What the most creative companies are doing to get you on board.
Which one is your favorite? Tell us in the comments.
Flickr Recruits Coders With Ads Hidden in Its Website’s Source Code. Where else?
“Lots of companies advertise their job openings to the ends of the earth, which we can’t really fault in this economy. But rather than let HR weed out applicants arbitrarily, Flickr decided to hide a link to its job postings for coders somewhere only worthy coding applicants would ever find it—inside the source code of its website. Of course, the effect is kind of ruined by other websites posting about it with screenshots of the message, but such is the price of good ideas. Just ask the guys who did practically the same thing three years ago with ads for EA’s Dante’s Inferno.”
This what it looks like today if you visit flickr.com and choose View Source in your browser:
This is what it used to look like:
Career Builders: Aquarium
“Are you busy not working? It’s time for a change.”
Career Builders: Fridge
“Are you busy not working? It’s time for a change.”
Career Builders: Plant
“Are you busy not working? It’s time for a change.”
Ogilvy: Recruitment Poster
“We’re building the mother of all digital armies. Enlist here. Ogilvy”
As cool as this is – and it looks great – it would have been even cooler if this was an actual QR code that led to Ogilvy’s job listings.
Scholz & Friends: Pizza Digitale
“In cooperation with the delivery service Croque Master Scholz & Friends created the Pizza Digitale. A special pizza, which was for four weeks added to every order from other major agencies’ employees. The recipe was simple: Pizza dough with tasty tomato sauce, shaped like a QR-Code, which directly links to a mobile landing page. That way we made sure our message – Scholz & Friends is seeking for Digital Creatives – would reach just the right person.”
And this QR code really works:
New Career: Stale Bread
Inspired by this billboard for the 2011 movie Contagion:
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1 m2 of Curiosity. The do-it-yourself recruitment posters
“How to find exactly this exact type of designers? We transferred the children’s game of ‘hatching a coin’ into 1 m2 of art work, and addressed our target group at design school noticeboards. With completely white posters that had stencils underneath, these posters only reveal their message when someone starts drawing on them. We made sure that only the fun-loving, curios and ambitious designers would discover 1 of our 7 recruitment posters.”
And here’s a real campaign that used this idea:
“Serviceplan needs creatives who are searching for ideas everywhere and who are challenged by every blank sheet of paper. In order to communicate this message, we created posters that didn’t reveal their messages until someone started doodling on them. Hung up on the blackboards of design universities, our seven differently illustrated messages addressed our target group: creatives with wild imagination and endurance.”
All you need for a winning resume
This is their ad for job seekers:
AllJobs will help you find the one you’re looking for
“Your employees keep coming and going?” This is their ad for employers:
Navy Helicopter Roles: Do You Fit?
Career Times: Chef
“The quickest way to change careers. Free every Monday with the Cape Times.”
Career Times: Army Man
“The quickest way to change careers. Free every Monday with the Cape Times.”
Career Times: Doctor
“The quickest way to change careers. Free every Monday with the Cape Times.”
Career Times: Business woman
“The quickest way to change careers. Free every Monday with the Cape Times.”
Karriere.at: OFFICE SPIDER
“Defeat dangerous career-killers, like the intriguos office tatler spider.”
I think they meant to say ‘gossipy’ or ‘someone always looking for intrigue.” What do you think?
Karriere.at: MR. NEGATIVE
“Defeat dangerous career-killers, like the omnipresent Mr. Negative.”
Karriere.at: BLOCKHEAD
“Defeat dangerous career-killers, like the Block-headed Mr. Stubborn.”
Karriere.at: SLACKER
“Defeat dangerous career-killers, like the Boondoggling Slacker.”
Karriere.at: BUREAUCRAT
“Defeat dangerous career-killers, like the stubborn Dr. Bureaucrat.”
Karriere.at: SHIRKER
“Defeat dangerous career-killers, like the ever irresponsible shirker.”
Karriere.at: CHATTERBOX
“Defeat dangerous career-killers, like the vicious Chatterbox Queen.”
Karriere.at: OFFICE BULLY
“Defeat dangerous career-killers, like the mean Seat-Sawyer.”
D&AD GRADUATE ACADEMY CAMPAIGN” Design & Branding
“Looking for a way into industry? You may have just found it. The Graduate Academy is going to place 50 top UK graduates in 50 of the UK’s leading creative organisations.”
Job.ru: Fall, Chef
“Don’t wait for a job to fall on you. Find your vacancy at job.ru”
Job.ru: Fall, Clerk
“Don’t wait for a job to fall on you. Find your vacancy at job.ru”
Job.ru: Fall, Constructor
“Don’t wait for a job to fall on you. Find your vacancy at job.ru”
National Agency For Employment: Hairdresser
“It’s good to have your own money. Get your first job!”
Alkemy: Job listing for a person who doesn’t exist
“So, if you think you’re our imaginary person, send us your real CV.”
Hivejobs.com: Tongue
“Hivejobs.com really has a taste for talent.”
Hivejobs.com: Ear
“Hivejobs.com really has an ear for talent.”
Hivejobs.com: Nose
“Hivejobs.com really has a nose for talent.”
Africa Health Placements: Stethoscope Radio Ad
“Africa has a severe shortage of doctors and other healthcare professionals. So Africa Health Placements sent a direct mail containing a pressure activated device to recruit foreign doctors to work in Africa. Once opened, a message prompts doctors to place their stethoscope on the device, this activates a pre-recorded MP3 that speaks directly to them. The audio for the ad was recorded at a low level so that it was only audible through a stethoscope. Turning something that every doctor possesses into an advertising medium to create the world’s first stethoscope radio ad.”
Lernia: Cut your hair and get a job
“Lernia is a Swedish staffing and training company, offering continuing education for school drop-outs. Playing on a classic saying, this campaign aimed to show how uncomplicated the way to employment is in Lernia’s world.”
Scholz & Friends: Weru, The Final Ad
“Scholz & Friends is looking for creatives.”
Empleos.clarin.com: Clock
“The world is made of jobs, find yours on empleos.clarin.com”
Jobfest: Software Designer, Carpenter, Electrician
“Rock your future”
L’etudiant: Soccer, President, Writer, Stewart, Kinesiologist, Farmer
“Are you sure of the job you are going to choose? letudiant.fr Youtht’s got future”
Schoolarship “Degree/Diploma business card”
“Schoolarship is an organization that provides education grants to students in need. They created a business card that visually demonstrates what Schoolarship grants can help post-secondary students achieve – a diploma/degree.”
The job on your mind, 1
A bit weird- “if the career goal on your mind as high as your energy, that career is here.”
The job on your mind, 2
This one makes more sense: “if the career plan on your mind develops as fast as technology, that career is here.”
The job on your mind, 3
“If the work on your mind is in a world where exclusive services are presented, that world is here.”
Dentsu Recruitment Book: WONDER RECRUITING
The simple premise: make a recruiting brochure too big to fit in the mailbox, forcing the mailman to hand deliver it to you, making it seem more valuable and ‘wonderful.’ Led to a %124 increase in applicants.
Look for a Font. Find a Job
“As part of their daily duty, graphic designers spend a lot of time browsing online font platforms. And that’s where we got them. ”
Lorem Recruitment
“The idea was to program a code, that hides our job offer in the Lorem Ipsum dummy text provided online. We presented that code to the host of lipsum.com, the most frequently used dummy text generator world wide. He was happy to insert this code, since the foreseeable buzz in the social web would increase the traffic on his website. Whenever users copied the Lorem Ipsum text from lipsum.com, they also copied a hidden job advertisement from us. It first appeared, when pasting into their layouts. We also included a link to our homepage to track the outcome. ”
Berrge Tattoo – Tattoo Artist Wanted
“New Tattoo Artist wanted – To apply, fill in the QR code carefully”
Wieden + Kennedy Seeks Help on Old Spice in Crazy, Epic Job Listing One week, 10 insane social challenges
“Wieden + Kennedy’s Old Spice campaign is a hallmark for epic weirdness in advertising. So, it stands to reason that you’d have to complete some kind of weird, epic quest to join the agency’s Old Spice. ”
BONUS
Sprinter Applies for a Job
“The Sprinter is the best worker a company could have. However, before you can work in a company, you have to apply for a job. So we invented the world’s first printing-type tire, with a lettered tread pattern-which enabled the Sprinter to write its own application letters.”
Note that the Sprinter is a car.
Ben Egnal: Wine Bottle Resume
“A bottle of wine with a custom-printed label and a handwritten note was sent to creative directors in lieu of a traditional resume. Because it’s not polite to show up empty handed.”
Get Jacked – Retro Lumberjack poster
“This retro-styled “recruiting” poster features a manly lumberjack inviting his comrades to join him in the fight against overgrown forests. The poster measures 11″ x 17″ and is printed on premium glossy contract proofing paper. This cool poster print was designed by 4thirteen artist Drew Roberts—a unique find!”
CLASSIC: Job Opportunity WIN
More funny and creative job ads
- 50 Most Creative Recruitment Ads in the World
- 117 Funniest Creative Job and Recruitment Ads
- 7 Funny Newspaper Job Wanted Ads You’ve Never Seen
- Top 10 Best Job Ads of the World
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A version of this article originally appeared here: