A tweet has gone viral and nabbed a 22-year-old refugee man several job interviews.
The man, simply known as Mohammed, fled Libya for the UK as a child and is now looking for work after receiving two degrees in Space Engineering.
On Wednesday, he stood dressed in a suit and tie in London’s Canary Wharf financial district holding a sign: “Came as a refugee, just graduated from UCL in ROCKET SCIENCE. Looking for a career in finance. Ask for CV.”
Mary Engleheart, a digital manager at aid organisation, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), spotted Mohammed’s sign on her way to work.
She tweeted a picture of him, which eventually went viral. By Thursday, the refugee had reportedly lined up three job interviews with different banks.
Tens of thousands of people around the world have since shared Ms Engleheart’s original tweet to #GetMohamedAJob.
The story even reached Virgin CEO Sir Richard Branson, whose company employs some 65,000 people across 35 countries.
“Best of luck to refugee rocket scientist Mohamed on his job hunt & great to see thousands of people helping @IRCEurope's mission to #GetMohamedAJob!,” Branson tweeted.
Mohammed said he is overwhelmed by the support.
"Since finishing my undergraduate degree, I applied for over 70 jobs but I've been finding it difficult to make my CV stand out without experience and good contacts,” he told the IRC.
“I decided to put my suit on and try my luck - hoping that maybe one executive in the city would stop to give me advice or perhaps an interview."
Ms Engleheart said Mohamed is just one of the millions of refugees who want to contribute to their new countries.
“At the International Rescue Committee I see and hear stories every day that show that when refugees are given the opportunity to succeed, they thrive,” she said.
“Mohamed is living proof of the ingenuity and courage of refugees. I decided to tweet his picture and see whether anyone could help to find him a job.”
