The ‘worst recruitment ad ever’ plus other attention-grabbing job adverts online
From a running man dance routine to ‘draw the owl’, these are some of the most memorable - and cringe-worthy job advertisements to go viral
“Hey guys, I’m just going downstairs for my paleo pear and banana bread, would you like to join me?” is not a line you’d expect to hear from a video for a graduate recruitment programme.
Yet this is one of the unusual phrases featuring in a video campaign from the Australian Department of Finance for its Graduate Development Program, showing current graduates going about their day ahead of a presentation to the finance secretary.
The “Game Changers” video has attracted headlines such as “Australia: Is this the worst recruitment ad ever?” and has been parodied online, including a response from the Liberal Democrats (Australia) as well as comedian Simon Kennedy.
If the Australian finance department campaign has tickled readers’ fancy, then a salary of AU$60,825 (US$46,179) is on offer, according to its website, and successful candidates can also join SNOG, or the Social Network of Graduates, where they can meet people from other departments. (In the U.K., “snogging” is an alternative term for making out.)
CNBC takes a look at other recruitment adverts that attracted attention online.
Heineken – The Candidate
Heineken’s The Candidate video showed an interviewer taking potential interns by the hand and pretending to faint, and culminated with candidates having to intervene when someone threatens to jump off a building. Finally, the winning intern was told he’d got the job live at a Juventus-Chelsea Champions League match. The ad won a Cannes Lion in 2013.