A job seeker who went viral after setting up a stand outside a London Tube station managed to secure himself an interview within just three hours - and went on to land a new role in three days.
Haider Malik, 24, set up a pop-up stand at Canary Wharf on Tuesday 2 November, handing out CVs as people passed through the busy financial district with the hope of finding a finance position.
Malik, who has a first-class degree in Banking & Finance from Middlesex University, had been on the hunt for employment since the beginning of the pandemic last year.
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He had handed out all of his CVs within an hour of arriving at Canary Wharf Tube Station, where a large sign revealed he was looking for an 'entry level role' or 'graduate scheme'.
"Approach for my CV, any advice [or] just to chat," it added.
Amazingly, by 9.30am, Malik had received a message from the Canary Wharf Group asking him to come and interview for a role as Treasury Analyst an hour later.
Speaking to MyLondon, he said: "I got a text message from the director of the department at about 9.30am saying 'come in for an interview at 10.30am'.
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"I had my car in the car park so I took the board and took all my stuff.
"I was like 'wow, this is crazy'.
"They interviewed me on the 30th floor of a building and I'm overlooking Canary Wharf thinking 'wow, I never expected to be interviewed here let alone potentially about to get a job'."
After the interview, Malik returned to his car and checked his phone - soon realising he had gone viral on social media.
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Better still, after attending a second interview on Friday 5 November, he was offered a job that evening.
"The first interview was the same day, which was a Tuesday morning, and then I got a second interview on Friday," Malik explained.
"And then by Friday evening they were happy with me and I accepted the role."
Malik was inspired by his father Mehmood Malik, a 67-year-old retired cab driver who moved to the UK from Pakistan as a teen, to take a chance on finding a new job - a bold gamble that paid off.
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But he has also praised the help of a kind stranger called Emmanuel, who helped him spread the word.
He said: "There was one person called Emmanuel who actually posted a picture of me online.
"He actually came up to me, he put his hand out and said 'I wish you well'.
"He said he wanted to do something similar two years ago but he didn't have the courage to do it.
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"He was happy that I put myself forward to do it and that he wanted to share a picture of me on LinkedIn."
Sharing an update on LinkedIn, the newly-employed Londoner wrote: "A lot can change in 14 days, I have accepted a role with the Canary Wharf Group plc, thank you to everyone that helped make this possible.
"Let's all stay connected and grow together! Thank you Emmanuel Fajuyigbe for your share on day 1."
Featured Image Credit: Haider Malik