Reading your article was like revisiting the shameful 28 months I spent out of a job and being ignored by 90% of the places I applied to – notwithstanding my attempts to beat into shape my cover letters, resumes and application forms to suit the advert. You and other readers may be able to relate to these points:
1. ‘X Years of Experience’ In The Exact Same Industry – Before I lost a really good job in 2017 because I sucked horrendously at it, I had accumulated nearly 15 years as an office assistant. Whenever I applied to office assistant jobs in publishers, schools, colleges or museums, they almost always gave me the finger or ignored me. I got a feeling it was because I had never worked in those industries before, even when the advert did not list it as a pre-requisite.
2. ‘X Years of Experience’ In The Exact Same Role/Level Of Role – This is the reason why I could not apply for a significant number of postings. Entry level jobs in the publishing industry for editorial assistants will never respond if you had not done the exact same job before. Even if the requirements are what you have done before! The implication is that you should have already done the same job as an intern. But if you were a paid worker with bills to deal with, why would you give it up for a volunteer role just to add a line to a resume?
3. Knowledge of One Very Niche, Very Specific Computer System – Forget about trying for any job in the charity sector if you haven’t used Raiser’s Edge. Knowledge of other databases does not count worth a damn. You could tick off 80% of the other requirements, but may as well f*** off from applying to be a payroll assistant if you never used Sage in your previous roles. I know some smart ass will say “Why don’t you go for a course in these programs???” – This only works if you are hell bent on working for these specific roles only and would be a big waste of money if you got a job which doesn’t need these programs!
4. Salaries that Don’t Align with The Job Demands – Have you seen the requirements for some basic office assistant roles in the museum industry? They’re only willing to pay £18000 - £19000 but their list of responsibilities are very close similar jobs in other places that pay £23000 - £25000 annually. £18k is pretty good for a 21 year old who just graduated but he or she would probably be tossed aside because of 1) and 2). It’s patronizing and piss poor for a 40 something.
5. Address the Selection Criteria’ Write-Ups – Do you ever feel judged for not sending out more applications in a day or week? That’s because you have to spend hours dredging up examples from years ago while checking the regurgitated story includes how your actions relate to the job post’s company ‘values framework’. Just how in hell do you ‘demonstrate a commitment to equal opportunities and diversity’ in the workplace if you were not involved in designing recruitment policy or dispute resolution?
Lastly, I’m one of the 40% of men who won’t apply for a job unless I can meet at least 9/10 requirements. If a recruiter has 400 applicants for the same position, you know they’re only gonna shortlist 10 folks who tick off 10/10. And I was pretty infuriated at articles about job recruiters complaining they ‘can’t fill jobs’…. When they make it hard as possible for most people to have a shot.
