- Are you broke and in need of a job? I know, I know, it isn't easy these days because it's a tough economy. And I get it, you might get
desperate and try anything like lying about your qualifications, or forging your resume, or
trying supernatural experiments, and/or putting yourself
desperately on a billboard. Yeah. Here are 10 ridiculous things
people did to get a job. Number 10 is Marilee Jones. Marilee Jones was the Dean of Admissions for one of the most famous
seats of learning in the world, the Massachusets Institute of Technology. To gain such a prestigious profession, Marilee had to prove herself academically to the highest of standards. Using all of this experience, she also wrote a popular book for parents helping guide their teens through the college admission process. The only tiny, little
problem with all of this is that despite being
hired by MIT in 1979, it was only discovered in
2007 that to get the job she had fabricated her
entire academic career. This involved and was not
limited to forging degrees from Union College, and
Renssalaer Polytechnic Institute. But in a stroke of
irony, Marilee was famous for recommending that applicants
do not pad their resumes. Yeah, no embellishing on
your resume, students. I mean, you can completely
lie and fabricate everything, but this things that are
true, do not embellish those, that would just be immoral. Number nine is Lukas Yla. Lukas Yla moved to San
Francisco from Lithuania in 2016 in order to land his dream
job as a marketing specialist in the technology sector. Due to a lot of competition, Lukas resorted to some unusual techniques in order to get noticed. He actually drew up a list of companies that he was interested in working for, and then dressed up as a delivery courier. He would enter the company buildings and then deliver a box of
doughnuts to his potential bosses. Inside the box, alongside the doughnuts, the executives responsible
for hiring people would find Lukas's resume
penned to the inside of the box. And in doing so, Lukas actually managed to land 10 interviews for
every 40 boxes delivered, and was able to show his
perspective bosses initiative and out-of-the-box thinking before even getting an interview. Or I should say, in-the-box thinking. Hey, I'm not gonna lie,
if I was hiring someone and they brought me some Boston cremes, you best believe you in. Number eight is Alec Brownstein. In 2010, Alec Brownstein used
a sneaky technique to land a job with one of the biggest
companies in the world. Alec realized that anyone of public note will occasionally Google their own name to see what people are saying about them. With that in mind, he took
out a small ad on Google, which meant that when specific executives Googled their own names, his advertisement would appear first in the search rankings. This resulted in Ian Reichenthal, who was creative director
at a powerful ad agency in New York City at the time, Googling his own name and finding an ad directly designed for him. Ian was so impressed with Alec's approach that he contacted him and
offered him a position at the prestigious company. FYI, if I'm ever hiring,
this will only work if you take out an ad with my real name. Shakespeare Rumplebum. Number seven is Liz Hickok. Liz Hickok came up with a
novel way to try to land a dream job in Alpharetta, Georgia. In December of 2011, she
put up Christmas lights on her house like everyone
else in her neighborhood, but what set her apart
was when she arranged the Christmas lights to display
a message for any passerby. The message advertised
Liz's need for a job in human resources as a Christmas wish, along with her name and
a request to check out her LinkedIn profile. And the stunt worked
and before she knew it, Liz was receiving interview offers from across the country,
and even as far as Italy. But she held off on these offers until she found something
closer to her home in Atlanta. Wait, it this Christmas lights
thing actually taking off? Because I'm about to ask NASA for a job, or Santa to bring me a robot polar bear. I'm undecided. Number six is Scott Thompson. Scott Thompson was at one
time the president of PayPal, and then went on to
become the CEO of Yahoo in January of 2012. Many of the positions that he held were granted to him
because he was an expert in computer technology. Yeah, or so everyone thought. As it turns out, Scott Thompson had lied about having a degree in Computer Science. The truth was that he did have a degree, but that it was in accounting and had nothing to do
with the tech industry. And once the media found out about this, they had a field day, as Scott had set himself up
as an important tech expert. With zero qualifications in that area, many felt that this reflected
poorly on his ability to lead companies in the tech sector. But I wonder why? In addition, creating fake
resumes meant that the companies associated with him were now
marred by the controversy. PayPal, the safest way to shop online. I mean, we don't know
who the hell we hire, but the safest way to shop online. Number five is Sheryl Crow. Not many people know
that singer/songwriter, Sheryl Crow's first big break
was being a backup singer for Michael Jackson on tour. But she wasn't even
supposed to be on that tour. She managed to bluff her
way into getting the job. Sheryl moved to L.A. in the late 1980s where she was looking to get a job as a session musician and singer. After overhearing a group
of singers talking about an upcoming Michael Jackson audition, she took the initiative to
grab that job with both hands. Unfortunately, it was invite only, but that definitely didn't stop her. Sheryl walked into the
building where her auditions were being held, signed a
faked name on a visiting sheet as if she'd been invited there, and walked right past security. After that she actually got the gig and toured all over the
world with Michael Jackson. Yeah, that's some real solid
security you got there, whoever this company was. Number four is Leak Bowman. Landing that dream job is about
standing out from the crowd and making an impression. And that's exactly what
Leah Bowman did in 2014. She didn't just think outside the box, she put herself in it. When an potential employer asked Leah to give them an example
of a creative sales pitch, she went to her childhood for inspiration. Leah was a massive fan of Lego and so she used Lego's Digital Designer to create and order a Lego set specific to her potential employer. The set was a Lego version of herself and had written on it, build
the perfect intern on the box, with text describing how the Lego set was the missing piece needed to complete the employer's team. They instantly warmed to
Leah's unique approach and gave her the job. Wait, can anyone order a
Lego version of themselves? 'Cause, (laughs) I've
got an order to place. Number three is Mark Kirk. Being elected to government office relies on candidates being able to present their best selves to the public. But in the case of Mark Kirk, a United States senator for Illinois, presenting his best self meant making up one or two little details. On his personal website in 2010, where he listed his achievements, he claimed to have been awarded Navy Intelligence Officer of the Year during his service in the Navy. Kirk then used this claim
to support his assertion that he was highly qualified to discuss National Security spending. However, in 2010 the
Washington Post discovered that this singular Navy
honor didn't actually exist. In reality, Kirk had been given a less impressive sounding award, but it had been given to the
entire intelligence division for which he was a part. That's like someone saying
that they're GI Joe, when in actuality they
just bought a GI Joe, so. Number two is Feilim Mac an Iomaire. Sometimes you just got to grab
your employer's attention, and that's exactly what one man did in Ireland back in 2011. Feilim Mac an Iomaire was an unemployed commerce graduate at the time, and was so frustrated with
trying to find a job in Ireland that he was considering
leaving the country for good. In one last-ditch effort before he left, Feilim poured the last of his savings into renting a billboard
above a busy road. On the billboard he posted
a picture of himself holding a suitcase and getting ready to leave Ireland for the United States. It was complete with the Statue of Liberty in the distance and everything. The billboard read,
save me from emigration, and included his email address. Not only did Feilim find a job, but he now makes appearances
as a public speaker, giving talks on making
things happen for yourself. Ho, you just put up a
billboard there for yourself, deedle dee dee, potato. And number one is Jill. In 2010 ABC News reported that
a Seattle woman named Jill was using a bizarre tactic to land a job. Jill's second name wasn't given in order to protect her identity, and very shortly you're
gonna find out why. You see, after trying out
every conventional tactic in the book to find employment, Jill resorted to a series
of supernatural experiments. First, she bought a
floor cleaning product, which the makers claimed
when used in the home, gave the homeowner super
powers of persuasion. But when this didn't work, Jill took to making a
deal with a higher power. She'd make sacrifices in her life if the gods would grant her a job. This included going out with a man that she didn't find attractive, and then finally giving up drinking. But hey, when she gave up drinking, she finally made progress
in finding a job. Wow, there's some sort of
correlation there, huh? (mischievous music)
