Sing for your supper

More and more unconventional ways to search for a job are popping up every day. Witness the latest from CNN.com, as recently re-enrolled nursing student and mother of three Nicole Nagy attempts to subsidize her tuition and mortgage payments:

Dressed in a bathrobe, she sits on the couch with her kids as her husband starts the video with the bad news, "OK guys, I have to go to work. Sorry we can't send you to nursing school, Mom. We just don't have the money." Nagy replies, "Ahh man."

Addressing her children, she says, "know what we can do instead, we can sing about it." Nagy takes off the robe, revealing a nursing uniform and the stethoscope which acts as her microphone.

Ok, we’re definitely not suggesting what you think we’re suggesting, so get your head out of the gutter – things haven’t gotten that dire (well, at least not for some of us). Nagy’s song and dance routine is actually part of a contest called “Careereoki,” sponsored by the Orange County (FL) School Board; Workforce Central Florida, an Orlando-area job placement organization; and a local advertising agency.  Grand Prize: $8,000 and includes a career training scholarship (tuition for a certificate program at an Orange County technical school), personal and resume makeovers and a $100 gas card.

Anyone brave enough to videotape themselves singing -- and sometimes dancing -- about their dream career karaoke-style was qualified to enter the competition.

More than 60 videos were submitted, from which five finalists were chosen to compete for online votes that will determine the winner.
[snip]
Whether Nagy's performance will be good enough to win will depend on how many people vote for her on local radio station WPYO's Web site where the videos are posted.

Now, if you’re not in Florida, this contest may not seem so appealing, but at the very least, it seems like there should be plenty of decent entertainment value in watching the finalists’ videos. Contests like these may be just what we need in these gloomy times of layoffs and unemployment. A little levity never hurts to break the stress of the job search, and who knows, maybe this guy will finally get himself a job.

--Posted by Steven Schiff, Vault News & Commentary