We 've all seen them, and many of us have worn at least one of them for a cause or two. I 'm taking about the silicone wristbands first popularized by Lance Armstrong with his Live Strong promotion. Since they first debuted, others have championed different platforms. I have one friend who currently wears a red bracelet that remembers Hurricane Katrina survivors, while another is never without his tan band that reads Vietnam Veteran.

Well, yellow and pink bands are now making their own fashion statements, but this time the message is boldly printed in black letters: Laid Off. Need a Job. I have not yet personally seen any in our local job market, but according to the product 's website, wearing one might inspire an opportunity to get noticed and build networking leads. The brainchild of two Florida women, Barbara Bourn and Stephanie Aucoin, the bracelets seem to have been one of those light bulb moments between unemployed friends who were getting desperate for work. As the story goes, Barbara purchased 500 wristbands and gave them out to her network of friends in similar straits with good results, and it has grown into an online business.

According to The Hiring Site at Careerbuilder.com, at the end of May nearly 6,000 bracelets had been bought or given away. You can purchase one at the women 's website, www.laidoffneedajob.com for $3 apiece, or in bulk, should you choose to share this strategy with others in your circle who are also victims of the recession. Some may shudder at putting their employment situation out there for all to see, but when it comes to self promotion and job market competition, the old rules are gone. If wearing a wristband launches a conversation in an elevator…shopping line…doctor 's office…or just about anywhere that can give you an introduction or access to a hiring authority, I say why not, as long as you feel comfortable doing so. In my nearly 30 years in the staffing industry, I have certainly seen a lot stranger methods of gaining an employer 's attention. In fact, Careerbuilder annually publishers a survey of unconventional jobseeker tactics and 18 percent of the hiring managers polled this year reported seeing more unusual tactics than in years past. On this year 's list were items like a candidate staging a sit-in in the lobby to get a meeting or washing cars in the company parking lot.

There 's always that fine line between being innovative and being inappropriate.

At the very core of the wristband movement is what any job seeker ultimately faces, and that 's the need to market yourself. This requires the ability to sum up your skills and experience in a branding statement that succinctly promotes your candidacy to a potential employer. Why should someone hire you? What can you bring to the position that offers value? Practice this, it 's an important lesson—whether you do it on a traditional printed resume or in a conversation inspired by a silicone bracelet, have your personal elevator pitch ready for the moment because you never know when it may hit. I once had a boss who always said this about getting noticed by people who could advance your career: Proximity is the mother of opportunity. If wearing a wristband gets your foot, or maybe your hand, in the door, don 't let it close before you 've told them what you had to say.

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