MelissaPR/TwitterTimes have been tough for Patrick Hoagland. He’d just been laid from his job as a forklift operator at a metal recycling company in Phoenix, US.
After a few weeks of sending out resumes to potential employers and filling out several online applications, to no avail, he had to come up with a solution. The answer: standing on a street corner with a sign explaining, and handing our resumes.
As reported by ABC News, the strategy has paid off:
Armed with 200 copies of his CV and a smile, he hit the streets in search of a new job.
In an email to CNN, Hoagland said:
I had only been unemployed a few weeks, but it was very unexpected and I needed to figure something out fast. I at first laughed and thought that was silly, but I kept thinking about it. I figured, why not?! There are millions of people in Phoenix driving around, someone might hire me.
Sometimes the world is kind. God, fate, dumb luck – whatever you want to call it, Hoagland’s salvation came in the form of Melissa DiGianfilippo. She was driving through Phoenix when she saw Hoagland.
In an email to CNN, DiGianfilippo said:
I was impressed with Patrick because it was [43C] outside and what I saw was really unexpected. He was standing on the side of the road with a sign and a stack of resumes and a huge smile on his face.
Taken aback by his initiative, DiGianfilippo grabbed one of his resumes. As an owner of a PR and marketing agency, she was impressed by his creativity – but, he wasn’t a fit for her company. Instead, she shared his CV across her social medias: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Have a look at the tweet she posted:
I was driving down Camelback Rd in Phx near my office and saw this guy on the side of the road with a smile in 110-degree heat, with a sign asking people to take his resume. I love that he was not asking for a handout, just for people to consider him for a job. #pleaseshare #job pic.twitter.com/5QAUpCkGWk
— MelissaDiGianfilippo (@MelissaPR) July 23, 2019
Naturally, DiGianfilippo has a wide network. It blew up. Hoagland received tonnes of messages from businesses, contractors, recruiters – some wishing him good luck, and others offering him a job.
Amazed by the response, DiGianfilippo said:
I was definitely hoping he would get some good job leads out of the post, but I definitely did not anticipate it blowing up in the way it did!
The post on LinkedIn is what really has taken off the most, generating thousands and thousands of re-shares, reactions, and likes. I also posted it as an Instagram story which got a ton of engagements and people wanting to reach out to him, on Facebook and on Twitter.
I am so amazed by how many people re-shared the post because they really wanted to be a part of a positive story.
CBS NewsFinding himself inundated with job offers, Hoagland sifted through them all and emerged with a gig at Flatline Concrete Grinding in Phoenix. After meeting the owner, Kerry Burkhart, Hoagland immediately knew it was the place for him.
DiGianfilippo added:
I think in general this is a good reminder for people that it takes just a few minutes sometimes out of your day to really change someone’s life or make their day better
Hoagland is fully aware DiGianfilippo didn’t need to stop; but he couldn’t be more thankful that she did.
Hoagland said:
She has been so great, she didn’t need to help me, but she did and it has changed my life. I am so grateful for her.
If you’re down on your luck, whether it be hunting for a job or something else; stay strong. If Hoagland’s story is anything to go by, a positive mental attitude goes a long way.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.