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Thirty-one Percent of Workers May Show Up To Work in a Halloween Costume This Year, CareerBuilder.com Survey Reveals

Check Out 10 Quick, Easy and Cheap Costume Ideas to Get in the Halloween Spirit at the Office

CHICAGO, October 24, 2005 - Prepare yourself...the office is about to get a bit
scarier. CareerBuilder.com’s latest survey revealed almost one-third of workers plan to
or are considering dressing up for Halloween at the office this year. The
CareerBuilder.com survey, "Halloween at the Office 2005," was conducted from
August 10 to August 22, 2005 of more than 2,450 workers.

Those in need of last-minute costume ideas for trick-or-treating through the cubicles can
throw together the following get-ups in a matter of minutes:
  1. A Day Off - Using black lettering, write October 30, 2005 or November 1, 2005
    on an orange shirt. When people ask what you are, say, "A day off!"
  2. Running Late - Show up to the office with messy hair and disheveled clothes
    with your pajamas showing underneath.
  3. Vending Machine - Dress in black and fasten snacks to yourself with the cost of
    each item displayed. To be really evil, place an "out of order" sign on the real
    vending machine and charge your coworkers for your snacks. When they pay,
    make sure you throw their snacks on the ground as the vending machine does.
  4. Office Gossip - Make up fun stories about your coworkers. Fasten the stories to
    yourself and put the name of your favorite grocery store tabloid on a hat. Hang
    around the water cooler and invite people to read the latest news.
  5. Pink Slip - No one ever wants to be served the dreaded pink slip at work. Wear a
    pink slip over your work clothes and chase your co-workers.
  6. Post-it Note -Wear all yellow. When people say trick or treat at your cube, pass
    out real post-it notes.
  7. Red tape - Buy red tape and tape it all over your clothes and cubicle. When
    people ask what you are, make them cut through some red tape to get the answer.
  8. Leftover - Wrap yourself in aluminum foil and give yourself an aluminum swan
    hat. Place a sign on your chest that says, "Anything left after 4 pm on Friday will
    be thrown away!"
  9. Happy Hour - Wrap a tie around your head and carry around an empty
    (yes, empty) martini glass with you throughout the day. At 5 pm, scream,
    "Happy hour!"
  10. Headhunter - Carry a mannequin or doll head around with you, holding it by the
    hair.
For those workers who like a project and have more time to prepare, consider the following:
  • Missing Person - Wear all white and use poster board to make a hat that
    resembles a milk carton. On another piece of poster board, place the picture of an
    employee who recently left the company and label them missing.
  • Floating Holiday - Dress as your favorite holiday icon (Santa, Easter Bunny,
    Leprechaun, etc.) Place cotton around your shoes to look like clouds.
  • Boss or Co-worker - There’s no greater compliment than imitation, but
    remember to proceed with caution when dressing up like a colleague!
  • Suggestion Box - Take a large cardboard box and fasten rope so you can wear it
    like a barrel. Put suggestion on the box and take the slips of paper with your
    coworkers’ suggestions. Make sure to respond to them by the end of the day.
About CareerBuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com is the nation’s largest online job site with more than 20 million unique
visitors and over 1 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune
Company (NYSE:TRB), and Knight Ridder, Inc. (NYSE:KRI), the company offers a vast
online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com
powers the career centers for more than 700 partners that reach national, local, industry
and niche audiences. These include more than 165 newspapers and leading portals such
as America Online and MSN. More than 30,000 of the nation's top employers take
advantage of CareerBuilder.com's easy job postings, 14 million-plus resumes, Diversity
Channel and more. Millions of job seekers visit the site every month to search for
opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic email
job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. For more information
about CareerBuilder.com products and services, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com.


CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:

Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com