How Far Would You Go to Get Your Dream Job?

What would you do to get a job? It's clear that finding a job is not an easy task and is especially challenging in this economy. As a result, the expectation level for applicants is much higher. So, w...
How Far Would You Go to Get Your Dream Job?
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  • What would you do to get a job? It’s clear that finding a job is not an easy task and is especially challenging in this economy. As a result, the expectation level for applicants is much higher. So, what do people have to do to get a job today?

    Matthew Epstein, a product marketer from Georgia, really, really wanted a job and decided to take a very unique approach to obtaining it. He created an entire marketing campaign in hopes of getting his dream job at… Google.

    With this hefty goal in mind, he developed a website called GooglePleaseHire.me. In addition, he utilized social media platforms and offline events to get his distinctive message out:

    Mr. Moustache also sent a cardboard cut out of himself that showcased his URL to Google’s HR department to gain further attention. He was on the verge of having a plane fly around the Google headquarters and also display his URL, but fortunately for wallet, his video went viral first.

    As it turns out, Epstein did receive Google’s attention. He told us that the tech giant called 2 days after he launched the campaign and, at first, he didn’t believe it was them. He ended up having 3 interviews with them, but ultimately, Google decided not to hire him. Although the reason was not disclosed, a lot of tech companies do not explain their hiring/not hiring rationale in order to protect themselves from legal issues.

    The story, however, does not end badly for Epstein. Through his campaign, he received interviews with multiple companies including Microsoft, Amazon, and Salesforce. He was given 3 job offers and decided to accept a position at an investment startup called SigFig.

    “I was suffering from a lack of choice, and then by the end of this, I was suffering from a lack of too many choices,” said Epstein.

    Even though he succeeded in getting Google’s attention, his campaign could easily be classified as extreme. The creativity, which is very valuable when it comes to marketing, cannot be disputed, but, was it over the top?

    “I definitely wouldn’t recommend that everyone slap on a moustache and go around running half-naked,” he admits. “It’s definitely more about creating something or applying for a job that’s in line with your personality and that correlates to the job.”

    Epstein told us that 80 percent of his friends thought his plan was stupid. He also said that if he had really sat down and thought it through, he probably wouldn’t have carried it out.

    He is thankful that he took the risk and believes that more people will begin to submit nontraditional job applications going forward. According to him, a job application should not feel like work. Epstein recommends that job searchers focus on 3-5 companies that they really want to work for and develop a creative idea that these companies can relate to.

    “If you have an idea and you honestly believe in it, just go out and do it,” he said.

    Epstein spent over $4,000 on his campaign but received more than 600K views on his video resume, more than 700K unique visits to his website, an overwhelming amount of emails and tweets, and his dream job, even though it’s not with Google.

    For this, he told us that it was “definitely worth it.” He also said that we could expect to see “interesting things” from SigFig in the near future.

    In case you’re wondering about the fate of his infamous moustache, he said that it is retired for now, but that it could surface again if he is need of a job.

    Would you go as far as Epstein went to get a job? Let us know.

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