Alfred Ajani Speaks on How Safe is Risky

"Don't be afraid to take risks." -Alfred Ajani

Back in January, I read Alfred Ajani’s story about going to the subway station with his resume to find employment. Aside from thinking this was the wildest stunt I’ve ever heard of, I admired his courage to do something outside of the box. After enduring the frustration of rejections upon graduating college, he took a leap of faith and has now been recognized globally for his unconventional way of showing job seekers how it’s done. I decided to catch up with Alfred to find out a little bit more about his story and here’s what he had to say.

How did you come up with the idea to go to the subway station? Was it out of pure frustration?

Well, yes there was many things really. I was angry and people tend to listen to you when you are. I stood out there for about 45 minutes before being noticed. I had no idea it would become what it has. My phone was blowing up after two days and it was then that I starting reading in depth the comments people were making about my story. It was overwhelming and great.

When you decided to take your resume to the subway station were you thinking this is crazy of me to do or did you say someone has to notice me?

I’ve done some wilder things, so. I was pretty confident that someone would notice me. I just knew they would.

Tell me about what you do now at your current employer.

I am the Marketing and PR Projects Manager of The Asoria Group. The Asoria Group is a multi-award winning recruitment group, with 4 specialist brands; The Green Recruitment Company, The Energy Recruitment Company, The Digital Recruitment Company, The Property Recruitment Company. I handle PR campaign management, social media along with increasing brands of awareness.

What motivates you.

My competition motivates me.

What is your greatest fear.

Being silent. I’ve got a voice and I want to keep. I want to be the voice to lift the weight off their shoulders.

What do you want future graduates to learn from your experience?

Its not all about the 'big sexy companies.' You can be a valued member within the company. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Look at Kanye West, he’s not afraid of rejection or what people thinks. I want to be like him in a sense, not for any financial gain. Just to be that impactful figure to people. I often use my motivational speeches to ex-offenders and college graduates to explain the idea of not being afraid. I actually have two speeches next week.