Francisco Osorio/Flickr
"Hold on, let me get this - it's another employer calling to offer me a job."
But desperation sometimes gets the best of us, and we end up doing crazy things that backfire in our face.
To discover the most ridiculous, over-the-top tactics candidates have used to set themselves apart from the competition, CareerBuilder asked more than 2,000 hiring and human resource managers in the US to share their most memorable stories.
Here are 12 crazy ones:
1. A Candidate found out where the hiring manager was having dinner and picked up the tab.
2. A candidate lit a corner of their résumé on fire to show their "burning desire" for the job.
3. A candidate had his daughter call the hiring manager in advance of the interview to thank the hiring manager "for giving her dad a job."
4. A candidate had a cake delivered to the hiring manager with the words "Congratulations! [candidate's name] got the job!"
5. A candidate answered a call during the interview stating that another company was calling to discuss a job offer.
6. A candidate sat on the floor during the interview and asked the hiring manager to take a picture of him with the company mascot.
7. A candidate tried to impress the hiring manager with the history of the business, which was incorrect.
8. A candidate had her résumé gift-wrapped.
9. A candidate showed pictures of their relatives working at the company many years prior.
10. A candidate acted like a game show host.
11. A candidate brought a bag of props into the interview and pulled them out as they were relevant in the questions/answers.
12. A candidate sent the hiring manager a coupon for a free meal.