Marcella Bidinost looks at the crazy things people do to stand out from the CV pack.

To apply for roles in fashion design, it's de rigueur to present a portfolio or even some sample garments at the interview. What recruitment consultant Julie Meredith didn't expect from an applicant who had listed "lingerie design" on her CV was that she would drag suitcases full of crotchless undies, spanking toys, handcuffs and bondage corsets to the meeting before stripping down to her own underwear to show exactly how it looked.

"She was prancing around the office in full glory," Ms Meredith says. "She was a delightful young lady, so enthusiastic about her designs, and definitely not shy, but

I didn't know where to look. I kept thinking, 'What on earth are people going to think if they come in?'

I couldn't finish the interview quick enough.

"Afterwards, we kept finding feathers around the office, a constant reminder of the interview."

People have always gone to weird and wonderful lengths to land work. From the keen and creative to the oh-so-lame, the stunts come in great variety. There are the usual tricks: posting coffee or teabags with a CV so the reader can enjoy a cuppa as they peruse, or submitting CVs in glitter boxes, with bows or bright balloons. And then there are the slightly longer shots: presenting an application with a shoe ("if the shoe fits") or an alarm clock ("it's time to hire me").

One airline marketing-assistant hopeful knew the job would be inundated with applicants, so she sent her resume in a retro suitcase covered in travel stickers. She landed an interview and ended up the number two candidate.

Craig Ford, creative partner at the Faith Agency, says: "I've had Keen's Mustard tins sent to me about 12 times." That's code for: "I'm as keen as mustard to work for you."

He has also received a giant padlock ("your agency can unlock my talent"); a one-kilogram chocolate frog from an applicant who didn't want to be forgotten; and a photo of his staff with the applicant's head inserted over that of another employee. Bolshie? Yes. The message? "I'll fit right in."

Then there was Mr Ford's creepier experience of a young creative who thought sending letters to his home would prove her thorough research skills. "That crossed the line and felt like stalking," he says.

Twenty-five years ago, cognitive scientist and consulting strategist Michael Hewitt-Gleeson went to the office of a Fortune 500 chief executive in New York without an appointment but wielding a cheque for $2000.

"I told his PA that I had the cheque to give him, in person. After the CEO invited me into his office and we swapped business cards and greetings, he asked politely why I had a cheque for him, so I handed it over. He looked at it and exclaimed, 'But this cheque is made out to you!' Which it was. I explained that I was a consultant in lateral thinking for $2000 an hour.

I explained that although he may not know me, if he wanted to see how effective my strategies were he could give me any problem and I would do an hour's work on it and he could pay me with that cheque at no cost to him. If he liked the result, he could pay for the next hour. He loved the stunt and went around telling everyone that story. I did consulting work for him and his CEO friends for the next six years."

Mr Ford tells another story of a young hopeful who sent postcards to Melbourne advertising agency directors while he travelled overseas.

"From Ireland he wrote that he had kissed the Blarney stone and now had the gift of the gab and how useful this would be on his return," he says.

"From Africa he explained how he nearly drowned a famous Geelong footballer while rafting on the Zambezi River. When he returned he posted a Melbourne postcard saying he was back and would love the chance to share his photographs and stories.

"This campaign took months but obviously paid off as he secured interviews with 70per cent of his mailing list."

As managing director of Daemon Within, Alison Maidment specialises in employee-to-employer relations and, as a former HR and executive search specialist, her network has received its fair share of vouchers and movie tickets from ardent applicants.

"Smart organisations are the ones who aren't easily dazzled, who take the time to identify their culture and who might fit that," she says. "If you misrepresent that, you might run into trouble down the line. Some candidates are quite desperate, but the employer is still looking for the A-plus candidate, so always bear that in mind."

Ms Maidment pleads with people to stop embellishing resumes with "those disastrous glamour shots; don't do that stuff with the soft lens and shiny teeth. It's not just about what you do, it's how you do it."