See The Resume A Woman Printed On A Cake To Get Hired At Nike

A woman had her whole resume printed on a sheet cake and delivered to Nike headquarters in hopes of landing a new job.

By Tiffany Velasquez | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

A lasting first impression can be the icing on the cake when looking to land a job. One woman took that quite literally as she had her resume printed on a cake and delivered to an event at The Nike World Headquarters in Oregon. The cake resume came to be after a slew of job rejections and an effort to think outside of the box to really grab the attention of Nike.

Karly Blackburn, a North Carolina-based, corporate professional, had been laid off from her job and was on the hunt for another position. Through research, Blackburn came across a Nike start-up collaboration with Valiant Labs and the company left an impression that called for a resume submission. While a cake resume wasn’t the first thing to cross the mind of Blackburn, she knew that she wanted to put herself out there in a big way. 

After a discussion with a former colleague, urging her to think creatively and completely outside of the box, Blackburn got the brilliant idea for a cake resume. Even though the company was not actively hiring Blackburn was still determined to make a lasting impression, putting herself in a position to be considered for future job opportunities within the company. Without hesitation, she formulated a detailed plan and took action. 

Not only was Blackburn going to need to get a cake made with her resume on it, but she was also going to have to get it delivered and seen by the right person. Blackburn learned of an event taking place at the Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, and knew that this was the perfect occasion and opportunity to have the cake resume delivered. There isn’t a much better combination than cake and a party and Blackburn was prepared to take advantage of this opportunity. 

Blackburn immediately ordered the cake resume and scheduled for it to be delivered by an Instacart driver once she learned of all the details of the party at the headquarters. Once the day arrived for delivery of the one-of-a-kind, cake resume, Blackburn began communicating with the driver, Denise Baldwin, who was contracted to deliver the cake. Baldwin was said to be in shock at the detail and layout of the cake resume. 

Blackburn explained in detail to Baldwin, the driver, about her situation and what exactly was going on. After realizing how important this delivery was and what it meant to Blackburn, Baldwin made a firm promise to deliver the cake directly to Mac Myers, the operation specialist for Valiant Labs at Nike Headquarters. While this was sure to be no easy task, in the spirit of girls supporting girls, Baldwin was determined to do her part and her job, and ensure the cake resume made it into the right hands.

The Nike World Headquarters campus is about 290 acres and a lot to navigate if you are unfamiliar with the layout. In addition to such a huge campus, there was a party taking place, further adding to the chaos and complexity of the cake resume delivery. To further add another element, Baldwin also had her 8-month-old baby boy along for the ride.

Fulfilling her promise, Baldwin delivered the cake directly to Myers. While Blackburn is still on the hunt for the perfect job, she remains optimistic and the two women have struck up a long-distance friendship and are in regular communication. Blackburn has also ignited a spark of inspiration and creativity with her cake resume.