Struggling graduate up for auction after string of rejections

Published on Wednesday 8 February 2012 12:01

A GRADUATE fed up with being rejected for job interviews has decided to sell himself on auction website eBay.

After applying for around 150 jobs without joy, Ross Laing decided it was time for drastic measures.

The 24-year-old, who lives in Leith and has racked up more than £10,000 in student debt, is auctioning himself online in the hope that a potential employer will make a bid to interview him – and with a bit of luck, employ him.

All money raised through bidding will be donated to a charity of the successful bidder’s choice.

Ross, who graduated with a 2.1 Honours in marketing management from Napier University last year, said: “I’ve been searching for a job in the field of marketing since the summer of 2011. I have applied for around 150 jobs with little feedback and never an interview. I decided enough was enough and started to think out of the box.”

The former George Heriot’s pupil said the idea behind auctioning himself on eBay was to place him “in the shop window”.

“The auction is for an interview with myself,” he said. “I do not intend to profit from this, it is solely to generate interest which hopefully leads to my potential employment.

“I felt like I had run out of conventional methods and the job sites were boring me.

“I wanted to cause a stir and hopefully access users that I wouldn’t normally be able to.

“I hope that Edinburgh’s top businesses will bid for me. I also hope to impress some national companies and would be open to all offers.

“This is a really good cause and it gives me an opportunity to impress. If nothing else, a local Edinburgh charity will hopefully benefit from some cash.”

Ross, who is originally from Haddington in East Lothian, currently works part-time as a sales consultant for Laing The Jeweller in Edinburgh but does not earn enough to start paying off his student debt.

He said: “I have huge debts left over from university and would like to start paying my way out of this.”

The starting bid for Ross is 1p and eBay users have until Saturday to bid for him. Although he hasn’t received any interest so far, Ross said he remained “optimistic”.

He added: “Young graduates are finding it nearly impossible to gain employment after spending tens of thousands on education. As a graduate you are trained to be good at what you do and be supposedly employable as a result. I owe over £10,000 which I hoped I would be repaying by now.”

Ross, who paid 37p to place the ad, added: “My dream is to be a marketing manager and in order to get ahead in that business, unique ideas are essential.”

Comments

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37

KingB5

Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 09:03 AM

Right I know this guy extremely well. I want to clear this one up. Please let us all get one thing clear: LAING'S IS NOT HIS FAMILY BUSINESS!!! He wouldn't be looking for a job elsewhere if that was the case!!! The lad has applied for 150 jobs and had no success so he's trying an innovative idea. The comments on "private school kids" getting parent's handouts and about family businesses are ignorant, immature and blind-sighted. Get a clue please! Yak, all the best and I hope some suit at a big company picks you up. It ain't easy for graduates in any country. At least the lad is trying!!!

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36

Jools in Edinburgh

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 11:55 PM

Idiotic comment from EDINBURGH.REPORTER # 16. Hint that the guy only works at the shop because his Dad might own it, then go on to slate him on the basis that this is the case.

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35

The Genuine Mario Antionette

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 11:12 PM

#32 - You cannot be serious...

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34

The Genuine Mario Antionette

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 11:09 PM

This must be the worst site ever,

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33

EbeneezerGood

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 06:02 PM

Give this lad a job now!! He has already marketed Laings and eBay and wasn't even trying to!

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32

Mario Antoinette

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 05:36 PM

TO be quite serious, we all need to think out the box a bit. Marketeers basically try to foster uneccesary trinkets on low self worth individuals. Its the 21st century, we need to grow up and stop this parasitical nonsense.

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31

Finbarr Saunders

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 05:32 PM

"... started to think out of the box.” That pretty much tells me everything I need to know about this guy. Anyone interviewing him should keep a "Buzzword Bingo" card handy!

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30

Belle du Jeer

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 05:15 PM

Speaking of talentless self-publicists, where's your old pal Paul Voltaire and his blog these days?

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29

Jazzi

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 05:09 PM

Well done Ross... Quite innovative..... better than sitting on ones 'bum' waiting for things to happen! Its not about whether it will or wont work, he has come up with an unusual idea and doing something about trying to find a job. A lot of people would just sit and moan about their lot! The Ebay thing I think is more about drawing someones attention to Ross, and yes if! someone offered him a job from that then good. It will certainly make people notice him though, so where is the harm? And no I am not related blah blah...... Good luck Ross!

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28

Mario Antoinette

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 04:44 PM

27 I dont know to be honest, at least it would be unique. There's a horrible assumption amonst graduates that senior employers are somehow daft . If he's doing half the things he said he is at Laings and cant begin to pay off his loans on the money that this OBE headed company is giving him - he's not much of a negotiator shall we say. Anyway, Im being a bit mean , best of luck Ross.

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27

Belle du Jeer

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 04:35 PM

Mario, do you think he would get many offers by advertising himself as a Third Assistant Tea-Stirrer's Mate's Apprentice? Which is probably closer to what he actually does.

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26

Mario Antoinette

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 04:28 PM

21 " a great marketing mind" ? I'm amazed that ebay accepted this, I'm sure its against their terms and conditions. this sort of stunt has been pulled a million times. Luckily he knows trashy evening papers like this sort of thing.

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25

Mario Antoinette

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 04:22 PM

He specialises in "Luxury sales and Hospitality". No he doesnt, he worked as a bar manager and on a minimum wage and is "the brand manager" for some type of watch in the store. Seriously folks we shouldnt give these people jobs. They just invent fancy new terms for very basic tasks and expect a mint for it. Linkedin is full of utter garbage job titles where its basically impossible to determine what the person actually does. Enough of us have been employed in various businesses to know the answer is normally not very much , with a half assed attitude. Senior Global blah de blah.

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24

Mario Antoinette

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 04:16 PM

Comment removed by moderator

23

edinburgh.reporter

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 04:12 PM

I stand corrected! Now, exactly how many prospective employers does one think search ebay to find their new graduate staff? Maybe RBS got Fred the Shred there..... whaddyafink?

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