'Sandwich Board Lady' Gerri Spiers Has Been Job Hunting For Months

This 'Sandwich Board Lady' Has Been Job Hunting For Months

Gerri Spiers has been taking to the streets in search of work as a secretary with her trusty sandwich board, causing a commotion on social media as people have been trying to help the "sandwich board lady".

With around 20 years experience as a PA under her belt, Spiers, a 51-year old secretary who was made redundant in February, made a sandwich board as an ideal way to advertise herself and get back into work.

Her supporters include BT Sport presenter Jake Humphrey, who shared a picture of her on Twitter and urged someone to "give her a job".

Spiers, who has previously worked as a PA for knights, lords, and high-flying businessmen, hand delivered 1,000 letters to businesses in London looking for work in the first three months of her search.

"I wasn't really getting anywhere and had about a 10% response rate and sadly nothing came of it. I thought I'd try something entirely different as I know no mature candidates have done this," she explained to the Huffington Post UK.

"I've given out an awful lot of CVs but no-one has physically contacted me yet."

Spiers managed to find temporary work in the spring, but she was let go after a few weeks as one of the managers suddenly moved back to a different company and no longer needed her services. Despite this, she has gone back to the job hunt with renewed dedication.

She has been donning her sandwich board during rush-hour and advertises herself to thousands of commuters in central London.

"Everyone has come up to me and said what I was doing fantastic and I was very brave. I wouldn't think i was very brave - I've just got on with it," she said.

Spiers has secured a few interviews since May, but has found that despite her experience, some employers have overlooked her due to her age.

"When I was invited for one interview, the interviewer kept making negative comments to me every time I spoke to her, saying things such as 'Oh you're a traditional PA', even though I had already established that I had got the qualifications."

"I've worked for bosses who are exceptionally calm through to bosses who are exceptionally dynamic," she said. "There are employers out there who would find a mature candidate ideal because they're not going to mess them about and they have the reliability."

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