Homeless Man Lands A Job After Handing Out His Resume To Those Passing By
Homeless man Frederick Callison, 52, sat outside of a Smart & Final in Sacramento, but didn’t ask for money or hand-outs—instead, he handed out his resume, in hopes of getting a job.
“I don’t like to beg. And I won’t. I refused to,” he said to CBS13 in Sacramento. “I am handing off my presentation of myself of what I’m trying to achieve and what I’m trying to do. Because I don’t want to be out here.”
When Michael Marteen, 25, saw Callison, who’s been outside of that Smart & Final store for two years, Marteen stopped and spoke to him. According to Callison’s resume, he has a background in restaurant work, including work as a line cook. On his resume, Callison also states: “I am firm believer in proactive productivity rather than reactive.”
Marteen liked Callison’s gumption. “He’s not at downtown stomping on steps trying to get some help,” Marteen told CBS13 in Sacramento. “He’s out here trying to work for it.”
“When I asked if I could see his resume, he hopped right up to hand one to me and then started telling me all about his experience as if it were an interview,” Marteen said to TODAY. “I’ve been in situations where I had nothing and had to bust my butt to get work, and there he was doing that, so I have a lot of respect for him.
Posted by Michael Marteen on Thursday, February 25, 2016
Marteen had a food background, too, having worked in catering, and thought he could possibly help out Callison.
“It’s easy to look at someone and not see anything but a homeless man, but after talking to him I realized he’s so much more than that,” Marteen said to TODAY. “He’s a well-spoken, cool and friendly guy who knows what he wants and is going after it.”
After giving him some water and food, Marteen posted about Callison’s needing a job on Facebook. Marteen was touched by all the shares of his post and media attention.
Tell me you don’t love this guy after watching this! I hate getting the credit for posting it. You guys all shared it….
Posted by Michael Marteen on Friday, February 26, 2016
Someone saw the post, and Callison was offered a job at Pizza Rocks, a downtown restaurant. Awww. We love pay-it-forward stories like this at Simplemost!
“He was ecstatic about landing a job and very grateful for the opportunity,” Marteen said. “He was up the night before studying the menu for hours.”
Aside from the job, Pizza Rocks also helped Callison in other ways—providing him with clothes. In addition, a friend offered him a place to stay versus his sleeping bag on the streets.
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