12 terrible ways to grab a potential employer’s attention

Job searching is hard. It’s time-consuming, energy-draining and a test of will.

After spending a significant amount of time looking for a job, some people get desperate to grab a hiring manager’s attention—so desperate that they will light their resumes on fire to show their “burning desire” for the job or have their children call the hiring manager before an interview, a recent study from CareerBuilder reveals.

The study asked 2,000 U.S. hiring managers to share the most unusual ways job applicants have tried to capture their attention.

Here are the 12 of the craziest tactics:

1. Candidate found out where the hiring manager was going for dinner and picked up the tab.

2. Candidate lit a corner of his resume on fire to demonstrate a “burning desire” for the position.

3. Candidate had his daughter call the hiring manager before his interview to thank the hiring manager for giving her dad a job.

4. Candidate had a cake delivered to the hiring manager that said, “Congratulations! [Candidate’s name] got the job!”