Over Qualified? ........ WTF!!

[shropshire 0]

[rant]Being 'between' jobs is a real pain in the arse!! But to be almost constantly told that I'm over qualified/too experienced for a particular role is pissing me off big time.

I JUST WANT TO WORK FUCKERS.

[/rant]

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[AggieDave 6]

McDonalds is probably hiring. If you're lucky you can find one of those McCafe places where they have real china and 100% more smug, but they may only be in the apparent food capital of the world, New Zealand.

Seriously, good luck finding a new job!

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[shropshire 0]

Cheers Dave

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[freeflysteve 0]

Just as bad as having a job in financial services and being told your qualifications have been superceded and you have to redo the exams to maintain ones job even though have been doing it 21 years.

Imagine if they told everyone who had "o" levels or "a" levels or moreso a degree that those qualifications no longer counted cos now most qualifications are modular.

This country is just completely f£^£&^% up.

Swooping, huh? I love that stuff ... all the flashing lights and wailing sirens ... it's very exciting!

[riddler 0]

It's like this - they want you to come there and work and learn about their procedures, etc, but they have a specific salary that they're willing to pay you. It's probably less than what you're worth in a good economy (thus, the polite word "overqualified").

They don't want to get you in the door, have you spend time learning their systems, maybe even potentially become a critical asset doing a job that no one else there can do. Then the economy gets better in a year, someone else offers you more than they do (i.e. what you're actually worth), they can't pay you that, and now you leave and get a better-paying job.

Many established corporations don't have good processes in place to replace people quickly. In today's marketplace, you have to expect a lot of turn-over and have great processes in place to be able to replace people quickly. They don't.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[hcsvader 1]

I hear it alot when Im looking fr work back in ontario. Every place I apply to say they would love to have someone with my experience and ability on their team but want someone they know will stick around for at least 5 years. I'm a welder working mostly in the mining industry. Alot of the projects I sign onto pay over $100,000 a year, provide housing and travel allowances, excellent benefits and sometimes company vehicles and flights to and from work from anywhere in canada.
Kinda hard for a manufacturing shop that pays $50,000 a year to compete with that and expect me to stick around, and they are right, I would be gone as soon as I find another project that would be willing to fly me from ontario to a remote worksite and provide me with housing and a vehicle on a 2 week on 2 week off rotation.

although those jobs dont seem to be very plentiful lately. Currently Im living in edmonton and taking the bus to northern alberta for work with no travel subsidy. I'm willing to bet there aren't many jobs that I would be interested in ontario at the moment.

Have you seen my pants?
it"s a rough life, Livin' the dream
>:)

[NovaTTT 2]

Tony, you'll have a hard time getting hired by someone who knows you are better suited for their job than they are!

The "overqualified" rationale, in my experience, really is a preservative measure - don't bring somebody on who will replace oneself!

Maybe you should downplay your skills/experience and swoop their slot once you're onboard.

Good luck with the jobhunt!

"Even in a world where perfection is unattainable, there's still a difference between excellence and mediocrity." Gary73

[ryoder 1,590]

Something that had me livid last week:

I was talking to a former co-worker who was recently layed off.
His wife had been talking to him about some resumes she had been looking over at her job, to fill a position.
(Not related to her husbands line of work).
She stated she was automatically throwing out any resumes from applicants whose applications showed they had previously made a higher salary than the position for which they were applying, because:
"They wouldn't be happy, and would not stay."

So apparently, if you are realistic enough to understand that salaries ebb and flow with the economy, people like her will screw you out of even being considered for a job.
And furthermore, her mindset seems to be that the only criteria for being happy with a job is the money.

From now on I will flatly refuse to tell any potential employers what my past salaries were.
If they have an issue with that, I will explain that I expect a salary based on my qualifications, and the requirements of the job.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[JohnMitchell 16]

When I retire from air traffic control, I may look for part time work. I hope they don't hold previous salary/experience against me. I really don't expect much for washing dishes and flipping burgers.

[ryoder 1,590]

Quote

When I retire from air traffic control, I may look for part time work. I hope they don't hold previous salary/experience against me. I really don't expect much for washing dishes and flipping burgers.

I had absolutely no idea about ATC salaries until I was reading an article in the AOPA mag a couple years ago.
I nearly fell off the sofa.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[JohnMitchell 16]

Quote

I had absolutely no idea about ATC salaries until I was reading an article in the AOPA mag a could years ago.
I nearly fell off the sofa.

Shhh!

Well. they still pay the captains more, and they don't even have to take an I.Q. test.

[ryoder 1,590]

Quote

Well. they still pay the captains more, and they don't even have to take an I.Q. test.

But you get to sleep at home every night with you-know-who, and in the event of a crash, the ATC tower rarely get heavy damage.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Gawain 0]

Quote

[rant]Being 'between' jobs is a real pain in the arse!! But to be almost constantly told that I'm over qualified/too experienced for a particular role is pissing me off big time.

I JUST WANT TO WORK FUCKERS.

[/rant]

It's just their way of saying they don't feel they can afford you, or, they think you won't have any longevity once the economy turns around. Push back and probe their discomfort.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[airtwardo 7]

Well. they still pay the captains more, and they don't even have to take an I.Q. test.

Humm...I know a Capt that was an ATC 1st !

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[shropshire 0]

That's outrageous

I never put my rates/salary on my C.V .. it's not relevant... I've worked for many different companies for many different rates and it's up to ME what rate I negotiate and accept.... Oh that makes me livid now too..

The other one that is equally bad ... D.O.B .... W.T.F agest twatmuppets

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[shropshire 0]

In my primary field (IT), it's often not possible to ask for honest feedback about an application as I deal mainly with Agents and they work for the employer and will either not get back to you at all or fob you off with "There are so many applicants" etc....

So I have been applying for almost any job ... Driving, Warehouse etc... and these are the ones that say I'm over qualified.. The feeling is with them that I wont stick around But isn't that how everyone acts in these types of job ... "This will do until something else comes along"?.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[ryoder 1,590]

I don't think anyone ever puts their past salary on the CV.
But companies always want you toi waste your time filling out an application with the same info you just gave them on the CV, and the application typically wants your past salaries.

In the US I don't think they can ask for DOB unless they have just hired you.

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[airtwardo 7]

Quote

The other one that is equally bad ... D.O.B .... W.T.F agest twatmuppets

Yeah!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[wmw999 2,589]

Quote

But isn't that how everyone acts in these types of job ... "This will do until something else comes along"?

Maybe, but their fear might be that it won't take as long for something else to come along if you're an IT person as it would for someone who used to be a waiter at a cheap restaurant.

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

From now on I will flatly refuse to tell any potential employers what my past salaries were.
If they have an issue with that, I will explain that I expect a salary based on my qualifications, and the requirements of the job.

I never ever give out past salary information. I tell them that's confidential information. You want to maintain the upper hand in negotiations for as long as possible.

I also put off the salary requirements discussion as long as possible, and I throw it back in their court. I am polite, but firm "At this point, I want to talk about the role and determine if it's a good fit for both of us - I think it would be premature to discuss salary."

If they insist on talking about it earlier because they're concerned that, based on my experience, I make more than they can afford to pay, I'll say "What is the budgeted range for this position?" Usually they'll answer, and that'll give me an idea if we're close or very far off. If it's close enough, I figure if I can make my case that I'm the right person, we can move. If it's pretty far off, chances are also high that the level of work is also pretty far off from my experience, and it's probably better to move on.

However, I've kept talking to some companies when there's a definite mutual interest but the position in question isn't the right one. When I was last actively job searching 2 years ago, I had a company considering creating a team lead position where I'd be managing people who were in the job for which I'd originally been considered (which was a more junior-level job). Didn't ultimately happen, but if you get focused on the job that's open, you may miss an opportunity to fill a need they didn't know they had.

I've taken jobs at lower salaries/lower skill levels than I wanted before, but it was with an open acknowledgment of that and a commitment on both sides that if I showed, as I thought I could, that I could perform at a higher level, that I would be moved into that level. The last time I did that the hiring manager would have had to jump through hoops to get the position/level changed, and it would have taken a few months. She was grateful that I was willing to take it at the level it was originally set - and sure enough, I performed well enough to be promoted within 6 months. Win-win for both of us.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[ryoder 1,590]

Quote

So I have been applying for almost any job ... Driving, Warehouse etc...

Oh!
Warehouse!

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[shropshire 0]

[shakes head]

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[riddler 0]

Quote

I had absolutely no idea about ATC salaries until I was reading an article in the AOPA mag a couple years ago. I nearly fell off the sofa.

I read a magazine article several years ago that said ATC was the most stressful job in the country. If it's true, pay them well.

Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD

[Nataly 38]

Unfortunately, Shroppy, their concerns are legitimate.. First of all, there is a type of person to fit every type of job, so no, not everyone treats those kinds of jobs as transitory.. In fact, you will find a LOT of people who work in warehouses or as drivers are "lifers".. They stick to their job until they retire!

Having worked in recruitment, I can tell you for a *fact* that people who accept lower level jobs rarely stick around. Even in this economy. So if you're going to be the exception, you need to be clear about that. Also, if you really want a job, you may find that tailoring your CV really helps.. You should NEVER add to your CV (ie: lie about stuff you've done), but you *can* "dumb-down" your experience. Or simply be more vague/less detailed about what you have done. You could say, for instance, "dealt with queries" instead of "lead projects, reporting directly to the CEO"!!! Ok, not the best example, but you get my drift, right?

"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse."
- Chris Hadfield
« Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. »
- my boss

[ryoder 1,590]

So you are telling Shroppy to put only "paragliding instructor" in his CV?

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.