Okay, there are a lot of things working against those of us who are currently looking for employment. For instance, very high unemployment in major urban areas. Right, so the more unemployed, the harder it is. Seems logical.
But, then, you have to face the fact that the job that used to pay $15 an hour three (3) years ago, now pays $10. Likely, you still have the same expenses and debts from three (3) years ago, but now your options put you in the precarious position of having to take a job that will not cover all your bills. Thus, you should also be looking for a part-time job to cover the difference. Oh, and congratulating Uncle Sam on all the extra taxes that will be collected (and not refunded) due to having two (2) jobs.
As if looking for one job weren’t hard enough at this time, now you need to find two. But that’s not all. Remember the $15 an hour job from three (3) years ago? Well, that was if you had an Associate’s degree or five (5) years experience. Now, to get the $10 an hour job you have to have a Bachelor’s degree, some sort of certificate, and 3-5 years experience. The search gets harder every day.
Luckily, I have a Bachelor’s degree (from a good university, too), and I have the education and training that would be covered by the certificate (though, I would need experience to actually get the certification), and I have experience – except it is not 3-5 years on topic. Unfortunately, I either get a “you are overqualified” or a “you don’t quite meet our qualifications” excuse.
The truth is there are just too many people without jobs, applying to the same jobs as everyone else. Then, on top of that, there are people with less experience, more experience, more practical experience, better credentials, more or less qualifications, and/or just the right amount of education. The list is endless.
So, what we need is better resumes (the kind that actually say something about you, rather than your old jobs), less online applications and more activities.
That I am working on!