A man seeking a job chose to forego the usual way of simply printing out one’s curriculum vitae (CV) on paper, and instead printed it on his custom-made mini cereal boxes.
“My job comes to an end in January and I’m not sure if there is scope to extend my contract, so I’ve got creative with my CV!” Lee MacNeall said in his LinkedIn post last Thursday, Nov. 7. He is currently an engagement and transformation officer at Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation.
The 30-year-old will be sending the cereal boxes to 10 employers he wants to work for. He added that they would be delivered “complete with breakfast.”
The front of the box says, “Lee MacNeall NEEDS A NEW JOB!” and alongside is a photo of colorful cereals and a simple graphic of a bald man with glasses. One side of the box lists his “career facts,” which include his current and previously held positions, and his awards.
The other side lists his educational as well as his contact details. The back of the box features some of his career highlights. Meanwhile, the top flap features the words “Have a breakfast on me! Take a moment and enjoy my CV!”
In the short clip, MacNeall shakes the small box, which appears to already contain some cereal.
MacNeall told Female First last Friday, Nov. 8, that he got the idea to create the cereal boxes while watching the music video of DJ Jax Jones’ “This Is Real.” The said video features a large custom-designed cereal box.
“It got me thinking, ‘[W]hat if I was to use the same context to PR myself?’”he was quoted as saying. “So I did that, I looked online for templates and box nets, but wasn’t successful. So I created my own using editing software online.”
MacNeall revealed that he had done three drafts of the box before finally deciding on a design. He then posted it on his LinkedIn and Twitter pages, where it quickly went viral. His LinkedIn post has gained more than 570,000 views, while his Twitter post has over 91,000 views, as of this writing.
MacNeall described the online attention as “slightly weird” since he did not “think it would have this much impact.” A report by Metro yesterday, Nov. 12, stated that he has since been flooded with job offers. /ra
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