East Yorkshire roadside job-hunter's smart idea pays off

Craig Driver's roadside stunt in Coniston near Hull

A job-seeker dressed in a smart suit and holding a sign at the roadside has been turning heads in East Yorkshire.

Father-of-one Craig Driver, 49, said drastic action was needed after he had applied for "hundreds" of jobs but "getting nowhere".

Mr Driver has now been told to expect a formal job offer from a charity in Hull within the next few days.

A worker who stopped after seeing him next to the A1065 at Coniston had put in a word to her boss, he revealed.

Mr Driver, who lives with wife Diana and their seven-year-old son in Brandesburton, said: "I'm really hopeful."

His decision to don a suit in his roadside attempts to attract attention from possible employers was because "I needed to be presentable - like I'm there for an interview", he said.

Craig Driver pictured with his wife Diana and their son

It comes after recent difficult times, Mr Driver said.

In 2019, he suffered a stroke and while he briefly returned to work as an operations manager for a construction firm, he left again as he feared conditions there would trigger a relapse.

Mr Driver said: "My family is in a financial crisis. We have a lot of overheads and our savings have vanished."

Doing his best to secure work, not even torrential rain has dampened his spirits.

He said he had been at his spot, on a grassy verge next to the busy road, at least six hours a day since Tuesday.

Mr Driver said: "On Wednesday, one guy stopped and gave me an umbrella because he said he couldn't see me get wet."

Someone else gave him a bottle of water, he added.

"The response has been phenomenal. People have been giving me the thumbs-up and shouting words of encouragement as they go past."