When Airbnb Didn't Respond To Her Resume, Nina Mufleh Showed Them Who's Boss
A creative and innovative approach may just be the key to snagging your dream job in the ever-competitive job climate!
By Samantha Khor — 23 Apr 2015, 07:58 PM
How much are you willing to do to land the job of your dreams? Most would just send in their resumes and hope for the best, but marketing and communication specialist Nina Mufleh did more than just that.
Nina moved to San Francisco from the Middle East a year ago in the hopes of working for hospitality company Airbnb, but she has yet to land a single interview with them - until now
After moving from the Middle East, Mufleh lived in San Francisco for a year, unable to land a single interview with the company after months of submitting job applications, answering listings and sending emails to the company.
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Mufleh told Business Insider that she had tried contacting Airbnb for months. While she managed to meet with the company, none of those encounters ever turned into a job offer. Her sister told her she should move on because she had already tried everything.
“I actually thought, I haven’t done everything I can,” Mufleh said. “I’ve done the same thing multiple times, but I haven’t tried new approaches.”
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When sending multiple job applications and trying to get in touch with the company via emails and answering job listings didn't work, Nina decided to opt for a new approach.
With a lot of market research and some help from a designer, Nina created an Airbnb-inspired website outlining her ideas on how Airbnb could further develop their business.
It took her about a week to create the resume, which included gathering all the data, researching the market, and working with a designer she had met at one of her previous jobs.
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Instead of putting in her personal information and past working experiences (which potential employees can readily access from her LinkedIn account), Nina's website focused on her knowledge of the travel industry in the Middle East and how the company can further capitalise on that
Nina outlined a proposal on what she thinks Airbnb should do next to expand their reach to the under-utilised potential of the Middle East and how they can go about it
In addition to her proposal, Nina also pointed out her reasons for wanting to work with Airbnb and what she could contribute to the company
Nina submitted her "resume" on Tuesday via Twitter. Not only has it caught the Internet's attention, Airbnb’s CEO Brian Chesky and CMO Jonathan Mildenhall were so impressed she finally got the job interview she'd been waiting for!
@ninamufleh I am reviewing right now. Very impressive :)
— Brian Chesky (@bchesky) April 21, 2015
Ok. You floored me with this brilliance. We'll set something up for us to meet. I love your smarts. Very much. https://t.co/EaIwOHSywo
— Jonathan Mildenhall (@Mildenhall) April 21, 2015
If that's not remarkable enough, Nina's innovative effort has a royal endorsement by none other than her previous employer, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan
Proud to see such creativity from an ambitious Jordanian. @Bchesky you're missing out if you don't hire her http://t.co/DNxX9S3osL #airbnbME
— Noor Al Hussein (@QueenNoor) April 21, 2015
Between 2006 to 2009, Nina developed and executed the social media strategy for Her Majesty Queen Rania of Jordan, who was the first royal to actively engage a global audience in such a direct dialogue.
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Mufleh had been fascinated by culture and travel since she worked for Queen Rania Al Abdullah, the queen of Jordan, between 2006 and 2009.
“She focused on cross cultural dialogue, and that’s something that’s kind of guided my career,” Mufleh said.
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If Nina's success with her out-of-the-box approach is any indication, creative and innovative resumes seem to be a growing trend among hopefuls looking to land a job in an increasingly competitive climate
Sue-Ellen Watts, managing director of wattsnext HR, told SmartCompany there is a definite trend emerging where candidates are thinking out of the box to land a job.
“From an employer's point of view, what [Mufleh] did shows this person absolutely wants to work with us – she’s not just applying for any job, it’s really targeted. You couldn’t ask for something better than someone who really wants to work with your company,” Watts says.
In March, Elski Felton submitted a resumé to Snapchat that was in the form of a Snapchat Story, showing that he was savvy with the company’s app.
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