12 Creative Ways to FIND or GET a Job

The pandemic has been bad news for some with the loss of jobs, but with the loss of jobs come new entrepreneurs who thrived in the pandemic and got new jobs.

Pandemic or not, there is always an opportunity to make money when you see the opportunities instead of dwelling on the roadblocks. 

There are creative ways to find jobs too.

In fact there are more jobs that opened during the pandemic if you know where to look, especially as economies in various states are opening and people are getting vaccinated. According to NBC News, job vacancies in the U.S. have risen to 5 million more than the job openings prior to the pandemic. 

With many people vying for specific job positions, the question now is, how do you get the job that’s right for you? How do you find your dream job and get chosen from among the number of people who want it as badly as you do?

You do have your CV or resume, your experience, and your determination. All you need to do is find the job and secure your position.

The problem with finding a job now is that there are so many job postings online and looking for that job that you want can be very time-consuming. 

When you do find the job you want on the online job board, applying online usually doesn’t get you the job. One reason is that the job boards’ applicant tracking systems have so many screening barriers that can make the process lengthy and arduous.

Because there are so many people with similar qualifications and experiences, your resumé gets drowned out, along with all the other applicants who went through the same process you did.

What you need to do is to look for that job in a smarter way to save you time---and make you stand out from the crowd.

Often, beyond qualifications, you need to use a little creativity to get your dream job.

Whether you’re looking for a part-time gig or a full-time commitment, going through the same hiring process everyone else goes through is a sure-fire way not to get hired.

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Why Creativity Matters When Looking for a Job

Use creative ways to get a job because it makes your application stand out from the rest. Remember that the people who matter in making hiring decisions are often bogged down with so many options it becomes a tedious job to just go through all the applications.

Without a special way to make your application stand out, most of the resumés are forgotten and remain on“file” without ever being read again.

Another reason to do creative job-hunting is that you do want to find your dream job, or at least one that matches your capabilities and qualifications. While there are so many companies hiring, you don’t want to end up in a stagnant job that will not advance your career. Nor do you want to join a company that is the wrong fit for you in every way.

Employing creativity helps you leap through the barriers of algorithmic screening, HR gateways, and getting lost among a sea of faces. Creativity not only gets you through the time-consuming process that could still leave you unemployed, but it also helps you become more memorable, noticeable and very hirable.

Creative ways to get a job require a balance of creative thinking, courage and discretion.

First, that means being careful. Not every creative effort gets you the job. Some hiring managers appreciate the creativity, while others may not quite readily accept new or creative approaches. Make sure to match your creative job-seeking techniques to the kind of job and company you’re looking for. While the “bang and sparkle” approach might work for a marketing company, it might not work for a conservative law firm or medical provider.

Second, remember that even with conservative firms, you can still get creative. Just don’t go over the top and do backflips just to get noticed.

So before you can even begin to think about getting the job, you have to go about finding the right job for you.

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6 Creative Ways to FIND A Job

Sometimes finding the perfect job with a perfect fit can be a little daunting. With hundreds of thousands of job posts from different companies, often, the normal route to looking for companies no longer works.

The basics of looking for the right job for you is looking for a company you want to work for. Look for the company that you see is the perfect fit for you and take your job search from there.

Here are a few creative ways to get a job online, above and beyond the online job boards:

1. The Power of Social Media and Networking

Social media has become more than just a tool for connecting with friends and family. Businesses have joined social media networks for acquiring customers and talent.

You can use this opportunity to do the same and reach out to them.

The beauty of social media is that it is a two-way communication and you can get feedback immediately.

More importantly, social media gives you a host of other tools that can help you get the job you want.

Looking for referrals? Ask your friends for recommendations. Or maybe, you can ask your friends if they have friends who can recommend you in their organization.

Have some money to spare? Maybe you can run a targeted ad campaign to CEOs, HR managers, and hiring managers. It’s definitely cheaper than promoting yourself on a billboard, like what Adam Pacitti did, but it can still get you noticed.

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2. Get Past the Human Resources (HR) Barrier, Make a Connection

As helpful as Human Resources (HR) is to their company, they’re not the most helpful to applicants. 

HR managers often only get keywords and the minimum job requirements of applicants without knowing exactly what hiring managers need or if something else is more important to them.

When you see a company and a position you like to work in, research and see who the key decision-maker is. You can go to sites like LinkedIn to get the right information.

Contact the hiring managers or supervisors directly. Send a message over at LinkedIn. Chat them up at Twitter. Or, if you’re up for it, give them a call.

Or maybe you have friends and family who knows the hiring manager. Ask them to introduce or recommend you.

Remember, HR is a fine mesh strainer that tries to get only those with the exact requirements the hiring manager gives. If you have more to offer, it’s the hiring manager who can actually see them. But you do have to exercise creative ways to get his attention.

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3. Host a Job Search Party

You’re not alone in the quest to find a job and hiring managers have open job positions that they need filled. You can meet both applicants and hiring managers in networking events. 

You can also create your own job-hunting party where you and others who are looking for jobs as well as those who can fill positions can get to know one another. Everyone in that party will also expand their contacts. 

Make sure that your job-hunting party is valuable to all invitees. This means having a group that is small enough for everyone to get to know each other well, but big enough so that people have options on who to talk to.

Invite a group of six to eight people for a dinner party. Once everyone has had their fill of food, give a little presentation of who you are and how you can help them and their company.

You’ll never know who in that party could become so interested in you upon meeting you, and just might want to hire you on the spot.

Hosting a party where you meet all these important people can also help you assess when you can get a job.

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4. Showcase Your Passion

Sometimes, you can find out that prospective employers are actually within your reach if you only went out there a little more.

One way to get those contacts is to start a passion project. Maybe start a charity event or volunteer to join one.

Getting involved with people and organizations that share your passion will help you build new relationships, develop current skills by using them, and learn new skills.

Not only will you get more experience, but you can also meet new people and attract prospective employers with your same work ethic.

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5. Create the Job for the Company

Any job opening comes with competition. But, what if you’re the only one vying for the job? That would make things a whole lot easier, wouldn’t it?

You can make this happen by convincing a company to hire you for a job they weren’t aware they were supposed to fill.

When meeting with company execs, listen to them and pay close attention to any pain points they share. It could be as simple as an off-handed comment about optimizing their company’s content.

When you hear these subtle pain points, get to work on creating a solution and how your solution can help the company do better. Pitch your ideas to the executive who mentioned these pain points.

When decision-makers hear about solutions to their problem, often they would jump on a solution---once you make them realize how much they’re missing by not resolving the problems.

Presenting a solution to a customer is the same tactic that companies use to sell their products; so why not use it yourself? After all, getting a job is all about selling yourself to the company. Self-promotion just might get you your dream job fast. 

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6. Go to the One Who Knows Everyone

If you’re having a hard time networking with panelists at events, you’re not alone. Often, these people are guarded by secretaries who act as gateways protecting the panelists who are going to be hounded.

One of the ways you can get around this is to go to the host or moderator instead who knows the panelists. 

These hosts are also hosts for a reason: they’re friendly and they know the people who matter.

A bonus point in going to them is that they’re not mobbed like the rest of the speakers.

You can always chat them up, tell them what you’re interested in, and ask them who the best people to meet are.

You can also ask for their help to introduce you to the most relevant panelist they think you can talk to. As we all know, introductions can go a long way--even if you’re not really close to the one introducing you.

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6 Creative Ways to GET the Job

Now that you have one foot in the door, it’s time to seal the deal and get the job offer. After all, hiring managers are still on the lookout for the best candidate, and often it’s the most memorable candidate that they choose.

The hard truth is, your work doesn’t always speak for itself. With so much competition, self-promotion has become essential.

Think of your application as being one of the many brands vying for people’s attention. Many of them have similar traits, but there’s a reason why people or you pick a certain brand.

It’s because you remember them and are convinced they perform in an exceptional way. You also remember them because you need what they are offering.

Job-hunting is the same with employers.

Here are some creative ways to get a job, and stand out from the other job applicants and be memorable.

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1. Show Your Expertise

Looking for that analyst job you really want? Look at some of the company’s social media posts, analyze which worked and which didn’t, and break down how people reacted to them. Send these analyses along with your resume, stating that you’re looking for a job and are capable of doing the job.

This is a great way to let the hiring managers take notice of your specific skills.

Sometimes, being proactive proves to HR that you can do the job you say you can do. HR also bumps up your resume to the hiring manager almost immediately to let them assess the quality of your work.

You can also volunteer for a non-profit organization to get more experience doing the type of work you want to be hired to do.

You can contribute to open-source projects to get noticed by companies hiring computer programmers and designers.

If the hiring manager sees your potential, you now have better access than going through HR. 

Even if you still have to go through HR, they will know that you have what it takes to meet the minimum requirements and breeze through the formality.

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2. Be Memorable

And we don’t mean singing out your whole CV when applying as an accountant. Perhaps maybe you can do that if you’re applying for an accounting position in the music industry.

What is important is that you are able to make yourself stand out. It could be as simple as wearing bold colors, presenting your best work, asking unique questions, or even a personal thank-you note after the interview.

An interview with them means they already think you’re qualified for the job. The only thing left for you to do is to help them remember what you offer above and beyond your qualifications and over the competition. 

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3. Create a Hire-Me Campaign

What do you do when you’re a company that wants to sell a product successfully?

Create a marketing campaign around it.

If you’re tired of not having any success in your applications, try this method. Market yourself as if you were marketing a product or service to your clients.

Have your own page where you can say what you want to your employer without the constraints of a two-page CV.

Showcase what you can do and strategically target the companies you are looking to get into. See which social media channels your targets are active and promote yourself there.

The reason why campaigns work is because you put your targets through the same buyer journey as customers of products and services.

Unlike normal resumé shooting, campaigns help you hook and reel in prospective employers with more content about you, helping them get to know you before you even work for them.

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4. Flip the Hiring Game

One of the most creative ways to get a job is to call for employers to search for you instead.

You can blast out social media ads or flyers for an “employer search.”

Your ad can say something like, “Looking for a company offering remote work and flexible working hours for programmers. I make sure you get what you need on time, all the time.”

As cheeky as this may sound, it has worked for some people because they were able to advertise your expertise. If you take this approach, the company can also see whether you’re a good fit for their company by reading your requirements without having to interview you.

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5. Influence the Decision-makers

This last trick is all about leveraging your networks. In any hiring decision, it’s the hiring manager who requested help from HR, who makes the call, who gets hired, no matter what HR says.

It’s your job to find out the exact kind of employees that the hiring manager needs. The great thing about this process is that it becomes easier with social media.

LinkedIn can help you with your search for the people who need your skills. From there, you can connect to them. Ask them what they need and their pain points.

Make sure that you are able to really get to what the hiring manager is looking for, aside from the technical skills you know you already have.

It’s always best to start off on the right foot with your boss even before you begin.

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6. Work for a(smaller) Competitor

Sometimes the best way you can get experience for the job you want is to work for the competition. It's often more difficult to get a position with the bigger and more prestigious firm that you dream working for.

However, if you can build your experience and expertise with a smaller firm or a firm in a horizontal market, you can demonstrate your experience.

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The Most Creative Ways to Get a Job are Always Changing

Looking for a job can be daunting, even if you are very qualified. But a little understanding of the company and their requirements, complemented with creative ways to get a job, will enable you to get noticed in the right company. 

The labor market is always changing and so there are always new creative ways to get a job that never existed. Watch for new trends that help get people hired.

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