Will dropping off my resume in person improve my chances of being interviewed?

The landscape of job seeking has dramatically changed over the years, but even when most job postings ask you to apply online, will dropping off a resume in person improve your chances of being interviewed? 

This is one of the questions I asked when I conducted a survey of hiring and human resources professionals in the St. Cloud, Minnesota, area. Specifically, the question was, "If a candidate dropped off his/her resume in person, but the instructions were to apply online, could dropping off the resume in person increase the chances of being interviewed?"

Here were the results from the 61 people who responded:

• 67% -- No
• 18% -- Maybe/Unsure
• 12% -- Yes
• 3% -- Other 

Of the 12% who answered "Yes" it would help, a couple of their comments were:

• "If they are dropping off the resume to go with their application, that is fine and could be beneficial"
• "The best procedure would be to apply online AND then drop off the hard copy"

One who responded "Yes" had a "mixed" comment about dropping off in person:

• "If you have already applied online and given it a few days to a week, follow up in person by dropping off a resume can be helpful for the recruiter to put a face with a name. I know I don't mind that, however there are some recruiters that do not prefer in person because it catches them off guard."

Finally, there were several comments made from people who chose "No" ... dropping off your resume in person would not help:

• "It could backfire if the applicant doesn't follow the instructions, shows a lack of attention to detail"
• "Because they didn't follow directions"
• "I prefer the candidate to follow the procedure outlined in the job posting"
• "Our postings specifically ask to apply online"

So, if you're thinking about dropping off your resume in person, you need to consider the comments made and weigh the pros and cons for your specific situation. According to this survey, it could be a roll of the dice ...