Unemployable Me
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ToggleI recently attended a Job Fair on behalf of Recruitment-Guru.com and got to talk to about 200+ attendees, and the message I received from the majority of them was “Unemployable Me”. This got me thinking. Why do individuals own the Unemployable Me label? Two primary factors were apparent, although there were others such as:
The first notable prime factor was:
If you are over 50 and you are a job seeker, you may have faced one of the most frustrating aspects of looking for work: being told that you are overqualified for the position. Recruiters and Employers use this ploy as a common excuse to overlook mature applicants in favour of their younger counterparts.
The reason is that Recruiters and Employers consider older workers to be:
If you are an Unemployable Me and have run into the overqualified objection, here are 4 ways you can address this obstacle head-on:
Show how your years of experience will provide a substantial and real advantage. “I am looking for a position where my skills and background can contribute to the bottom line. Because of my years of experience, I’m sure I can hit the ground running and make a real difference in support of your goals.”
If you anticipate the potential objections you might encounter due to your age and experience level, you can prepare the appropriate responses to help you address these issues head-on. Despite the challenges, you will want to display a winning attitude, a willingness to learn and emphasize your eagerness to make a long-term contribution. These points will go a long way to help you overcome the overqualified objection and turn your experience into the asset it truly is!
The second prime factor was – “I have tried for months but I can’t get a job!”
Long-term unemployment can be contributable to many causes; however there are 4 types of unemployment, and the distinction between them is important:
Being long-term unemployed is hard enough but there is also the stigma attached to the status. Some Employers reject Candidates outright who for probably no fault of their own haven’t worked for over a year.
There are of course individuals, who simply do not have a clue how to profile and position themselves for a job as observed by me at the Job Fair.
The most important thing you can do to boost your chances after a long spell away is updating your skills.
Enrol on – and complete – one of the many trade courses available and you’ll see an improvement in your employability. This extra training will help convince a potential employer that you have the drive and commitment to succeed, as well as having tangible and relevant skills. Simply do not just sit at home waiting for someone to help you get back into work.
If you’ve been out of work for a long time, it’s absolutely vital to explain the reasons why to Employers. So whether you have had to stay at home to bring up a family, or you have had an illness, or took time off work to travel, or simply been unlucky in the jobs market, explain your absence in a few sentences.
Employers understand CV or Résumé gaps, and your explanation immediately transforms you from being a statistic into a human being with a personal story, and most Employers are happy to give a good person a chance.
This is often a great way of getting a foot in the door and securing a permanent post later on. It’s also an easy way to network and make contacts, which can be beneficial in the future. For people on benefits, this can be a hard choice to make as it’s currently difficult to sign on and off without losing money. Anyone choosing this route in the interest of gaining work experience will impress a future Employer.
The waste management and recycling sector will to grow by 7% per annum. It’s hardly glamorous but there are many unskilled and entry-level jobs that can lead to other jobs down the line. There are equivalents in other sectors up for grabs too, so look out for them when you’re searching for jobs.
If you have a former employer who you got on well with, get in touch and see if they’ll meet you to have a chat about the sector and work possibilities. Explain that it’s just a fact-finding mission as you’ve been out of the workplace, it takes the pressure off.
Plus there’s always the possibility that your former employer may know of a vacancy that’s just right for you.
Get used to working with other people and at someone else’s pace again. Voluntary work, whether it’s helping out at a school, charity or church, will get you back in the habit of being at a certain place at a certain time. Experts often say the most essential skill for getting back into work is the discipline of setting an alarm clock.
Online mentoring can be a fantastic way to get valuable information on how you can secure employment by learning new skills and techniques on how to professionally profile yourself. A mentor will help you create a CV that will attract Recruiters and Employers, and help throughout the recruitment process.