Houston, TX — DeAndre Matthews, a 21-year old graduate from an electrical trade school, has raised the bar high in terms of job seeking. Instead of just waiting for job opportunities to appear in front of him, he decided to go out and stand at a busy intersection while holding a sign and distributing copies of his resume.
Seven months after graduating from Houston School of Carpentry in Texas, Matthew had not received any job offers yet. During that time, he said he had already applied everywhere but to no avail.
When he realized he couldn’t wait any longer, he stood on the corner of Beltway 8 and Wallisville Road in Houston, Texas. He spent three hours there handing out copies of his resume while holding a sign that read, “I am an electrical trade school grad with no job experience. Please take a resume and help this electrician apprentice out. #striveforgreatness”
A lot of people noticed him, took pictures of him, and shared his story on social media. It eventually went viral on social media and he was even featured on the local news.
Since then, he received more than 80 calls offering him job interviews from all over and across the state.
He then landed an interview at a local electrical company and was hired on the spot. “I accepted the job because my employer seemed to appreciate my knowledge and cared about teaching me. That really spoke to me,” Matthews told Because of Them We Can.
Matthews, who has an electrician’s apprentice license, hopes to become a master electrician in the near future. With the determination he has shown, he most definitely will achieve it soonest.