Viral Job applications: Should you try it?

There have been a few rockstar job seekers who have taken their job applications to a global level. Even though there is fierce competition for jobs, people like Nina Mufleh (aka Nina4airbnb) and Philippe Dubost (Amazon) got so creative that their job applications went viral.

The question is, do you want your name and face everywhere so that you can get a job? Here are the pros and cons of the viral job application.

Pros

1. Increased visibility for your skills and experience
2. Demonstrates creativity and thinking outside of the box
3. You get lots of attention from other high profile employers
4. You can get a lot of job interviews and offers
5. You’ll have a successful campaign (and story) to share with future employers

Cons

1. You will have a lot of unsolicited attention on your personal life
2. You could become a laughing stock if you don’t execute it well
3. You may get too many job offers to consider which make it a harder decision to make
4. You might find that the job or the company isn’t quite right for you
5. Too much time spent on networking and figuring out how to keep the buzz going

How to Go Viral: Do and Don’ts

There’s no exact science to going viral it can happen to anybody with an original idea. Having said that, if you want to go viral, Nina Mufleh has shared some great lessons from her Airbnb job application.

Standing out from the crowd is essential when looking for a job. You want to be sure you stand out for the rights reasons.

Here a few things you can do to kick your job applications up into the stratosphere.

Viral Job applications: Do

• Prepare your portfolios and digital profiles so that you dazzle when employers Google you
• Find out who the decision maker will be, and consider sending them a personalised note/book in the mail
• Think about attending industry and networking events to impress decision makers before sending in your application
• Use any web skills you have to create a mini website tailored to your desired employers
• Consider using video especially if you can showcase your editing skills

Viral Job applications: Don’t

• Change your font or use outlandish colours on your CV
• Forget the power of influencers in your network, use them to vouch for your skills publicly
• Do anything you’d be embarrassed about if you did eventually get the job
• Copy viral campaigns, instead be unique and think about how you can take a good idea and make it better
• Compromise yourself, always be sure your application represents your personality

Bonus Tip Use the company brand colours.

If you’re reading this, you probably have some ideas in the pipeline that will put you ahead of the competition. If you’re in need of some inspiration, check out these kooky examples. They key to standing out is to ensure that your stunt represents who you are. Be prepared for what happens after your application gets the desired response.