wdnews@bepp.co.uk
The former boss of a �1million-a-year business who was left jobless because of the credit crunch is so desperate for work he stands at the roadside clutching a placard pleading for an interview – for 11 hours a day.
Desperate Michael Adlington, 51, ran a successful care company in Bristol employing 124 people which he built from scratch using a computer in his bedroom in 1999.
But a combination of splitting with his wife and the economic downturn meant he was forced to sell the company which had an annual turnover of �1.2 million in 2007.
Michael, who now lives in rented accommodation after he was forced to sell his home, has applied for 45 jobs since November without getting a single interview. He is now standing on a busy roundabout in his new home town of Newton Abbot, Devon, from around 7am to 6pm every day pleading for a job and handing out CVs.
The smartly dressed father-of-two, who makes a point of wearing suit, shoes and tie, clutches a giant board which reads: "Former company director requires employment now. Determined, resilient, reliable, talented... Anything considered."
He said: "I get here first thing so I catch the commuter rush and go home when I can't bear the cold anymore, but make sure I get the commuters coming home.
"Then when I get home I spend my evenings on the internet looking for and applying jobs. I believe you have to have a really positive attitude and go out there and get a job, not by sitting behind a computer screen."
Michael founded and was director of Capable Care Ltd in Bristol, which he set up in his bedroom in 1999 using just one computer.
He built it up until he employed 124 people providing home help and earned a �1.2million annual turnover.
But he was forced to sell the business for an undisclosed sum in 2007 after the credit crunch left the business ailing and struggling to turn a profit.
Michael split with his wife shortly afterwards and was consequently forced to sell the family home in Bristol, where his business was based.
He moved to Devon to start a life and has applied for 45 jobs in the last number of weeks but has not been invited for a single interview.
But rather than "mope around", he took a pro-active approach and appealed to potential employers to give him a chance.
Michael said he would prefer to get a management job but was prepared to consider any work with a steady wage.
He added: ''I think people will see I am actually out there trying to get a job. I am confident, enthusiastic and driven.
''Everything is about action. If you don't take action, how can you expect to get anything back. I'm coming back into work and trying to get a job but it is extremely difficult.
''I had a read about the huge unemployment figures in Britain at the minute, but I didn't realise quite how difficult it would be.''
Michael started standing at the roadside on Monday and has vowed to continue for "as long as it takes".
Before setting up his company in 1999, Michael was an assistant finance manager for Provident PLC and in his younger days worked as a HGV driver, a plumber and was a sergeant in the Territorial Army, where he served for eight years.
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