How far would you go to get a job?

Jan Collins is one the more than 100,000 Iowans without a job.  To separate himself from that group he made a sign and is holding it up while standing next to the road.  All the while, he's wearing his best suit.  He is, after all, a marketing professional.

Just last month Iowa Workforce Development released the state's unemployment numbers, and put the situation at 6.9% of workers without work.  A year ago the rate was 5.5%.

“It's not exactly what I would like to be doing today, but I want to jump start my job search, and if this is what it takes, I'm happy to do it,” said Collins, 58, Cedar Rapids.

“I had an advertising agency for 24 years here in Cedar Rapids,” said Collins.

That company, Media Trends Advertising, folded a year and a half ago.

Now, he is advertising himself.

“It's a different feeling, and never in a million years did I think I'd be doing this,” said Collins.  “But, desperate times call for desperate measures.”

In the year and a half since his company ended, Collins said he's sent out 75 resumes and only had four interviews.

“Its hard for me to talk to anyone anymore, and it's a little demoralizing the fact that I have to go on the Internet.  I'm on the Internet every night and looking for jobs and sending in resumes and the thing is, I haven't had a great deal of success,” said Collins.

Competition is tough, and he hopes this creative approach gets him noticed.

“There are so many people trying to get that position, its awfully difficult to stand out,” said Collins.

He's standing outside, holding a sign and wearing a suit, hoping to stand out to that future employer.

You can reach Jan Collins by e-mail if you have a marketing job, at jan.collins@mchsi.com.