Where there is a will, there is a way
"Don't lose faith, something has to come."
“I’m not asking for money. I just want a job so I can be the dad and husband I’m supposed to be,” a very emotional Craig Hardman said.
The 46-year-old worked as a project manager for 26 years, but then bad luck struck. “I was working on a contract at a well-known company, but when I returned from my leave,I learned that they had not renewed our contract,” Craig said.
He added that, generally in such a situation, they would receive updates on the status of these contracts every two weeks, but weeks turned into months. “During the time we were waiting on the company’s feedback, I sent an average of four to five CVs daily. I received some good news that I was appointed as a project manager at a big company, and would start on 2 October. But, just before the starting date, the project was postponed indefinitely,” he said.
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He went to Spar and got a cardboard box, intending to make a sign out of it. “I told my fiancée I would be standing at the traffic light on the corner of Hendrik Potgieter and Fredenharry Roads to hand out my CV, in an attempt to get a job,” he said emotionally.
“As I was walking towards the intersection that first day, I told myself I can’t do this, but I knew I had no other choice. We have already used our savings that were meant to pay for our wedding and the accounts are piling up. The experience was quite humiliating and I had to drag myself back there on the third day as my first two days were not very successful. On my first day, the guys handing out pamphlets for various businesses managed to hand out more pamphlets that I could CVs, and on the second day, when I was called over by a motorist, I ran over excitedly, only to be asked for directions!” he said with a slight smile. He added that he believed his faith was being tested to see if he would actually go back one more day.
“So, the third day, I decided to go to the intersection a bit earlier, and as I arrived, an old lady in a small white car called me over and asked if she could have a copy of my CV, which I gladly offered. After that, it only took half an hour for me to hand out the 40 CVs I had with me,” said Craig.
The response he received was overwhelming – he has been receiving emails, calls and WhatsApps almost non-stop. “Every person who took my CV that day has contacted me, and I have received calls from Dubai, New Zealand, Australia, Cape Town and Durban. I am sending an average of 200 CVs daily. And, although I have not been appointed in a position as yet, I have interviews lined up for the next two weeks,” he said.
“I am not doing this for me, but for my fiancée and our three children. I need to keep a roof over our heads, put food on the table and keep them in school, and this was the only way I could think of doing it.
The past five months have been hard, and we had to adjust our budget drastically to ensure we survived. We have implemented various measures to save on our water and electricity bill as well,” he said.
He was very emotional when he talked about his photo on Facebook going viral and said, “You would think there is no kindness in this country, but I was proven wrong. I would like to thank everyone who commented, shared or contacted me to pray with me. Thank you to all our friends and family for their support and assistance, it is appreciated,” he said with tears in his eyes.
But, despite these circumstances, Craig tries to stay positive and said, “I know I am not the only one going through hardship and that there will always be someone else whose problems are bigger and that is why I would like to say to those people, never lose faith, something will come. There is a definite spirit of Ubuntu in South Africa and the kindness that has already been shown to me and my family has proven that. And, if I can change only one person’s perception with my story, it would make my day.”
Craig is a very hands-on worker and would be suited best in business analysis, chain management, project management and anything in the learning and development field. He can be contacted on 083 214 2400 or crhardman@live.co.za.
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