Hey Team,

I was looking for an article that ran strongly counter to my thoughts on job hunting, so I could get more than one viewpoint up on the site, when I thought I found the perfect candidate, titled: Stop Being Creative in Your Job Search.

Sadly, I was completely disappointed before I even finished reading the first line. (At least as far as quickly finding a counterpoint goes.) Instead, what I got was a couple of really good points with which I completely agree.

One of the lines you’ve heard me say over and over (…and over) again, thanks to Amtrekker (it also happens to be my favorite line to shout when I get bored and/or frustrated) is, “Less talk, more action!” In fact, the entire premise of Amtrekker was predicated on this one line.

So, naturally, I was drawn to the opening of this article.

“Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.”

That’s according to economist and Harvard professor, Theodore Levitt.

And that’s absolutely correct.

Especially in job hunting, where too many people think too much and do too little.

Granted, I don’t spend much time sitting around watching TV but I’ve clearly taken things much farther in the other direction than I would recommend to most folks. I categorically guarantee that it is much less work to follow some of the sound advice presented in this article than to build a website, worldwide contest and video series around your inability to find a paycheck. Granted, I’ve always kind of been that guy that never stops looking for “the top”…just so I can go over it.

I’m done.

Brett.

Hey Team,

This is just way too crazy of an article and entirely too fitting of this site not to repost here. I was blow away by the tweet I saw pointing out this story and it just went downhill from there.

Apparently it’s becoming increasingly more common to see job postings that specifically state “Client will not consider/review anyone NOT currently employed regardless of the reason.”

Ads asking the unemployed not to apply are easy to find. A Craigslist ad for assistant restaurant managers in Edgewater, N.J. specifies, “Must be currently employed.” Another job posting for a tax manager at an unnamed “top 25 CPA firm” in New York City contains the same line in all caps.

A company’s choice to ignore unemployed applicants and recycle the current workforce ignores the effect of the recession on millions of highly-qualified workers and could prolong the unemployment crisis, said Judy Conti, federal advocacy coordinator for the National Employment Law Project.

“In the current economy, where millions of people have lost their jobs through absolutely no fault of their own, I find it beyond unconscionable that any employer would not consider unemployed workers for current job openings,” she said. “Not only are these employers short-sighted in their search for the best qualified workers, but they are clearly not good corporate citizens of the communities in which they work. Increasingly, politicians and policy makers are trying to blame the unemployed for their condition, and to see this shameful propaganda trickle down to hiring decisions is truly sad and despicable.”

You can find the article in its entirety here.

Horrible, ego-deflating and completely lacking any modicum of empathy.

I’m done.

Brett.

article found via @lons on twitter

Hey Team,

This story was pretty big last week but I was so busy trying to get Résumé Padding off the ground I didn’t have much of a chance to write about it.

Here’s the deal: clearly I’m not the only one who has come to the realization that, between an economy that’s on suicide watch and an online job posting system that is better suited to hiring robots (literal robots…that wasn’t some figurative jab against people who don’t think for themselves), job hunting in 2010 is fundamentally broken.

How did this guy solve the problem? Did he spend months building a website around a twisted job competition concept thereby creating not only a means to an end but also a mirror into society and a marketing coup for some lucky winner? Did he spend further weeks of shooting and editing a weekly web series dedicated to padding his résumé, adding awareness and interactivity to his site and proving he can produce a top quality show on time and under budget?

No.

He spent $6 on a Google AdWords.

Here’s the clever part though: The dude bought ads, not for generic search terms, but for the names of Creative Directors in New York City. So, when these guys vanity searched themselves, lo and behold, here was a clever guy asking for a job. I’ve heard of people playing similar games with facebook ad buys so it’s not without some precedent but still…brilliant, right?!

There it is folks, stand out and make an impression. Let’s call that Life Lesson #11.

I’m done.

Brett.

Hey Team,

I spent the last week trapped in the amazing networking blackhole that is South by Southwest and let it be known: I enjoyed every minute of it.

More importantly, just before I left to fly out to Texas I realized I should be heeding my own advice and using the opportunity to make an impression face to face with whoever I happen to run across. Unfortunately, as digital as our world has become, that still means business cards are the first line of offense.

So, what happens when you suddenly realize you doesn’t have business cards that creatively reflect your unemployment contest six hours before your flight leaves?

This:

With a Sharpie, a scanner and some old Trader Joe’s paper bags I was shooting for something that had a chance at standing out above the crowd not on cost or flash but by creatively fitting the cards into a story that reflected what I’m trying to accomplish.

Modeling this season’s cards is one of my desk’s oldest friends, Hellboy.

I actually saw quite a few really cool business cards floating around SXSW. Send some pics of your favorites and I’ll add them to the post!

Thanks, Team.

I’m done.

Brett.