Job hunter back at Waterloo and now he’s hiring
BACK in August, new graduate Alfred Ajani was struggling to find a job. Having finished a sports marketing degree at Coventry University three months earlier, Ajani says he had submitted 300 job applications, but had yet to receive an offer he was interested in.
So en route to a job interview, he took 45 minutes to stand in Waterloo station during rush hour, holding a sign advertising his skills. The stunt netted him 12 job offers – including a marketing role at recruiter Asoria Group, which he started in September – and prompted a raft of copycats.
But earlier this week, he was back at Waterloo, only this time, he was holding a different sign, advertising vacancies at his new role.
His new company is looking for 20 new consultants, and Ajani says he knew exactly where to go to find them.
After his experience, he is an advocate of the direct approach – but adds that just holding a sign isn’t enough to encourage employers. His tips on getting the best response from passers-by are: be bold, know your market, stay in control, Keep your message focused and scrub up.
■ UK fans of the hugely anticipated Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul should clear their diaries for 9 February. That’s when the very first episode of the new series will be available to watch on Netflix. Better Call Saul will air on Monday night, just 24 hours after the series is first screened on TV channel AMC in the US on a Sunday night. A second episode will follow on Tuesday 10 February, and on Tuesday nights going forward. For those not in the loop, the series is a prequel to Breaking Bad, one of the biggest hits AMC Networks has ever screened. It might also be good news for investors in Netflix – Breaking Bad is widely credited with turning the company into a global player.
■ THE Lib Dems continue to poke fun at David Cameron’s ongoing foot dragging over the television debates. They have created a new tool on their website which allows users to generate the name of an absurd minor party, and tweets the PM asking him if he wants them to take part in the debate too. The tool has been doing well online, with plenty asking the PM if their made up party can take part. No responses have been forthcoming, but The Capitalist hopes that Cameron will be pushing for the Diary Writers Solidarity Party to take up a podium next to the Green Party, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, and the rest.