Alec Brownstein is famous for his “Google Job Experiment.” Using AdWords, his creativity and a touch of wit, Brownstein was able to land himself a job. If you’re in the job market, this post is for you.
I found this post on the Fiscal Times titled “10 Ridiculously Desperate Job Seekers”, and let’s face it: in the current economic situation, who isn’t desperately seeking a job?
In the summer of 2010, Brownstein was having trouble finding a job. Instead of carrying on with the same routine of email blasting his resume’ and hoping for the best, Brownstein thought there would be an easier way for him to get in front of crucial players in the advertising industry (his field of interest).
His method can teach us a great deal.
By harnessing the capabilities of Google AdWords, he made a bold but brilliant move. He spent a grand total of $6 to take out ads on the names of top CCO’s (Chief Creative Officers), at firms he wanted to work for. By paying for the ad space on these executive’s names, this is what guys like Ian Reichenthal saw at the top of the page when they Googled themselves:
This originality is what landed him interviews in the all the right places, and eventually got him a job. Check out Brownstein’s clever website and video on having Google get him a job, here.
In the current job market, I think there is much to be learned from Brownstein’s approach. Although certainly unorthodox (insert slightly stalker-ish here), what he did do was clearly and unequivocally exhibit that his skill set matched the type of job he was looking for. Advertising is all about getting certain people to notice certain things and it’s hard to argue that Brownstein didn’t get execs to notice him.
So when you’re out there looking for a job, first of all make sure that the areas you want to work in are not only of interest to you, but also that your own abilities mesh well with the field. Even more crucially, is making this fact apparent during interviews and it holds true for all types of jobs:
Employers want to hire someone that they can see (just from that brief interview), actually performing well in the position. It’s up to you to convince them that you’re the appropriate candidate for the job!
So if you got canned like Kramer in the classic Seinfeld clip below, don’t panic; regroup…
We’ve previously highlighted the blog run by 37 signals, in “Our Favorite Blogs!” because of the consistently fresh content and ideas they share.
Benjamin Franklin was undoubtedly one of America’s most brilliant minds, and his book The Way to Wealth (only $10!), is probably his least known gem. What Amazon calls “The first American book on personal finance”, is Franklin’s personal collection of quotes and witticisms that are sure to guide you on your business quest, which is why I highly recommend picking up a copy.
In it, Franklin writes: “If you want to be wealthy, think of saving as well as earning”.
In the booming field of Finance, few lines are as relevant. What job seekers in this arena need to remember is that making money (like getting paid for a job), is not the path to riches. Only by cautiously “saving” that money (by investing it in safe places), will those in Finance be able to regain our full trust as keepers of the vault. Make sure if you are looking at a career in Finance that you are morally ready to critically analyze monetary investments and ensure the reputability of sources.
Hope this helped!
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