ASU alumnus Brian Schwartz hopes he can “check in” to a job at Foursquare.
Schwartz, a 2003 graduate, created the website hireme4sq.com, which mimics Foursquare’s look but contains his resume in hopes that the company will reward his creativity with a job.
“I decided to be proactive with my career search and do something out of the ordinary that would garner attention,” said Schwartz, who now works for a nutraceutical manufacturing company in New Jersey.
A few weeks ago, Foursquare announced it had an opening for a marketing manager position at its New York City office. Schwartz, an avid user of the site, called the position a dream job and said he could make immediate contributions to the company, as well as learn.
Foursquare allows users to connect with one another and “check in” to locations through mobile phone applications with GPS technology. Users can earn “badges” by checking into different locations. They can even post messages about the places they visit.
Schwartz’s campaign
Schwartz noticed throughout his daily routine that he became addicted to checking into places through the Foursquare application on his BlackBerry.
After realizing this, he put his technology skills to good use and in three hours had hireme4sq.com designed to showcase his job experience.
The site is designed to look like the Foursquare homepage. From layout, color scheme and logo use, Schwartz carefully and strategically crafted his webpage that he purchased from GoDaddy.com.
When visiting Schwartz’s site, a “Check-In” history stream will display his past job experience and accomplishments while showcasing custom “badges” earned along the way.
After submitting his Web page to the Foursquare team he got a direct response the following day from the co-owner, Dennis Crowley.
Crowley expressed to Schwartz that he liked his page and passed it along to the recruitment team.
“I was humbled by the fact I even got a response. The guy is a legend,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz’s page averages 100 views per day, with each user spending about a minute on the site. He helps direct traffic to his page though social media outlets and blogging.
But Schwartz’s idea wasn’t completely original. He was inspired to create his website by another jobseeker who used a similar strategy in 2009.
Blogging for a job
Eric Romer, the creator of the blog “Hire Me, HeadBlade,” captured the attention of both the media and Web users when he started an online campaign to get hired by HeadBlade, Inc., a company that sells products specifically for shaving heads. Romer eventually landed the position he was seeking — as an interactive and social media marketing manager for the company. Romer began using HeadBlade products in 2004.
“Basically my hair was thinning and I wanted to do something about it,” Romer said. “When I found HeadBlade, it was exactly what I needed.”
Being a loyal customer, Romer followed HeadBlade on Twitter and saw a Tweet from HeadBlade about the company looking for an interactive marketing manager.
“Starting a blog just felt like the logical first step,” Romer said.
Romer said he used social media forums like Twitter and Facebook to promote his blog.
Romer got recognition from local and national TV stations, websites and magazines.
“If you show that you care and are passionate about something, you'll be surprised how many people will want to help.”
Romer’s Twitter supporters included author Debbie Weil and New Orleans Saints wide receiver Lance Moore.
“The coolest for me was probably getting e-mail responses from both Seth Godin and Gary Vaynerchuk, two authors and marketers that I really respect and admire,” Romer said.
Within 24 hours of launching the "Hire Me, HeadBlade" campaign, Romer heard back from a company representative.
Christine Destefano, HeadBlade social media consultant, was the first to discover Romer through Twitter.
After the job opening was posted, Romer was one of the first to respond, Destefano said.
“I asked Eric if he was serious about applying for the job because he lived in Indianapolis and we were based in Los Angeles.”
Destefano knew Romer was serious after he launched his campaign.
“He was using social media to attract the attention of social media,” Destefano said. “I thought that was perfect and that was what we needed to do.”
Romer flew to Los Angeles for an interview with CEO Todd Greene and met the rest of the HeadBlade team.
“I spent the first day interviewing, the second day sitting in on business operations, and was eventually offered the job that same week,” Romer said.
After reaching his ultimate goal, Romer began the blog “HeadBlade Hired Me.” This blog details the journey to his dream.
“After meeting him and seeing his passion for the product there was no doubt he would do the job right,” Destefano said.
Romer has worked at HeadBlade for more than a year now and said the experience has been awesome.
“We have a great team and are able to be creative in the way we approach marketing our products,” Romer said.
Romer’s advice to college students and graduates is that networking will always be important, and it couldn't be easier today. The Internet allows people to connect at their fingertips.
“Find the right people and companies you are interested in, start paying attention and interacting,” Romer said.
Getting hired
This type of creativity may help or hurt potential employees, said Mike Wong, director of career services at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. A company may view creativity as too cutesy or over the top, while another employer would appreciate creativity and individuality.
Employers are looking for relevant experience, certain skills and a good education, he said in an e-mail. Packing and presenting all of these assets at the click of a button will impress employers and make recruiters’ jobs easier.
“Style will get you noticed,” Wong said. “Substance will get you to the next level in the hiring process. Make sure you have strong content on your resume, make sure you can back it up with your samples and use technology to organize and present it.”
As a “self-starter,” Schwartz said he walks his talk.
“It’s not just coming up with ideas but actually executing them,” he said.
Reach the reporter at tchavez3@asu.edu
