It's not so strange for folks to bring cookies, cakes and candies to work and share them with colleagues. But for job applicants to prepare treats and serve them to prospective employers before even landing an interview? Not exactly business as usual.
Still, that's how Crystal Nunn applied for a junior designer position at We Are Social in London last August.
Nunn, an avid baker, prepared a batch of cookies using ingredients from Beyond Dark chocolate, a brand cofounded by We Are Social creative director James Nester. She designed a special box for the goodies labeled "Beyond Ideas," attached a thumb-drive containing her traditional résumé and portfolio, and hand-delivered the package in a brown wrapper marked "Urgent." Within an hour, We Are Social contacted Nunn for an interview; she got the job—and Beyond Dark, suitably impressed, sent her some chocolates and consulting work.
"The great thing about cookies is that they're perishable, so people are going to have to deal with it, even if it's just to throw them away," Nunn tells AdFreak. "Plus, who doesn't like cookies?"
Elaborate résumés and job applications are all the rage. Along with Nunn's cookies, notable examples include a detailed, Lego-esque model sent by a prospective account-service intern to ad agencies, and an impressive series of Grand Budapest Hotel trailers created by media artist Youyou Yang to demonstrate her filmmaking skills to Wes Anderson.
"If there's a place you really want to work for, show them why," Nunn says. "Build a rapport with them by having a voice—comment and share what they put on their blog and social media channels. Go above and beyond. Find out who your future bosses will be and tailor you job application to them.
"I've done the sending digital CVs online, 100 a day in some cases, and it's really not effective when you're competing against hundreds of other applications. You need to blow the rest out of the water and do something different. Think outside the box."
And if you do think inside the box, don't forget the cookies!
@doodlefool Thanks so much for your wonderful box of @BeyondDarkDrops cookies. You will have to come in and meet us! pic.twitter.com/SKaFcd3GUv— Graham Jenks (@TheButchersDog) August 12, 2013@TheButchersDog@BeyondDarkDrops Hi Graham, I'm so glad you like it, I would absolutely love to come in and meet you!— Crystal Nunn (@doodlefool) August 12, 2013@TheButchersDog@doodlefool They look amazing & beautifully presented! Does this mean we've played a part in a new professional relationship— Beyond Dark Drops (@BeyondDarkDrops) August 12, 2013Via Design Taxi.