013
And this….
If you're having a bad day, just know that my friend accidentally sent a sext to a college recruiter.
— Lauren Cano (@flauresc3nt) November 13, 2015
Not one I would recommend.
[Image Credit: Shutterstock]
