We’ve all experienced how social media has drastically changed the way we, as job seekers, engage with employers; there’s job boards and candidate sourcing via LinkedIn and Facebook, a Twitter #JobSearch engine, and plenty of Diggs, Likes, and Reddits connecting potential employees with hiring managers. But last week (and again just yesterday), Executive Creative Director Mike McKay of Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles (aka @mikemckayECD), a national ad agency, took things to an entirely new level by offering a $70,000/year writing position to the person with…..the funniest Twitter response.
Is this some kind of sly joke or a clever marketing ploy? Or is this the future for the creative industry’s job market? Can a prospective employee’s worth accurately be assessed from a 140-charactar-or-less response?
Probably.
Obviously, this kind of thing wouldn’t be quite as effective for mainstream industries, (or could it? “Highest GPA from best school gets an entry-level accounting gig!”). Because the advertising and marketing industries thrive on whimsical creative types who can sense the thin line between genius and madness (and rarely cross it), it’s almost surprising that such an offer hasn’t been made sooner. While it takes strong experience, an impressive book, and effective interpersonal skills to be an asset in the industry, an amateur who can tweet a witty, clever response (on demand!) most certainly has the raw talent to eventually become an asset. Of course, it takes a keen creative eye to snuff out the duds for the diamonds in the rough, which may explain why McKay re-tweeted the offer yesterday (official reason: “This contest has been re-opened due to humor issues”).
What do you think? Is tweeting job offers for best responses a legitimate method of hiring? Tell us in the comments section below!
Melody Yaghoubi
Interactive Resources
