{"id":3143,"date":"2013-07-23T04:35:40","date_gmt":"2013-07-23T11:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/recruitloop.wpengine.com\/?p=3143"},"modified":"2023-05-15T11:05:09","modified_gmt":"2023-05-15T18:05:09","slug":"purple-cow-recruitment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zippia.com\/employer\/purple-cow-recruitment\/","title":{"rendered":"How to be the Purple Cow in Recruitment"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello?? \u00a0Hello!?!?<\/p>\n

Okay, paying attention now?\u00a0 Thank you.\u00a0 Because what we have to say is really impor\u2026 put down that iPhone!\u00a0 I\u2019m speaking to you!\u00a0 Right.\u00a0 As I was saying, we have something really important to say to yo\u2026 hello?<\/p>\n

Welcome to the 2010’s.\u00a0 (Seriously, you can actually listen now.)\u00a0 With the rapid spread of social media, mobile and \u2018always-connected\u2019 applications, getting attention in a content-saturated world is now harder \u2013 and more vital \u2013 than ever.\u00a0 Whether you\u2019re a recruiter attempting to get clients or a job seeker looking to get hired, competition is fierce. But the rules of marketing yourself to stand out and get noticed are the same.<\/p>\n

So how do you stand out?<\/p>\n

Become a cow.<\/p>\n

Okay\u2026 specifically, become a purple cow.<\/i><\/b><\/h2>\n

Anyone in marketing knows what we\u2019re talking about.\u00a0 The term purple cow comes from Seth Godin, whose book Purple Cow, hit the New York Times Bestseller List in 2003 with the bold, yet somehow also obvious, assertion that the key to business success was to make your products or services stand out from all the rest.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe the purple cow in a field of monochrome!\u201d was his William Wallace style exhortation and businesses rushed in to follow the steps to becoming totally different from each other.<\/p>\n

In reality, being a purple cow in a field of beige is not a one-time activity or a marketing strategy. It\u2019s a constant way of thinking creatively about the individual interactions you have every day.\u00a0 The only way to stay different from all the other people doing the exact same thing as you is to capitalize on what is<\/i> different.<\/p>\n

What is different?<\/p>\n

We\u2019re so glad you asked\u2026<\/p>\n

You + The Other Person + The Situation = Uniqueness.<\/b><\/h2>\n

There\u2019s only ever going to be one combination of your interaction with a recruiter or a potential client and this is what you need to capitalize on.\u00a0 Every interaction you have should be a search for what makes you, the other person or the situation unique.\u00a0 Common interests, shared sense of humor, a way of speaking\u2026 the more you can capitalize on your uniqueness, the more memorable you will be.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve compiled some examples of fantastic Purple Cow Marketing techniques by individuals connecting with the uniqueness of another individual.\u00a0 The first example was sent to our friends over at DesignCrowd.<\/p>\n

Startups and Bubble Wrap<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Purple<\/p>\n

As you can see from Alec\u2019s profile above, he likes bubble wrap.\u00a0 A recruiter named Nathan from Mantech Recruiting sent him the below message.\u00a0 On bubble wrap.<\/p>\n

G\u2019Day Alec.
\n<\/i>I heard you like bubblewrap.
\n<\/i>Here is some limited edition stuff from my private collection I can share with you.
\n<\/i>I\u2019m a tech recruiter here in Sydney and I know of some good people that want to come work for you, look me up on LinkedIn or gimme a yell, yeah?<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"PurpleCow<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not just the bubble wrap that works here.\u00a0 Nathan\u2019s noticed from Alec\u2019s profile that he\u2019s a casual sort of guy.\u00a0 Phrases like \u2018Gimme a bell yeah?\u2019 \u2018G\u2019Day\u2019 and the careless writing style with a thick black texta actually work towards building the uniqueness that results in memorable interactions.<\/p>\n

Consultants and Long Erasers<\/b><\/h2>\n

In an effort to attract the attention of graduates at Universities, McKinsey & Co printed 3000 pencils with overly long erasers at the end of them, distributing the pencils throughout Universities in Switzerland.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking for students who aren\u2019t satisfied with just any solutions\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Purple<\/p>\n

Again, the content of the message is as important as the mode of communication.\u00a0 Simple, direct and stating what they were looking for in professional language, it let the audience know that they were on the same page.\u00a0\u00a0 The pencils resulted in an increase of visits to the McKinsey & Co recruiting page and found their way into advertising free zones such as the library and common rooms.<\/p>\n

Buy Me Now<\/b><\/h2>\n

You may remember Phil Dub, who created his online web resume to look like an Amazon page? \u00a0It went viral and after 2 months and 1.5million hits later, he was employed by Birchbox as a Technical Product Manager.<\/p>\n

\"Purple<\/p>\n

His mode of communication was unique, yes \u2013 using a web page rather than a traditional resume.\u00a0 But the creativity was really about finding the point of uniqueness in his target market.\u00a0 He combined his uniqueness (his name) with their uniqueness (their logo and branding) to come up with a purple cow concept.<\/p>\n

The key to standing out and being memorable to clients is combining uniqueness.\u00a0 It creates point of commonality that resonate strongly with an audience.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

How to be the Purple Cow<\/h2>\n

If you are struggling to find a point of uniqueness with your target, brainstorm around these areas when developing your pitch…<\/p>\n

Your Target<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Their likes\/dislikes<\/li>\n
  • Common phrases<\/li>\n
  • Places of birth<\/li>\n
  • Clothes<\/li>\n
  • Dreams\/Goals<\/li>\n
  • Places of travel<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The Situation<\/strong><\/h3>\n
      \n
    • A recent world event they would have (or should have) heard of<\/li>\n
    • The building they work in<\/li>\n
    • Something they might walk by every day to work<\/li>\n
    • A Social Media post their company posted the other day<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      You<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      If you have something unique about you that makes you stand out, by all means use it. \u00a0However, the best way to create connection though is by identifying with something already in the other person\u2019s world.<\/p>\n

      Standing out is not a one-size-fits-all solution – which is why not so many people are capable of doing it.\u00a0 To effectively be a purple cow you need to apply effort and creativity to every possible individual situation and opportunity that could come your way.<\/p>\n

      It won\u2019t work every time.\u00a0 In fact, there may only be a few instances where you can make yourself truly memorable in the eyes of your future employer or client.\u00a0 In these few instances, however, you will stand out from the crowd.\u00a0 And you only need a few of those opportunities to land the job, or client, you\u2019ve been chasing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      It’s getting harder to earn attention every day, whether as a recruiter or job-seeker. Take some inspiration from these awesome examples of Purple Cow Marketing in recruitment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[73],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to be the Purple Cow in Recruitment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It's getting harder to earn attention, whether as a recruiter or job-seeker. 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