After being laid off from his job, Patrick Hoagland struggled to find a new work position and provide for his family. So he decided to get creative and stand on the side of the road, handing out his resumes. Little did he know that it would lead him to his dream job scenario.
Being without work can be scary and overwhelming, especially when you have a family to support. But after one man unexpectedly found himself in this situation, his quick thinking paid off in a big way.
As a father, he couldn’t afford to be without work
Patrick Hoagland is a 30-year-old dad of one who was suddenly laid off from his job at a metal recycling company. He was desperate to find another job – and in this economy, that isn’t very easy.
“I definitely had fear,” Hoagland told Good Morning America. “My wife and I, we don’t make a whole lot of money individually. Once I lost my job, everything was put on her.”
So a month after being laid off, he decided to stand on a busy roadside of a Phoenix highway and simply hand out copies of his resume!
“I had only been unemployed a few weeks, but it was very unexpected and I needed to figure something out fast,” Patrick told CNN.
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. – Patrick Hoagland
While the idea might have sounded ridiculous on paper, he still decided to go forward with it and printed out 200 copies of his résumé.
He tried applying the traditional way, without luck
Before figuring out his unconventional strategy, Patrick had tried to apply to many jobs, both online and in person. The lack of response eventually led to his idea.
“I wasn’t getting any responses,” he said. “I was getting frustrated. It popped into my head, stand on a corner and hold a sign and hand out resumes. At first i laughed about it…and then it kind of went crazy.”
For three days, for a few hours each day, Patrick handed his resume out to strangers. He also held a sign which read “Please take a resume. Laid-off. Looking for a job.”
During one of these sessions, a woman named Melissa DiGianfilippo, owner of Serendipit Consulting, passed by.
He caught the attention of the right person
During one of these sessions, a woman named Melissa DiGianfilippo, owner of Serendipit Consulting, passed by.
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 — MelissaDiGianfilippo
“I was impressed with Patrick because it was 110° outside and what I saw was really unexpected,” Melissa told CNN. “He was standing on the side of the road with a sign and a stack of resumes and a huge smile on his face.”
Melissa, who works in PR , noticed how much creativity this move took, so she grabbed a copy of his resume and decided to post it on social media.
“He was not asking for a handout, he was just asking for a job. That impressed me,” Melissa told Good Morning America.
“I figured, ‘I have a pretty wide network. I’ll share on social media,’” Melissa said.
I think people were impressed with this willingness and dedication to stand in 100-degree heat. – Melissa DiGianfilippo
From no response to 100s of job offers
The job offers began to fly in by the hundreds, and he eventually found a position at Flatline Concrete as a concrete grinder. It wasn’t just any job, but one he had actually hoped for.
They reached out to me over email phone, and I am glad that they did. It’s my dream job scenario. – Melissa DiGianfilippo
Most of all, Patrick is thankful for everyone who has helped him get to his dream job.
“I can’t say thank you enough to everybody,” Patrick said. “I had a lot of people who sent messages that weren’t necessarily job offers but were well-wishes [saying], ‘Good luck in your search.’ It was nice to see that.’”
Patrick and Melissa DiGianfilippo have kept in touch, and he is so thankful.
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. Take a chance on yourself.
Rather than admitting defeat, Patrick decided to get creative. While it takes a lot of courage to put oneself out there the way he did, it ultimately speaks of your resilience as a person. It spoke for itself in the way Patrick took a risk for himself and his family. And it paid off.
Remember, while we cannot control circumstances or what happens to us, we can definitely control how we react to them. And that can make all the difference.
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