Kristen Linberg is not shy about promoting himself as a talented, hard-working young Bermudian searching for the perfect job opportunity.

In fact, the ambitious self-starter has been advertising himself in the classifieds for several weeks along with a cell phone number so that interested employers can contact ?the hardworking 23-year-old who is interested in learning new skills on the job?.

Mr. Linberg has worked in sales and has a university background in business management.

He said he decided to take his job quest in his own hands rather than going through an employment agency so he could meet a lot of people and then pick and choose his new job independently.

?I?m not afraid of hard work, and I will put the effort in to do what I can to get there, to make that money,? he said. The companies that have phoned Mr. Linberg have been impressed with his ad.

Every week he receives about a dozen inquiries from interested human resource managers who have been trawling through the classifieds, he said.

His dream job is to work with a real estate agency in property management and, at the moment, he is eagerly anticipating news on a prospective offer with Rego Realtors.

?They said (taking out the ad) was a real interesting way to do things and it caught their eye rather than going about and doing it on the telephone,? he said. ?I also wanted to get feedback from people who read the employment section and the classifieds.?

The son of architect Sjur Linberg and grandson of artist Alfred Birdsey, Mr. Linberg decided not to put a name in his ad because he wanted to highlight his skills and qualifications.

He said young Bermudians must ensure they are both well-educated and qualified for the jobs they aspire to reach in the business world or in other industries.

?We can?t find enough qualified, willing to learn, young Bermudians to join the work force,? he said. ?What happens is that companies will have to look elsewhere if you don?t have the right qualifications. Bermudians are appealing to local and international companies, as long as they are well qualified, otherwise the companies end up looking elsewhere.?

Mr. Linberg attended Saltus but left at the age of ten to attend boarding school in the UK. He returned to the Island a little over a year ago and began working a number of odd jobs in sales and on the yacht the where he helped to plan events and worked behind the bar. Running his ad has helped him to meet more people in various businesses on the Island, he said.

Even if they don?t employ him, those contacts can be used in the future to establish quality relationships.

A well-written r?sum? has also helped him with his job search.

Mr. Linberg said he used a simple template downloaded from the Internet which provided suggestions for length and writing style and also drew on the ?Idiot?s Guide to Job Interviews?.

A good r?sum? is just as important as showing up for an interview nicely dressed, he said.

But letting go of shyness and embracing the art of self-promotion can?t hurt either, he said.

?You?ve got to be a self-starter.

?Set yourself a goal for the next five to ten years and do whatever you can to get there. If you work hard and put your mind to getting ahead, the rest will come.?