25-Year-Old Landed a Job By Using This Old School Method: ‘It Got All of Our Attention’

Job hunting isn’t getting any easier — recent LinkedIn data shows that the number of U.S. applicants per open role has doubled since spring 2022. Nearly two-thirds of job seekers say their search is tougher now, mostly because they are facing more competition than ever before. 

In the midst of this crowded market, job seekers are turning to outside-the-box strategies to stand out. Camille K. Manaois, a 25-year-old social media strategist, recently landed a job by using an old-school tactic: she snail-mailed her resume to companies she wanted to work for, according to CNBC Make It. 

Manaois started looking for work in mid-May, having gleaned experience working in social media and marketing project management. She had little luck finding work, despite paying for a LinkedIn premium account and following up on submitted applications with employers. 

“I did all the traditional things,” she told CNBC Make It. “I tried everything I thought was going to work.” 

Four months into her job search, Manaois decided to change up her strategy. She sent envelopes with a note, her resume, a cover letter and a letter of recommendation from a coworker to six employers. 

In the note, she explained who she was and what position she had applied for and when. She also added the following lines to “stand out”: “Some applicants rely on algorithms. I’d rather rely on a more reliable route: your desk. Thank you for your time in reading my materials.”

While Manaois acknowledged that writing the note felt “really cringy” and “kind of embarrassing,” she wanted to use it as a way to differentiate herself from the competition. Her line of reasoning was that if she mailed the application, it would get into someone’s hands. Her materials would be seen, not overlooked.  

The outcome

Four out of the six employers responded via email, some with rejections. One employer, a sports betting company, sent her resume to another employer in the same building: communications agency Carma Connected.

Kristin Whittemore, vice president of Carma Connected’s Las Vegas office, told CNBC that Manaois’ approach “impressed” everyone. 

“For someone as young as her to think about putting something in the mail was just wild, so it got all of our attention,” Whittemore told the outlet. 

Manaois went through a remote interview, an in-person interview and a mock assignment to land the job at Carma Connected: senior social media account executive. 

Whittemore told CNBC that the company might not have extended Manaois an interview if she had simply applied online because she lacked a background in hospitality, and the company’s clients are primarily in that field. However, Manaois’s “go-getter” approach impressed Whittemore. 

“I can teach industry,” Whittemore told CNBC. “I can’t teach what she just did; that comes from within.”

Manaois started her new job in December, and Whittemore is happy with her work so far. According to Whittemore, Manaois “just gets stuff done on her own” and “figures it out.”

Another tactic for career growth is networking, or making connections and talking to people. Career experts have previously stated that networking is the best move to make for career advancement. For example, Alan Stein, former hiring manager and CEO of professional coaching company Kadima Careers, told Business Insider in November that job seekers should put networking above applying for roles and aim to have at least five conversations a week with people at companies they might want to work for.