An unemployed IT worker has grabbed the attention of bosses by putting up roadside adverts asking for a job.

Gordon Wild Flynn has tackled the recession head-on by placing estate agent-style boards outside hi-tech firms in Reading stating: ‘IT/Project Manager FOR RENT’ – along with a web address and phone number.

And his unusual plea for a job seems to be having the desired effect. More than 110 firms have downloaded his CV as a result and the 42-year-old has his first interview lined up on Friday.

Mr Wild Flynn, of Coventry Road, Newtown, had not been out of work since 1995 until three months ago, when he was made redundant by BT.

Since then the father of two has struggled to find employment and decided it was time to try a different approach.

“I was applying for 10 jobs every day but I couldn’t get past the agencies,” he said. “I never had a problem getting a job in the past.

“But now there are too many skilled people out of work going for the same jobs. I have got a three-month-old baby and a mortgage to pay so I need a job. I knew I had to do something different.

“I was looking at billboards and wondered how I could do something like this in a cheaper way – and then I thought of getting some lawn signs made up.”

To target leading IT companies, he placed one sign outside Verizon’s offices at Reading International Business Park and another near the entrance to Thames Valley Park – home to the likes of Oracle and Microsoft.

The latter was taken down the following day but Mr Wild Flynn’s other ad is attracting lots of attention.

“I’m astonished by the response,” he said. “I am getting a lot of hits.

“I’m really glad I did it. It has opened doors. People have actually been contacting me to tell me about  vacancies.”

Mr Wild Flynn advised others to follow his lead and be creative in their search for a new job.

“You have to do something to get your CV on top of the pile,” he said. “Getting those signs done cost me £40 and it will get me a job as a result.”

- Nearly half of Reading’s job seekers would take a 10 per cent pay cut – or £3,000 a year - to get a new job, according to research.

One in five unemployed folk quizzed by Workthing+ said they would accept a 20 per cent slash in pay to return to the world of work.

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