A jobless grandad faced with a struggle to support his growing family has turned to Facebook to help him find work.
Ian McCaffery lost his job as a conference manager at a city centre hotel last year.
After applying unsuccessfully for dozens of positions, he set up a Facebook group called ‘Ian McCaffery Needs a Job’ – and has now been inundated with offers of help, including from strangers.
More than 100 people have joined the group, tipping him off about potential leads.
And one person has even helped Mr McCaffery, 48, of Lower Broughton, Salford, by improving his CV for him.
The grandfather-of-one came up with the idea when a friend encouraged him after he changed his Facebook status to say he was looking for work.
He said: “I’ve applied for dozens of jobs and have had a few interviews but keep getting rejection letters as my age seems to go against me. Being unemployed is really tough, I am looking for work every day but I am finding it very difficult so I thought I'd set up the group.
“I’ve been overwhelmed by the response and now have more than 100 members giving me leads for work. One person has even made my CV a lot better by giving me help to update it so it shows Facebook can be useful.”
Mr McCaffery worked in the hotel industry in the city centre for 23 years and described losing his job last April as ‘a big shock’.
“It was the last thing I expected. I thought I’d be in a job for life and I was completely devastated but I had to get back on my feet and it was no use getting down about it,” he said.
“The Facebook group offers me encouragement and hopefully it will help me to get a job soon.”
Mr McCaffery lives with his wife Marion, 52, a part-time carer, their two children, Christopher, 21 and Stacey, 20 and her 21-month-old son Nathan.
He told how he has gone from earning £24,500 a year to £64 a week in benefits and the family is having to survive on his wife’s salary.
He added: “My daughter has a young child and another on the way and I want to be able to financially help them. I’m really determined to find work and don’t want to rely on others to support my family.”
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Nice story for those who like to label all claimants as lazy scroungers, not quite that simple, is it?
Well done. Best of luck mate. I'm sure you'll get a job soon.
What a great idear,well done and good luck Ian.
A good bit of thinking by this chap, I hope he soon finds a job.
Well done Ian.
The coup of getting yourself into the Manchester Evening News might just be a bit more beneficial though.
Ivor Rash, Oldham
Nice nom de plume Ivor. See you have a lot of time on your hands like me. Stops us being miserable old codgers.
Well done Macca glad th CV advice helped...............
well done to this man, at least hes out looking and finding......he is a great example to all
My God, if you are now considered to be over the hill at aged 48 we are all doomed!!
Good luck matey.
Hi Ian,
Great article, I hope you soon get sorted. Shout me if I can help with anything else.
Fiona Lowe, ex collague from the V & A
I help people improve their CVs all the time....I hate seeing badly written CVs.
Fanny Ayres - your's too! I've far too much time obviously :)
Oh well, still not workng, but trying very hard each day.