Well, they (the rw), were wrong yet again (what I heard today)

[The Straight Story]

I am going through enough shit right now - and one of the things I just want to do is get a job.

Been on some great interviews lasting almost 2 hours, was told I was way above the caliber of person they were looking for. And said I don't care, I will start at the bottom and work hard for them.

Months and months have went by with nothing here locally (though in San Fran and LA I could get something - but that would defeat the purpose of why I came here, and with no car now....).

Today I heard back from a local recruiter. The reason people won't hire me?

They are scared I would leave for something better as I have a ton more experience than anyone else here.

I ran 3 data centers for the #2 bank in the country - really hi-tech stuff, managed over 20 people, and did a darned good job.

The rw tells me I should be able to get a job easily. Yet experience has shown me something else.

I have excelled at every job I ever had, from manufacturing, to security, to police work, to computers. Always worked my butt off no matter how 'menial' the job was (and I hate that word, menial, because even simple manufacturing jobs are important and the people doing them are skilled in their own ways).

Now I hear I am too skilled in too many things. I spent years studying and working hard, to make myself more valuable. Only to come to find out I should have just stayed basic and not have spent so many sleepless nights working hard and studying.

I can't erase my past and all my work, and now I find myself unable to find a job and support a family because I have done too much. Add to that having no car and such, and I am pretty damned down.

Work hard the rw said, and I did. And what has it gotten me but being unemployed and too experienced for most jobs here?

Maybe I should just lie on my resume and lie to the people I interview with, but I just don't think that is right.

Being honest and having a good work ethic used to mean something in this country. Now it doesn't.

bush and crew have so fucked up the mentality of people (and yeah, I live in a red county here in ca - Bakersfield) that instead of hiring someone who can do more than you need, folks want to hire someone who can do less.

Under qualified for some jobs, over qualified for others. All I want to do is work and make my employer some money and insure they don't regret hiring me. I have a good track record for that, and I guess that counts for nothing.

I am switching careers now. Called an office temp service and told them I could do general office work, I meet with em next week (thankfully they are on the busline here). I even called a general labor place (yard work, manufacturing, etc) - and was told they are not even taking apps until March 6th.

Even F'ing taco bell won't hire me - because they think I would jump ship and have had a career. Hell, I can make fucking tacos for crying out loud.

Damn - when did it become so fucking hard to just find a job, any job here in America?

You like Obama? You like Hillary? Fine with me - because I would take satan himself right now over the people we have in power.

Something has to change, America has to change. And if you truly want change we need to come together this next election, put this petty shit behind us I see all the time on GDP, and get someone new in the white house.

We need to be able to have hope again, and I for one am damned willing to vote for either of our dem candidates to get at least some change going.

I used to believe in the American dream, now all I believe in is this American nightmare I am living now.

Shame on me for where I was wrong and did the wrong thing - I can change me and my actions. But shame on the people we have in DC for not doing their jobs, the ones we pay them for, and for selling us down the river.

You want change? Vote these assholes out next election.

[leftofthedial]

1. welcome to my world

no one will hire me because I'm too good.

:shrug:

[The Straight Story]

4. It is bizzare isn't it?

I don't think I am 'all that' - I am just a simple guy who has worked hard and gained a ton of experience in a lot fields.

And now that is a negative???

Jack of all trades and master of none - I am not the best .net programmer out there, or the best mssql person, etc and so on. But because I have done so much now I am deemed over qualified??

Hell, just give me a job for crying out loud. Anything. Something.

[leftofthedial]

10. I've been singing that song for four years

now I'm freelancing doing little web and marketing projects for small businesses.

[The Straight Story]

16. I am looking to start my own managed services company

but with my setback on the car and such I am not sure I can do it just yet.

Maybe when things get turned around here I can (I already have the domain name).

[TahitiNut]

13. Yep. Been there - done that. About 15 years of job-chasing.

I heard "overqualified" and "afraid you'd leave for better" and other similar crap for 15-20 years. IMHO, it's a substitute for "you're too old."

[The Straight Story]

17. well, at least I am not the only one

:)

I am 42, and I think that may be part of the issue.


Damned shame.

[TahitiNut]

21. That's when I first encountered it.

Initially, "dumbing down" the resume helps. But the real issue is age discrimination. I found myself interviewing with immature management types who gave off ALL the symptoms of insecure egos. It was abundantly clear that they were looking for drones ... people who'd make them look smart, not by the excellence of the hire but in comparison. There's a embedded 'youth' bias in IT/MIS - latest and greatest, faddists, and "new = young" - and it's tough to overcome. I had folks who'd just discovered certain technologies for themselves that I'd worked on developing, collaborating with leading edge folks, for years ... and they actually resented the idea that I'd been familiar with those technologies longer than they'd even know about them. I had to stifle myself in interviews and try dancing around it, but nothing worked.

My own situation was worsened by having been a whistle-blower - and the black ball was dropped - so it became virtually impossible.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

24. 42? Have you seen "Logan's Run?"

[The Straight Story]

27. Yeah - it was actually a good movie back in the day

Damn, what was I thinking when I watched that and Barbarella and thought they were good?

Not to mention Tron....

[leftofthedial]

26. yep. age discrimination is extremely widespread. last full-time job I had, they had a layoff

five of the six of us who were over 40 were let go. I was a VP. One of the founders was zotzed. The only person over 40 they kept was the head of Engineering. The products were largely in his head and incorporated numerous of his personal patents. They made us all sign a paper saying we wouldn't sue for age discrimination before they'd give us our lovely parting gifts.

A group of about 40 of us job seekers here used to network and try to help one another, until that became pointless. All over 45. All extremely qualified and successful. Several fields, mostly technology. Not one interview in the entire group in two years.

[roguevalley]

25. I hug you all. I am sorry for all this. This is so fucked.

[sutz12]

2. It's the right wing mantra...

Play ball with me kid, and I'll shove the bat up your ass.

:shrug:

[mrcheerful]

3. Same thing happened to an engineer friend of mine who worked for

Baker Perkins in the 70's right up to B/P pulling up its roots and sending everything to Germany. Every place he applied to said he had to much "experince" for the pay they were offering for the job. Well to make a long story short the last I heard was he was working as a short order cook for $7 an hour part time. It took him 7 years and a relocation to get that job.

[The Straight Story]

5. Hell, I'll cook

I don't care what it is, I just want a freaking damned job.

I'll come over and cut your grass if ya want me to :)

[mrcheerful]

6. LOL, yeah but the poor guy had to move 100 miles for the job.

And besides kind of hard to mow grass when theres 4 foot of snow on top of the grass. Then you'd have to move to michigan, lol.

[Speck Tater]

7. My advice is not a joke. It worked for me.

Sling burgers for a little while, or find something in retail (I had to go from being a VP of research and development to working as a clerk in a small neighborhood computer store). After a little while, six months or so, you are no longer perceived as "over qualified" and you can get back into something more suitable.

Anyway, it worked for me. I ended up being a year or so on a side track, but then I was able to get back into my field easily, in spite of formerly being "over qualified".

This was in the 1980's, but I don't see why it wouldn't apply now as well.

[canadianbeaver]

8. This just sucks Straight Story......

boy when it rains it really pores doesn't it? They say things come in threes....it looks like you are getting them cubed as well...geesh.
I would be hiring you in a heart beat...but alas...that is one area I am unable to help with...


Keep yourself as possitive as you can and don't give up!

PM me your mailing address...you know why I want it...so give it up :hug:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. that's the way it is

I was told I was "overqualified" for jobs I applied for, and so went into another field.

[radfringe]

11. my partner is going through same thing

under or over qualified... and it's hard to judge how to tailor a resume for a job because you don't know what exactly they are looking for

it's an employers market

[The Straight Story]

14. Indeed my friend

I am not a .net or mssql guru, etc and so on. I have worked on so many different things that now I am seen as...well I don't know what.

What to do? I don't know.

[democrat_patriot]

12. "Dumb" down your resume

I had the same problem. If your resume says 5-10 years experience - make it 2-3 etc. Leave off some companies in the employment part.

It's what I did (tech industry) and it worked for me. I used to get the same "We're afraid you'll leave for a better opportunity" I replied - "90% of the people currently working here would leave for a better opportunity"...than I just changed my resume. I had 3-4 different ones all with varying levels of expertise.

Good luck!

[The Straight Story]

15. Maybe I could send you my resume

And you could me make it more tailored to things.

I'll try anything at this point.

[wain]

18. Have several versions of your resume

Tone down each version to the level of job to which you are applying. Change the job title to something that avoids revealing you're over qualified for the job. Avoid the over qualified job description. It's not lying. You can back everything up that's on the resume. You're just not telling the whole story. The objective is to get a job, get your foot in the door.

I've been through this. You have nothing to prove to anyone else. You know what you can do. Applying for a smaller job with a "big" resume is threatening to the person hiring.

I wish you the best.

[The Straight Story]

20. If I could, could i send you my resume?

Just to get some input on how to change it. I am open to advice.

[pdxmom]

19. I feel for you. I had to dumb down my resume to get hired. Took away

my graduate degrees, toned down the skills section. It didn't feel good to do it, because I worked hard for I've achieved, but after 4 months of nothing and being told I was over-qualified everywhere I went, I just had to get a job.

It's wrong that it has to be this way.

[sinkingfeeling]

22. When I was forced to leave IBM and had over 6 months to wait until my pension checks started, I

went to work at Cracker Barrel. I walked in with my resume and filled out the application. The general manager came to talk to me and asked, "Are you sure you want to work here after just making $xx,xxx a year?" I said I'd start at minimum wage and he gave me a job in the 'retail' side of the business. Even after I found another IT position, I continued to work at Cracker Barrel part-time, until I'd gotten my 4 stars and was eligible to be a trainer.

Never give in. Keep on starting over. Try everywhere. I was rejected by Wal-Mart, a PC help desk, a department store, etc. Someone will see your value and give you a chance.

[B Calm]

23. Ever thought about getting a CDL? I put my kid through college

driving a truck. There's nothing shameful about doing hard work!

[baby_mouse]

28. It SUCKs when they do that.... BUT...

...I suspect that's just an excuse they trundle out when they have too many applicants. Realistically MOST people are overqualified for the labour market these days. They probably have way too many applicants for these jobs.

Keep at it, dude. (And even though it sucks, they're probably telling you the truth, you may in fact get better results aiming higher...)