Substance over Style- off-the-wall job-hunting tactics can be risky.

Creative professionals may be tempted to use innovative approaches when reaching out to hiring managers. But a new survey from The Creative Group suggests this strategy can be a gamble. More than half (52 percent) of marketing executives and
one-quarter (26 percent) of advertising executives said they view unusual job-hunting tactics, such as sending a potential employer a shoe “to get a foot in the door,” as unprofessional. Advertising executives were more likely to approve of unusual approaches than their corporate marketing counterparts: 46 percent of respondents in this category considered gimmicky resumes OK, provided the style doesn’t detract from the information, versus 34 percent of marketing executives who felt the same.

The national study was developed by The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service providing marketing, advertising, creative and web professionals on a project basis, and conducted by an independent research firm. It is based on 250 telephone interviews — 125 with advertising executives randomly selected from the nation’s 1,000 largest advertising agencies and 125 with senior marketing executives randomly selected from the nation’s 1,000 largest companies.

Advertising and marketing executives were asked, “Which of the following statements most closely resembles your attitude toward unusual or gimmicky resumes (e.g., a resume that comes in a shoe ‘to get a foot in the door’)?” Their responses:

Marketing Executives

They may increase a candidate’s chances of being hired – 2%
They can be beneficial, but most miss the mark – 10%
They are OK, as long as the style doesn’t detract from the information – 34%
Gimmicks are unprofessional; it’s best to use a straight-forward resume – 52%
Don’t know – 2%

Advertising Executives

They may increase a candidate’s chances of being hired – 8%
They can be beneficial, but most miss the mark – 17%
They are OK, as long as the style doesn’t detract from the information – 46%
Gimmicks are unprofessional; it’s best to use a straight-forward resume- 26%
Don’t know – 3%

Survey respondents also were asked to describe the most unusual or creative tactics they have heard of job seekers using to land marketing or advertising positions. Following are some of the verbatim responses:

— “The job seeker sent a bowling pin and said, ‘I’ll bowl you over.'”
— “One candidate took a picture of himself with every one of the client’s products and sent three photos a week for an entire month.”
— “The applicant sent six postcards, and each was a piece of a puzzle. When you put the puzzle together, it was his resume.”
— “One person sent an egg carton with faux eggs and a message saying she ‘delivered fresh ideas daily.'”
— “The applicant sent his resume on a big hamburger roll, saying his ‘brains were on a roll.'”
— “Someone made wrapping paper out of aluminum can ends and put her resume inside.”
— “A candidate sent a baseball mitt to be part of the team.”
— “The applicant had her name printed on golf balls that got into the hands of executives who were hiring.”
— “A candidate sent a piggy bank with his art samples inside. I called just to find out how he got his artwork into the bank.”
— “One applicant used an office building across the street to place a sign with his qualifications posted.”
— “One person put up posters of himself in the garage where the executive parked.”
— “An applicant made an interactive, computerized presentation, showing she knew our clients and the work we do.”

Because the views on unusual job-hunting strategies are mixed, The Creative Group recommends thinking carefully before straying from conventional tactics. They offer the following tips to those who are considering offbeat ways of reaching out to employers:

— Get in the know. Learn as much as possible about the firm and the hiring manager to gain a sense of how much the organization values originality versus tradition.
— Avoid cliches. Hackneyed gimmicks, rather than an emphasis on creativity, indicate a lack of originality.
— Create a cohesive campaign. A novel approach works best if it underscores a creative professional’s unique skill set and is consistent with the individual’s portfolio and other self-promotional materials.

For more information at http://www.creativegroup.com