Man Scores Job With Candy Bar Résumé

Nick Begley found a way to make a job application considerably more appetizing: put a résumé-inspired label around a candy bar. His “Résumé Bar” presented professional qualities in packaging modeled on a familiar snack wrapper. The best part? There was an actual Crunch bar inside. Finally, an application you could appreciate on more than one level.

Sure, I might have chosen a Snickers, but the chocolate selection is hardly the achievement here. Begley gave employers something memorable to associate with his name. Most applicants hope their paperwork doesn’t disappear into a pile. His had the additional challenge of making sure the interesting part got read before somebody reached for a snack.

A Nutrition Label for Professional Skills

According to ABC News’s interview with Begley, the label swapped ordinary nutritional information for qualifications and attributes. His MBA appeared alongside percentage-style measures of skills such as communication and versatility. His brother Jeremy designed the wrapper, which went around a standard Nestlé Crunch bar.

It worked as a compact visual joke because the format was already familiar. You knew how to read a candy label, then discovered it was selling a candidate instead of describing a snack. That combination made the object more than a random gift. The packaging itself demonstrated the kind of creative thinking Begley wanted a prospective employer to notice.

The Job Search Came Before the Viral Post

The chronology is worth getting right. Begley used the bars during his 2009 search and landed a marketing role with LeagueApps. His friend Eli Langer posted a photograph on Reddit in February 2013, bringing the earlier idea to a much wider audience. The online attention followed the hiring story; it wasn’t the event that began that job search.

That distinction makes the story more interesting. This was something designed for specific employers before it became a widely shared picture. The wrapper had a practical purpose beyond entertaining strangers online. The internet simply arrived later and did what it does whenever somebody combines chocolate with an unexpected idea: gathered around to discuss it.

Chocolate Accompanied the Application

Begley also explained that the bar supplemented a traditional resume or online application. As contemporary reporting noted, it didn’t contain his complete employment history or credentials. The attention-grabbing object and the supporting paperwork had different jobs to do.

That’s a useful detail to preserve when telling this story. A clever wrapper can start a conversation, but it doesn’t answer every question an employer might have. The chocolate made the introduction more memorable; the conventional material still supplied the substance. Nobody should have to reconstruct an applicant’s entire career from something shaped like a nutrition panel.

A Memorable Idea, Not a Hiring Guarantee

Georgia Public Broadcasting also covered the project, reporting a total investment of about $30. Its appeal was the combination of a clear concept and an inexpensive physical format. The finished object made sense immediately, which helped the idea travel beyond the people who originally received it.

Does that mean every job application needs confectionery? Probably not. It means this particular candidate found a playful way to introduce himself. Congratulations, Nick. You made an impression and gave the rest of us something more entertaining to discuss than cover-letter formatting. I’m proud of you. Also, unrelated question: were there any leftover Crunch bars?