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

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