How These Creative Go-Getters Used Social Media to Score Awesome Career Opportunities Sometimes, all it takes to get through the door is a bit of imagination, creativity and social-media know-how.
By Lindsay Friedman •
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Finding a job, especially one you really want, is not easy. But, sometimes, all it takes to get through the door is a bit of imagination, creativity and social-media know-how.
If executed correctly, you could end up like these folks, out of the unemployment line and into the office:
1. More than a snap.
College graduation is a joyous and terrifying time. While celebrating the completion of all the challenges college presents, it's time to face an even scarier challenge: finding a job in a competitive market.
Though most grads aren't lucky enough to think of a solution or path to employment in their sleep, such was the case for San Diego State senior Erik Sena this May.
On the lookout for a job at a marketing firm, Sena got the idea from Snapchat to make an investment on himself. He created a Snapchat filter and ad set for the San Diego area. He used the geofilter to describe himself as a "Copywriter" and "Digital Provocateur."
He then tweeted it out, tagging the companies he'd most like to work at, including Deutsch Agency, a marketing firm.
He heard back less than three hours later from the firm and other social media agencies.
Related: Millennials Would Like to Work for You, If They Can Apply on Their Smartphones
2. He really sold himself.
Back in 2011, Josh Butler, an 18 year old from the U.K., needed a job so badly he auctioned himself off eBay for 16,000 euros in 2011. At that point, he'd already applied for 600 jobs after completing his standardized tests and left without a single interview to show for it.
He listed his experience, his goals and what he was looking for, and actually ended up with interviews at the department store John Lewis and two different call centers. He eventually got a job as a broker with a local firm.
3. The perfect pin.
Jeanne Hwang wanted to work for Pintrest so badly, in 2012 she opted to transform her CV into an actual Pinterest moodboard.
She didn't end up with a job at Pinterest, but the company did take notice. Don't fret, though, she ended up with an offer from a Pinterest analytics company.
Related: 5 Ways to Find Your Dream Job
4. Hacking the hiring process.
Though it'd be smart to tread lightly with this one, hacking has worked in favor for some people in the past.
Take for example, Ashley Towns, a 21 year old that built one of the first non-malicious iPhone worms in 2009. The virus changed wallpaper to a photo of "Never Gonna Give You Up" singer Rick Astley. He didn't get a job with Apple, but he did become the newest hire at an Australian digital publishing firm -- Mongeneration.
In another case, Chris Putnam created a Facebook hack in the same year that made profiles look like Myspace. Though Facebook rep Dustin Moskovitz told him off, he was still impressed. A month later, Putnam had a job offer with the social media giant.
5. Don't take no for an answer.
Nina Mufleh, originally from the Middle East, had tried everything to get into the doors at Airbnb, with no luck.
After living in San Francisco for a year, her sister told her to give up -- she had already tried everything. But Mufleh started to wonder, had she really tried everything or was she just doing the same thing over and over expecting different results?
With the help of a designer, she created a CV mirroring the Airbnb website in 2015. But rather than list all the things the company could've found on her LinkedIn page, she instead made a pitch showing what she could do for the company -- especially in the Middle East.
After tweeting it out to executives, she heard back from Airbnb's CEO and CMO and had a formal interview almost a week later. She currently works at Upwork.
