Yes, it’s harder to get people’s attention these days, and I generally have two responses. The first is despair at how difficult it is to break through all the noise. But then I remember I can also view this noise as an opportunity – to become even more creative. And think outside the box.

I came across an excellent example of this from a couple of fellow Australians. In their search for a job with an advertising agency, Andrew Grinter and Lee Spencer-Michaelsen took a very creative approach. Rather than send their CVs to companies like everybody else, they developed a campaign.

The campaign involved buying domain URLs that matched the names of the executive creative directors they wanted to pitch to. And then they held these domains for ransom using old-school newspaper letter cuttings formed into a note reading “arrange a creative meeting or else the site gets it” (no cops allowed). Punishment? A redirect to Justin Bieber’s site. They even turned up to interviews wearing balaclavas, freaking out a few receptionists.

The strategy worked – they’ve got work at DTDigital.

So, perfect outside the box thinking, particularly in going for a job that relies on creativity. A reminder that new ideas are always possible.