Fired Supermarket Worker’s Son Goes Viral for LinkedIn Post

A son’s plea for employers to hire his recently fired dad has gone viral on LinkedIn.

Patrick McCarthy shared a heartwarming post on the networking platform after finding out his dad, Peter Judge, had been fired from his cashier job at a supermarket in Phoenix, Ariz.

“My dad lost his job yesterday. I would tag him here, but he doesn’t have a LinkedIn. My dad and I have starkly different professional journeys. He was a cashier at Winco. He loved his job. He loved his customers. Thousands of faces passed through his lane, and he had so many stories about those faces,” McCarthy wrote via LinkedIn in February.

“I got off a two-hour-long phone call with him this morning and he shared what he loved about his work, and what he has loved about his work throughout his life. And it was exactly what I knew about him, but something that he has never put into words,” he continued.

McCarthy noted his dad has worked in the “service industry for most of his professional career.”

“He loves his customers. He loves being the reason people come back. He loves seeing customers seek out his lane for check-ins and updates. He said to me, ‘I’m good at this stuff.’ He and I share our empathy. Our listening ears. Our understanding. I can tell he’s my dad. Most of his professional stents have lasted 10+ years. As anyone would be, he’s shocked. Overwhelmed. Scared. Emotional,” he wrote.

McCarthy also asked for anyone with a lead for a job in the Phoenix area to message him so he could connect them with his dad.

“I’m excited for his next step. This guy is someone you want on your team,” he concluded his post.

Speaking to USA TODAY after his post went viral, McCarthy shared his dad “really likes interacting with people, approaching situations with empathy and humility and bringing a smile to people’s faces.”

He also detailed that his dad’s previous job operates on a points system. Once he accrued too many, he was let go.

“[My dad] walked and relied on public transportation to get to work, which sometimes put him behind schedule. If the lights didn’t work in his favor crossing the street, he’d be maybe five or 10 minutes late,” McCarthy explained.

Since his son went viral, Judge has joined LinkedIn in his search for a new job.

“I would like to thank all of you for the overwhelming support, suggestions and offers. My son Patrick is guiding me on this journey. I’m still learning the ropes of Linkedin, so bear with me. Don’t forget: I am still #opentowork,” he wrote in an update.