Update on Paul the Sandwich-Board Man

Monica,

That last bit is a great idea, one I think the networks should take seriously.

Meanwhile those of us in the real world will continue to recognize Paul's tenacity in the face of a crisis caused not at the bottom- and not in middle management either- but by the very top.

And I personally will continue to do what little I can to see that this man gets a job.

...linking this on the Hire Paul Nawrock! facebook group.

I am indebted to Monica for putting my story on BusinessWeek.com and striking the match that has gone on to make such a big light. I have to defend what I have done because it has gotten significant results. I have gotten lots of offers of help and advice and actual offers of interviews by employers who may want to hire me. While I don't have a job yet at this moment, I am at least getting interviews that I am confident will lead to steady employment. This is 100% more than I was getting before, sending our resumes, networking, talking to recruiters, and getting no interviews whatsoever. So, I have to defend something that is very clearly going to work for me. But beyond me and my story is just why this has become such a big media event and why I have been cooperating with almost every news person seeking me out. I was invisible, sitting at home, sending out resumes and feeling that I was becoming a ghost, slowly becoming invisible and ineffectual. Putting on the board to make myself visible not only got me the attention of recruiters and employers, it also got the attention of a big invisible force out there that not only did I not realize was there, but most of the media seemed to have missed, the growing number of middle class workers suddenly finding themselve unemployed, unable to generate interest and slowly feeling ghostlike just as I did. They have gravitated to me like a magnet, wanting to console and encourage me despite the fact they daily face the same fears and sometimes worse. They have done this almost gratefully because I have helped put a face on this for all of us. This simple uncalculated act has made the invisible visible, a group feeling increasingly powerless as if they had a power again, resonating among all of us. I want to emphasize that this never has been a story of sadness despite the potentially sad circumstance, but one of tenacity and hope, a hope that was in the beginning tentative, but has been intensified and rewarded by the goodness of those around me who have reached out, grabbed me and held me close. This has been a life changing experience for me, and I hope for others. I know I will never be the same for it, and I am forever grateful.