Boss makes video ad highlighting type of candidate he doesn’t want

The boss of an online advertising company has hit upon a rather an unusual way of sifting out candidates he doesn’t want.

Gerard O’Shaughnessy has filmed a job advert in which he says mobile phone addicts and anyone with a “psycho” boyfriend need not apply.

The Daily Star reports O’Shaughnessy, boss of Business Marketing Services, starts his video off in a fairly innocuous way by detailing the role’s spec and perks, but then proceeds to launch into somewhat of a tirade in terms of the type of candidate he doesn’t want to recruit.

“I’m not looking for somebody that has an anxiety and depression disorder that kicks in round about Monday after the weekend.

“Obviously anxiety and depression is a really serious issue affecting a lot of people but not if you’re going out at the weekend and taking various pharmaceuticals – then it’s self-inflicted.

“We’re also looking to get somebody involved who’s not got a psycho boyfriend who rings your phone up 25 times a day and texts you a million times a day, forcing you to text back, driving you mad and driving me mad.

“The person we’re looking to recruit is going to have a partner that’s quite happy for them to actually get a job and work between nine and three Monday to Friday.

“We also don’t want someone who’s addicted to their phone, so if the thought of you putting your phone down for three seconds and working for a company that only allows you to put your phone back on at 12 o’clock in your break times – this job’s definitely not for you, ok? It’s not for you whatsoever.

“What we are looking for is someone who’s a complete winner, who wants to succeed, who likes to have a laugh but doesn’t take the mickey.”

He adds the job is “available to people of all different shapes and sizes, colours or creeds, male or female”. “I’ve got to say that so that I don’t get done by the ‘right-on’ police that exist in this country.”

O’Shaughnessy says he decided to do the video after reviewing unsuitable applications for posts at his firm, adding he was stunned staff had “complete meltdowns” after he made it compulsory for phones to be locked away each day.

“It’s a completely different world we’re living in compared to when I grew up,” he said. “We didn't have the constraint of constantly having to look like a celebrity on Instagram and Facebook. We just went to work.”

He told the Daily Star that people nowadays are completely addicted to their phones, and that he has had people in complete meltdowns “when they’ve been told they need to put their phone in a box”.

“We’ve had girls join the organisation and their boyfriends insist on regular updates throughout the day about how their day is going.

“We’ve had people who have worked for us in the past who have they’ve got anxiety and depression issues and we treat this sensitively. It’s a huge thing that affects a lot of young people.

“But when they’ve got anxiety and depression because they’ve been out all weekend taking all kinds of party drugs or are away from their phones, that’s a different thing entirely.”

O’Shaughnessy concluded: “We live in a generation full of snowflakes. If there’s ever a war, God help us – they’re all going to be sipping chamomile tea and having group hugs.”

• What do you think? A bit of a harsh approach or a breath of fresh air? Do let us know! You can also tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend. Our editorial email is [email protected]

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