Teenager’s old fashioned roadside ‘job corner’ advert wins him admirers and job offers after thousands of rejections online

INTERNET-SAVVY teenager Christopher Allen’s bold gamble of using an old fashioned trick to get a much needed job in his field looks like paying off in spades.

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INTERNET-SAVVY teenager Christopher Allen’s bold gamble of using an old fashioned trick to get a much needed job in his field looks like paying off in spades.
The 18-year-old Maraylya local has been trying in vain for the past two years to find a job and finally in sheer desperation decided to advertise his job skills on the side of a busy road in the Kellyville, after his part-time job as a farm hand in Dural, shovelling horse manure among other things.

This Monday, Mr Allen, helped by a friend, planted himself on the side of Old Windsor Road, Kellyville, with his details on a large board headlined: Job Corner, Eager for Job, Chris 18 yrs, 0439 948 027. And within hours, he was getting job offers from strangers.

Christopher James Allen of Maraylya has been advertising his job skills on the side of Old Windsor Road (corner of Samantha Riley Drive, Stanhope Gardens) from Monday, August 8.

Wearing a jacket and a broad smile on his face, Mr Allen began his job seeking by waving at passing motorists, who responded by honking their horns while many also stopped their vehicles to have a chat with him and offer him jobs.

“People have been great and the support I have got over the past three days has been massive,” Mr Allen told the Rouse Hill Times.

“It’s very heartening.

“We had three signs leading to this one, with the first 2km away, the second 1km away and the third 500m from our spot.”

Mr Allen completed a TAFE certificate 4 in IT two years ago after leaving Galston High School midway during Year 11 but finding a job proved much harder than completing his course

“One of my friends who lives in America said he had tried this and got a job within days,” said Mr Mr Allen, who is grateful to the farm for employing him.

“So my family and I decided to try it out here as I have sent thousands of applications for different jobs but received rejections.

The job corner sign.

“We began this on Monday afternoon and within half an hour someone stopped by and spoke to me about a job.

“But it got better when I had a call from 2GB because someone had emailed them about me and I got to speak about five minutes in a live broadcast.

“During this interview alone I got about four to five job offers and over the course of the past three days here, I received between 25-30 offers.

“I am willing to do any type of job as I need to pay my rent and it’s awesome how these guys have stepped up to help.

“I was nervous at the start for the first 20 minutes or so but after the first person stopped and I spoke to 2GB, I got rid of my nerves.

“We had been running this idea for about an year but I kept putting it off, though I will now hear the family saying ‘I told you so’, many times.”

Mr Allen will now spend the coming days sending job applications and attending interviews and with luck should be in a fulltime work soon.

While Rouse Hill Times was there, a motorist stopped by and after reading his CV, asked him to do life saving and first aid courses and then come back to him for a job.

“My mum painted the sign for me, showing me skills I didn't know she had,’ Mr Allen smiled.