My Unusual Job Search Tactic Helped Me Get a Job

Perhaps no job search advice is more confusing than the instruction to "think outside the box" in order to get a hiring manager's attention. Anyone can come up with an outrageous way to get noticed, but not everyone can do it and actually get the job. Every once in a while you see a news segment about a guy who stood at an intersection wearing a sign that says, "I have an MBA and need a job. Hire me." And sure enough, he gets hired.

But if you talk to hiring managers, you'll also hear about applicants who washed the CEO's car or brought cookies to the office every day for a week. These people came across as peculiar -- even dangerous. Instead of a job offer, they received a restraining order. Naturally, you begin to wonder if anyone actually gets an offer from a reputable company using an unusual method. Or is it all an urban myth?