A GRADUATE who has been rejected for over 150 jobs has decided to sell himself on auction website eBay.
Ross Laing, 24, is so fed up of job hunting that he has taken drastic measures to gain employment.
The 24-year-old marketing graduate, who lives in Edinburgh, has racked up more than £10,000 in student debt, and is auctioning himself online and hopes potential employers will see the ad and offer him an interview.
Laing, originally from Haddington, East Lothian, insists that all proceeds raised will be donated to a charity chosen by the successful bidder.
Ross graduated with a 2.1 Honours in marketing management from Napier University last year and has been job hunting for marketing jobs ever since.
He 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 pupil of prestigious private school George Heriot’s in Edinburgh, said he wanted to place himself “in a shop window,” and believes eBay is the best way to get noticed.
“The auction is for an interview with myself.
Charity
“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 is working part-time as a sales consultant for Laing the Jeweller in Edinburgh but does not earn enough money to pay off his £10,000 debt.
He said: “I have huge debts left over from university and would like to start paying my way out of this.”
Bidding for Ross starts at 1p and eBay users can bid for an interview until Saturday.
The graduate has not yet received a bid but Ross said he is “optimistic” about potential employers spotting the ad.
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.”
