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Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Old Apr 4th 2014, 3:00 pm
  #16  
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Mark, hope you don't mind me asking, but what age range do you fall into? I think to expect people to have a degree who are over 40 is slightly unreasonable, given the number of people attending university before the huge push towards entering them into higher education was relatively an elite group.

I hold two degrees (from a Russell Group university) yet even when I have applied for a couple of positions here I have heard nothing, which is really surprising as I would always get contacted when applying for roles in the UK.

Don't let it get you down. Keep sending in the job applications!
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 3:28 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Originally Posted by markonline1
........ Without a sodding degree!!!!!
Even way back in 1989, when I got my current admin job, it was my MA degree that helped me win the job over one other candidate they had in mind. I had a degree, she didn't. Even though my degree isn't related to adminsitrative work at all, simply having a degree made me a more attractive candidate than someone who had no degree at all.

And I agree, it's very common to hear absolutely nothing back from submitting your resume or job application.

Rene
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 3:38 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Originally Posted by Noorah101
Even way back in 1989, when I got my current admin job, it was my MA degree that helped me win the job over one other candidate they had in mind. I had a degree, she didn't. Even though my degree isn't related to adminsitrative work at all, simply having a degree made me a more attractive candidate than someone who had no degree at all.

Rene
Really?? That sounds simply insane to me. I wouldn't employ someone over another just because they held a degree, especially for an admin position. Frankly if someone has an MA level degree and is applying for admin work, they're in the wrong job market. Hence I would take the alternative candidate.
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 4:11 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Several technical degrees here and tons of experience in research and in the commercial world, sales.

Soon as I hit 50, doors slammed, they don't want to know. Hence my own business.

(Mark...San Jose, and further, would be a hell of a commute from Monterey in that rush hour traffic...)
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 4:25 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

I think one of the problems with the current economy is that for every good job, there may be 1000s of applicants with many not even trained in the field. In some cases, HR will go though the resumes trying to narrow down potential candidates before handing them over to the hiring manager. Since the HR department doesn't have expertise in that field, they likely look at only the things they understand and if they find something that doesn't fall within their criteria, it's rejected.

In my case, I thought I had what many Silicon Valley companies wanted in 1990 (hardware and software background with development in operating systems, networks, communications, embedded controllers, applications, and management) but I didn't have a degree and the country was dropping into a recession so few jobs were being advertised. When I did apply (even for some jobs I didn't want), I didn't hear back but as soon as I had my first interview at a job I wanted, the choice was mine as to whether I wanted to work as a manager or as a senior software engineer and no one even cared that I didn't have a degree.

Currently it is a very rough economy and if you can get beyond the first line of defense and get an interview, I suspect you'll be successful.
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 4:28 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Originally Posted by Michael
if you can get beyond the first line of defense and get an interview, I suspect you'll be successful.
This is the key, right here.
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 4:28 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Originally Posted by Pulaski
I do not disagree that it is possible, but today more than ever, with historically high unemployment, including many with degrees, many corporations set a degree as a rudimentary filter to reduce the number of applicants for jobs to a manageable number. I have argued with HR myself over such arbitrary criteria, but had no success in a getting a very strong candidate into the pool of applicants I was even allowed to consider when they failed to meet a previously set "job requirement".
Often these days with online applications, a computer has said "no" well before your application has even reached HR.

Originally Posted by hotscot
Several technical degrees here and tons of experience in research and in the commercial world, sales.

Soon as I hit 50, doors slammed, they don't want to know. Hence my own business.
I hear that. Approaching 40, bored with my current job and wanting a new career here. No one will listen unless you have the specific Masters degree for that job despite me having a Masters already. then again, I'm not really sure what I want to do any more. My own business would be great but doing what?
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 4:42 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Originally Posted by markonline1
... I want to pick up my career where I left off in the UK...
For many, most maybe, who weren't transferred or got a work visa, this has slim chances of happening without a degree.

It sucks...but the same happens even if you did have a degree.

You need to make contacts with people working the jobs to by pass HR entirely if you can.

Good luck!
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 4:47 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Originally Posted by Bob
You need to make contacts with people working the jobs to by pass HR entirely if you can.
+1

Unfortunately he probably has very few, if any, contacts.
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 5:02 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

And out in the 'burbs. I know that many companies filter by your commute also. I've been a victim of that.
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 5:11 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Originally Posted by Bob
It sucks...but the same happens even if you did have a degree.

You need to make contacts with people working the jobs to by pass HR entirely if you can.

Good luck!
Originally Posted by Michael
+1

Unfortunately he probably has very few, if any, contacts.
It was a contact of Mrs. N. that helped land my first job. It was part time, but it was the "in" I needed to start making contacts of my own.

I have been very fortunate.
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 5:17 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Originally Posted by hotscot
Soon as I hit 50, doors slammed, they don't want to know. Hence my own business.
In 1990, I was in my late 40s and assumed that was a major problem but 8 years later, I couldn't beat off contacts and recruiters that were constantly calling me. However there was a big difference in the job market between 1990 and 1998.
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 5:35 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Originally Posted by hungryhorace
Really?? That sounds simply insane to me. I wouldn't employ someone over another just because they held a degree, especially for an admin position. Frankly if someone has an MA level degree and is applying for admin work, they're in the wrong job market. Hence I would take the alternative candidate.
Yep, really. I asked my boss about it after I'd been there a while. He said all else being equal between myself and one other candidate, he chose me because I had the degree.

To be fair, he WAS concerned that I was over-qualified, since I have a degree in teaching English as a Second Language...but I also had experience in Admin work. We discussed all that at my job interview, and I explained my reasons for not teaching, and for preferring admin work. I guess that was acceptable to him, and he hired me.

I've been with this same company now for 25 years, and I love my job, the company, and everything!

Rene
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 5:40 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Oh I got tons of calls and indeed interviews last years, which gave me a bucket of air and hotel points, thanks...but when they realized I wasn't "dynamic", "flexible", "ambitious"...(which I am), and which were code for younger/cheaper..

One crazy interview, flew to Michigan, in the first 30 minutes I was asked for the sales role where I would see myself in 4 years with the company, I told them I'd be an expert in their technical product they wanted me to sell, and that my accounts would be pleased to do business with me. Gave me these weird looks and told me that becoming an expert in their product was counter productive to their intentions and they never wanted the sales person to discuss technical matters and to always take a technician on every call.
I told them I'm not a four legged salesman and left.

However the worst ever interview, in my life was as follows.

Got a call from a company in Ohio at 4.00 pm local CA.
Very, very keen, wanted to see me next morning.
I had a cold and was miserable. They insisted they just had to see me.
Flew me business class on a redeye, arrived at office at 8.00 am where they had me do 12 personality tests over four hours.
Then a two hour interview with several managers.
Lunch
Two more hours of interviews.
Back to hotel for a nap since the next round of interviews was at bloody 10.00 pm until midnight!

I was a wreck.

Flew home next day, a few days later an email to say they'll keep my resume on file.

About that time I gave the single digit to the Man and said, "No more!"

Last edited by Hotscot; Apr 4th 2014 at 5:42 pm.
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Old Apr 4th 2014, 6:15 pm
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Default Re: Trying to land a bloody decent job in this country.....

Originally Posted by hungryhorace
Really?? That sounds simply insane to me. I wouldn't employ someone over another just because they held a degree, especially for an admin position. Frankly if someone has an MA level degree and is applying for admin work, they're in the wrong job market. Hence I would take the alternative candidate.
The admin person where my husband works cocks everything up constantly, maybe if she had some education to go along with her fancy job title it would help.
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