The current economy is making for a tough job market, especially for recent college graduates. So job seekers are using a variety of methods to search for work.
One University of Florida grad is taking an unconventional approach to looking for a job.
Employment experts often say the key to finding a job is selling yourself. Zach Rubin is taking that advice literally.
He said, "I'm selling myself on eBay."
Rubin is asking $42,000.00 as the starting bid for a company to buy his skills. He graduated in December 2008 with a degree in Business Management.
After working a few part time jobs and traveling, he worked in Melbourne, Australia for six months as project manager for a solar company.
But now he's back in the states, looking for a job in management or marketing in New York City.
Rubin said the process has been frustrating. He said, "I don't know how many resumes I've sent out without any responses...I've had one phone interview and that was through an internal reference, so basically, I've gotten nowhere."
Rubin hopes that trying something different will set him apart and catch the eye of potential employers. He said, "People always talk about how they're creative in their resume or whenever they're talking in interviews, but I think this is pretty creative...it speaks for itself."
But Core Services Supervisor, Arelis Rosario, at Florida Works in Gainesville, said there are more effective tools than eBay. She said, "he can have that Facebook, he can have that Twitter, he can have that LinkedIn account that is really good, most employers are using that right now and he can use eBay too. But I understand at this point the employers are not ready maybe for that tool."
Rubin admits eBay is an unusual way to market himself, but hopes it's just crazy enough to work. He said, "It's pretty stupid, but it could just work...hopefully. If anything, it's an experience."
Rubin has had 220 visitors to his eBay ad so far, but whether or not it actually gets him a job...he plans to move to New York in January.
For more information on other job seeking tools, go to http://floridaworksonline.com/.