Art James isn’t looking for a handout.
He’s looking for a hand up, as the saying goes.
Out of work since March, James is taking his job search to the streets, setting up shop at Richmond and Dundas streets with a handwritten message that sums up his story.
“I don’t want you spare change. I need a job,” reads a sign he’s holding. “Please take a resume.”
James, 45, of London started his campaign Tuesday and plans to be on the street corner until Friday. If nothing solid has surfaced by then, James plans to move to Wonderland and Exeter to catch people as they head to work.
“I’ve never really had faith in traditional job search methods,” he said Wednesday. “You find yourself in a (big pool of applicants), and you can’t get recognized. You gotta be able to get past that first light.”
The resume he’s peddling is quite lengthy. James has about 15 years as a tool and dye maker. Before that, he worked in a kitchen as a chef, line cook and dishwasher.
Times are getting desperate, James said.
“I have rent paid through (the end of) October,” he said. “After that, I don’t know.”
