Untraditional methods may get you in the door

By DANA HUNSINGER • Gannett News Service • November 11, 2008 For some reason, people think I'm hiring. And the more dire the economy, the more jobs I -- evidently -- have available. "Any chance you could get me a job? Or at least help me find one?" wrote Maliah Scheetz in an e-mail. "I am at my wit's end. The traditional job search does not work!" All I can say is: How desperate must the times be when a person reaches out to a total stranger (let alone a reporter) to help him or her get work? Well, we know times are tight. Nationally, unemployment was 6.1 percent in September. So what advice can be given to jobseekers that hasn't been given before? Everyone knows not to do anything silly, right? People will do "crazy things to get a face-to-face interview," says Mark McNulty, president of HR Dimensions in Indianapolis. Case... [read full story]