A recent CareerBuilder survey conducted by Harris Interactive asked more than 2,600 employers to share their interesting, unusual and downright bizarre résumé and interview experiences. If you are NOT in the mood to crack a smile, I recommend you stop reading immediately.

• Candidate said the more you paid him, the harder he worked.
• Candidate was fired from different jobs, but included each one as a reference.
• Candidate said he just wanted an opportunity to show off his new tie.
• Candidate listed her dog as a reference.
• Candidate listed the ability to do the moonwalk as a special skill.
• Candidates- a husband and wife looking to job share submitted a co-written poem.
• Candidate included “versatile toes” as a selling point.
• Candidate said that he would be a “good asset to the company,” but failed to include the “et” in the word “asset.”
• Candidate’s email address on the résumé had “shakinmybootie” in it.
• Candidate included that she survived a bite from a deadly aquatic animal.
• Candidate used first name only.
• Candidate asked, “Would you pass up an opportunity to hire someone like this? I think not.”
• Candidate insisted that the company pay him to interview with them because his time was valuable.
• Candidate shipped a lemon with résumé, stating, “I am not a lemon.”
• Candidate included that he was arrested for assaulting his previous boss.

So what can we learn from this?

I completely get it. I was searching for a job just 2 years ago (Gosh, how time flies!). I know how difficult it is to want to fit perfectly into a potential employer’s bigger plan while still wanting to be unique and get noticed in the first place. HOWEVER, I can also confidently say that having an email address like “shakinmybootie” is the WRONG way to be memorable.

Here’s the advice I always gave my students as a Career Services advisor at a local technical school… Be the professional version of yourself. Be proud of your accomplishments but remain humble. And don’t forget to ask yourself, “Would I hire someone that said/did/wrote that on a résumé?”

Chime in!

Do you have a memorable résumé or interview moment? Any other words of advice to job seekers? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you.

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