This homeless man handed out resumes on the street—and he’s gotten more than 200 job offers

Finding a job can be difficult. It’s a competitive world, and even a college degree is no guarantee that you’ll lock a job down without a sweat. For one college grad in his 20s, this struggle was his reality. But unlike many people stuck without a job who choose to beg for money to support themselves, David Casarez got creative.

According to CNN affiliate KRON, Casarez moved to the Golden State, on the hunt for a tech job in Silicon Valley, when he ran out of money.

“It was basically a make-or-break moment. I wanted to keep my head up high, keep looking forward and see what opportunity would come next,” he told KRON. “I was thinking, you know, like this was like my last stop. If this didn’t work, I’d go back home and give up on my dream.”

When asked why he didn’t try his luck elsewhere, Casarez explained that if he wanted to make it big in his industry of choice, there was no better place for him.

“I wanted to be in the Bay Area with all of the other tech companies,” he told NBC Bay Area. “If you want to compete and play with the big dogs, you’d better come out here. I was like, ‘Let me try something to stand out.'”

The 26-year-old decided to stand on the street with a sign that read, “Homeless hungry 4 success take a resume.” He handed his resume to anyone who took notice, hoping to make some type of connection that might possibly lead to a job in the tech capital of the country.

Well, determination pays off. And sometimes the internet, in combination with the power of social media, can help make dreams come true.

This homeless man went from zero prospects to over 200 job offers after one passerby, Jasmine Scofield, posted a photo of him and his sign on the intersection of El Camino Real and San Antonio Road. She tweeted, “Today I saw this young homeless man asking for people to take a resume rather than asking for money. If anyone in the Silicon Valley could help him out, that would be amazing. Please RT so we can help David out!”

https://twitter.com/jaysc0/status/1022995030015766528

The tweet garnered over 221,000 likes and over 138,000 retweets, so it’s safe to say he’s been noticed. Big time. Companies including Google, Netflix, Pandora and Linkedin have all reached out, and with good reason. According to Casarez’s resume, he graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in management information systems. Post-grad, he worked for General Motors as a web developer.

“All I wanted was for one person to notice, take my resume and give me an opportunity,” Casarez told NBC Bay Area.

And that’s just what happened.

Scofield later took the time to chat with Casarez on the phone to hear more about his story.

“I knew it would be posted on social media,” he told her. “I didn’t know it would blow up like this. I’m trying not to take any money. I really do just want a job opportunity. That’s all I’m asking.”

Though Casarez is still homeless, he won’t be for long if the flood of job offers is any indication of what’s to come!