Fashionably unemployed: 'I Need a Job' wristbands

The unemployed have a new fashion accessory that doubles as a way to market themselves -- silicone wristbands that have "Laid Off. I Need a Job" printed on them.

The yellow or pink wristbands are colorful enough to grab someone's attention, as they recently did for an unemployed concrete worker who was wearing one and was hired when a passerby who owned a construction company saw it, according to KRCG 13 story in Missouri.

Or a girl in Atlanta who was asked about her bracelet in a convenience store and told the woman, "I'm looking for a job," and was recommended to someone who was hiring, and was then hired, according to Barbara Bourn, who came up with the idea for the bracelets with a friend in Florida who is also a victim of the recession.

"You wear it everywhere you go and you will get noticed," Bourn told the TV station. "Market yourself wherever you go, 24 hours a day."

This new way to dress for success costs $3 online or can be bought for less in bulk to give out to family or friends, or to sell. More than 6,000 of the bracelets, which should make for great ice-breakers anywhere, have been distributed since they were released in March.

With 14.5 million unemployed people in the United States, they should find a lot of customers.

Here's a video from her Web site on the bracelets: