Hadi Dadashian is a true renaissance man, the kind who doesn’t fit neatly on resumes.
Hadi Dadashian
He’s multilingual, having learned new languages wherever his family went. He taught himself Italian, for instance, after moving to Rome at age 13.
He enrolled in art college, like his older brother, but switched to electrical engineering because “all the other students were like Michelangelo.”
Job prospects were limited, so the family moved to the U.S. when Hadi was 24.
He worked as an electrical engineer, as a subcontractor with an older brother. They worked on projects from the Pentagon (where he advises there were a lot of rats, real rats to deal with, from the kitchen to man-sized heating ducts), to mega-mansions in Virginia, and restaurants in Washington, D.C.
Then he worked with another brother as an offset printer in Virginia.
Hadi changed careers, becoming a freelance news photographer so he could accompany his wife, Kathleen Kenna, to India, after she was promoted to South Asia bureau chief for her Canadian paper.
What happened next doesn’t fit on any resume.
Hadi saved Kathleen’s life, after she was badly wounded in an alleged al Qaeda IED attack in Afghanistan. (They were returning from a day of interviewing villagers when attacked.)
You will not hear about this from Hadi. That’s not how he wants to be defined.
After supporting Kathleen’s return to school in San Francisco, Hadi went back to school there too. He graduated in 2008 as an optical assistant.
When San Francisco became too pricey, Hadi landed “the best job of my life” in Las Vegas, in 2009.
He worked in optical sales and soon led the team, logging the highest sales numbers, month after month.
Hadi said it was the best job, because he was following a long-time career dream — optical — and was learning a lot, with a close-knit, supportive team.
The job ended in 2010 when the employer cut all workers’ salaries 50% to 70% without advance notice. Hadi left the state before the store closed.
Q: Did you collect unemployment insurance?
A: No, never have — always have a “Plan B”.
We lived on our savings; figured other jobless people needed UI more than me — people with children. We left the city, because it had the highest unemployment rate, and the highest foreclosure rate in the country.
Q: What should prospective employers know about you?
A: I’m resilient. I’m not afraid of hard work.
I’m a good listener, a fast learner; I’ll work any hours; and I’m not afraid to ask if I don’t know how to do something.
Q: Any observations about American unemployment after a year out of work?
A: People are afraid of hiring. It’s getting worse; it’s like they’re afraid to spend money. The system doesn’t want to give benefits; they want everyone to work full-time for part-time pay.
The most frustrating part is, you apply for jobs and never get a response — nothing.
It’s as if they don’t care. It’s almost like a joke.
Employers are giving jobs to people who are employed already. What about people without jobs, mothers who have kids to feed? They’re supporting aging parents, and other family members too. What are they supposed to do?
Q: What do you say to critics who blast people without jobs as being lazy?
A: I’m not lazy — I’ve worked since I was a teenager (as a barista in Rome). I’m working as a freelance photographer — you use any skill you have — because I have to be working. I’m glad to have the opportunity, and glad to still have good contacts. Being unemployed, you find it’s all about networking.
Hadi also has a photoblog, because he’s teaching himself online publishing. Kathleen and Hadi share a travel blog, which showcases his photos too.
Q: Any advice to employers?
A: Don’t be afraid. I think everyone’s so afraid, wages will drop to $5 an hour –they don’t want to pay real wages.
Why is there so much fear?
You come out of school all excited and you don’t get hired. It’s not fair to younger graduates. We need them to be working for the economy to improve.
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