Level of qualifications in the UK

Perhaps 'Working at Heights'

We arrived in Australia from England in 1980. At one stage the local Government run research establishment advertised for Draughtsmen, so I applied. I didn't get the job, didn't even get an interview. So I phoned up the person concerned and asked him why no interview. His response went along the lines of they didn't recognise my qualifications and experience, a full C & G Mech Tech Cert, and 10 years relevant experience. Fair enough I thought, that's the way the cookie crumbles etc etc. Put it down to experience and so on. Within a month the same organisation advertised for a Trainee draughtsman, so obviously I applied as I was out of work at the time, the advert even had the same contact number as the previous job. Time went by, eventually I got a letter saying my application was unsuccessful, not even an interview. So I phoned up the contact person and politely asked "...why no interview?". I have to admit to laughing out loud when I was told that they didn't want applicants with any experience, and that I was over qualified.

Sometimes you really do just have to laugh!!

cheers

Bill

Edited By Bill Pudney on 27/11/2020 23:29:50

I have run into the same thing in the US.

I think there is an unspoken rule that companies don't hire "old" people, ie: don't hire anyone over 30 years old.

I have applied for jobs that I was very qualified for, with no response.

The only way I have been able to work around this is to operate my own company, and thus I can leverage my experience, and can prove to clients that experience is far more important than age.

I do well regardless of my age (62) because I get the job done, and do so in a cost effective manner, but I feel for those who don't run their own companies, and who cannot approach an owner directly to offer services.

My brother retired recently, and he was high up in software at a major shipping company.

I told him that with his knowledge base, he would be an ideal candidate to start his own business, but he says he is done with the working world. Its a shame; he could do well with running his own company.

Edited By PatJ on 28/11/2020 00:50:21

Edited By PatJ on 28/11/2020 00:51:29

You have to accept that some jobs are advertised externally because a company has rules that insist they must, even when they have every intension of filling the job internally.

Some Agencies advertise jobs to fill a skills gap in their portfolio, which means you may get a call in 2 years time. These usually have a higher than normal pay rate.

Over here a local Company advertises a couple of times a year for Maintainence help, after a couple of years with no results I went and asked Someone in the Company about it. They said They had no intention of hiring a local native born mechanic. They only wanted illegal aliens. Pay was decent.

A perceived problem taking on older staff in Britain is fear they will be qualified and confident enough to mount an effective opposition. Employers like people who do as they're told, not authority figures in junior positions asking awkward questions, who can make 40 year old managers look inadequate.

Young people are more malleable than older ones precisely because the latter have strong experience and life-skills. Although well-motivated, older people know their rights and are more likely to resist change. Armies the world over know it's much easier to harder to get old soldiers to die for their country than the young ones!

No consolation I know, but oldster's aren't offered jobs because employers are afraid of them. Temporary and Consultancy work may be the answer because employers can tap valuable experience whilst knowing they can get rid of troublemakers quickly.

Dave

Sometimes it's just a polite way of saying you're not what we're looking for sorry to be harsh but in my experience this is the reason why most people get a rejection letter saying overqualified