Gen Z Job Seekers Turn to Creative Hacks Amid Tough Market

In the face of a challenging job market, a 25-year-old man named Lukas Yla found an unconventional way to grab the attention of hiring managers in Silicon Valley. Yla, who moved from Lithuania to San Francisco in 2016, realized that landing a job in the tech hub was not as straightforward as he had hoped. Inspired by the irresistible allure of freshly baked artisanal doughnuts, Yla devised a creative strategy to deliver his resume directly to potential employers.

Yla created a Deliveroo-style uniform and a list of his dream employers. He then spent over a week hand-delivering boxes of doughnuts to the companies on his wish list, with a secret memo hidden inside each box. The memo read, “Most resumes end up in trash. Mine—in your belly,” alongside his resume and a link to his LinkedIn profile. This unique approach allowed him to bypass traditional application methods and directly engage with hiring managers.

Yla’s stunt was met with both curiosity and amusement. Often, the receptionists would immediately pass the doughnuts to the intended recipients. Sometimes, Yla would be called to the reception to explain his presence, giving him an opportunity to personally deliver his message. The marketing hopeful scored at least 10 interviews as a result of his creative job-hunting hack. However, he was unable to secure a work visa and continued his career in Europe, eventually working as a director at Uber’s rival, Bolt.

Years later, Yla’s resume-in-a-donut-box hack has resurfaced, going viral once again. This resurgence highlights the desperation of job seekers in the current market, particularly among Gen Z. The job market has become increasingly competitive, with millions of Gen Zers unemployed and entry-level roles becoming scarcer due to AI-induced cuts.

Gen Z job seekers are turning to creative and unconventional methods to stand out in the crowded job market. For instance, one young job-seeker named Basant Shenouda tracked conferences attended by recruiters and volunteered at them to hand out her resumes, ultimately landing an internship at LinkedIn. Another candidate, Ayala Ossowski, wore her university’s baseball cap at her pizza joint job and pitched her experience to customers, securing a gig at Cisco.

These creative job-hunting hacks are not just about standing out; they are a reflection of the changing landscape of employment. With the job market becoming increasingly saturated with talented individuals, it takes more than just a well-crafted resume to catch the eye of hiring managers. Gen Z job seekers are adapting to this reality by thinking outside the box and employing innovative strategies to gain a competitive edge.