While we’d all wish we could say we have a career that we love, the truth is many of us don’t fall into that category. In fact, according to a new CareerBuilder survey, 55% of workers say they only have a job, not a career, and not many of those folks even like what they are doing.
Overall, 28% of people say they tolerate or hate their job, with needing to pay the bills the biggest reason folks stay at a job they don’t like (74%). Other reasons include
- Proximity to home (41%)
- Need insurance (35%)
- It pays well (30%)
- The job market is tough (27%)
And with the job market still pretty hard, some folks go to unusual lengths to get a hiring manager’s attention, and they probably shouldn’t. About 26% of employers say such antics will make them less likely to interview a candidate. And some of those attempts to get an HR manager’s attention are pretty strange. Among the oddest:
- Candidate gave the hiring manager a baseball that read: "This is my best pitch of why you should hire me."
- Candidate sent the hiring manager daisies with a note that said "Pick me, pick me."
- Candidate brought their mother to the interview as an in-person character reference.
- Candidate developed a whole website dedicated to the hiring manager, asking to be hired.
- Candidate hugged the hiring manager when introduced instead of shaking hands.
- Candidate got up from interview and started waiting on customers because the business got busy.
- Hiring manager had a candidate volunteer to work at the business for a month before submitting an application to show that she was able to do the job.
- Candidate presented a thick scrapbook of certificates, awards and letters.
- Candidate sent a Christmas card every year for three years.
- Candidate sent a cake with their resume printed on it.
Source: The Street