Crazy Job Hunting Techniques That Actually Worked

I haven’t had the opportunity to do crazy things to get a job. My life must have been so f’in deprived of fun excitement and boredom for the last 64 years. I hope it gets more stimulating in the future because who wants to die without having gotten a taste of some crazy ways to get a job?

Unusual Job Hunting Experience at a Restaurant

It was a rather unique experience when I ran into these women in a store. One of them was having a minor issue, and I stepped in to help. After a minute, they got it resolved, and we started talking. After a few minutes, I suggested taking them to lunch and buying their lunch, which would allow me to get to know them better. They accepted, and within an hour, we were at a restaurant, having a conversation.

I shared my background and how I was looking for work. They mentioned they were looking for a babysitter. What ensued was a conversation where the middle-aged woman said they wanted a male babysitter, but the male was asking for a sexual favor as part of the job, which the women were not interested in. I suggested that if they found a woman who wasn’t overactive, the arrangement would be perfect. After some discussion, they offered me the job, which involved a starting hourly rate of 50 pounds. Each woman contributed approximately 16.5 pounds per hour, and the arrangement worked out seamlessly. Today, I’m still working for them, and that’s just one example of the crazy ways to get a job.

Changing Gears in the 1970s: A Young Mind in a Dying Organization

While I was in my final year of university, I was offered a graduate trainee role within a branch of the civil service. It seemed like a good opportunity, but everything was being privatised in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and it was clear that my organisation was going nowhere. I wanted to change jobs but was in a Catch 22 situation: no commercial organisation would take me on without private sector experience, and until I left the civil service, I would not be able to get that experience. I had sent off my CV to numerous recruitment agencies, but no response for months.

Months later, the phone rang, and I was talking to a recruitment consultant who asked if I was available. He inquired if Cray Research would be interested in interviewing me. I knew all about Cray Research since my organisation had one of the few supercomputers in the UK. I said yes and went for the interview. To my surprise, I was offered the job on the spot.

This was the beginning of a fascinating five-year period where I was introduced to the global IT industry and that led to the rest of my career. I ended up working closely with the Sales Manager’s Admin, who had chosen the recruitment company I registered with solely because she knew the company’s proprietor. Her office only received my CV because the company had misfiled it, and thus, they had ignored my lack of commercial experience.

The Power of a Single Phone Call

As the saying goes, sometimes, a single phone call can - literally - change your life. In my case, that phone call led to an interview and a job offer that completely transformed my trajectory. These stories showcase that sometimes, unconventional and unique approaches can lead to unexpected and exciting career opportunities, even if they seem crazy at first glance.

Unusual Job Hunting Techniques That Worked not only highlight the importance of persistence and taking risks but also the value of networking and unconventional thinking. So, next time you're looking for a job, consider these unusual yet effective methods and see where they might take you.