A jobseeker stood at London tube station with a placard. Viral LinkedIn post landed him a job

Haider Malik poses with his placard outside a tube station in London and (right) Malik after begging his new job. (Image credit: Photo uploaded by Haider Malik on LinkedIn.)

Four weeks ago, while heading to work, tech analyst Emmanuel Fajuyigbe came across a young man holding up a placard with his educational qualification details outside a tube station in London.

A closer look revealed it to be an advertisement that the banking and finance graduate, Haider Malik, hoped would help find him a job. Emmanuel, who works at Barclays, quickly took a photograph of Malik and his placard and shared it with his story on social media. He hoped that if shared widely, his post might just connect Malik to a prospective employer.

"I just saw this gentleman Haider Malik, maybe this post will not be of help but if there is any recruiter out there please feel free to contact him directly. We live in difficult times and the job market isn’t the best at the moment," Fajuyigbe wrote in his post on LinkedIn.

"Graduates are getting into debt and struggling to enter in the job market and let’s be honest, for some roles a Degree is not even required, what people need sometimes is just an opportunity."

His wish came true two weeks later when Malik indeed was offered a job after clearing an interview. He then took to LinkedIn to thank Fajuyigbe and everybody else who shared his story.

“A lot can change in 14 days, I have accepted a role with the Canary Wharf Group plc, thank you to everyone that helped make this possible. Let's all stay connected and grow together!” Malik said in a social media post. To which Fajuyigbe commented, "Love my brother, you deserve it. I can already see your success on the way."

Later, Fajuyigbe and Malik met to celebrate the new job. Thanking others for sharing his post, Fajuyigbe put up a photo with Malik and noted how social media is a powerful tool and stated, "Life can be so unpredictable, sometimes you just need to be at the right place at the right time.

The tremendous response that Fajuyigbe's post received encouraged him to try and help other job seekers like Malik. "This whole month has been surreal, let's keep the momentum going and help one another fulfil our potential," Fajuyigbe wrote in another post.