Pauloz
Expert
Joined: 02 Oct 2007
Posts: 1160
Career Advice: +3/-0
Location: Sydney
|
 Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:09 am Post subject: |
 |
|
svk
This kind of lack of response isn't at all unusual, and nor is three years' gap. There are fully qualified people who've only been out of work for a few months not getting interviews on a regular basis, around the world. The job application process is anything but an exact science, and the fact is that selection is often very arbitrary, as well as not being particularly efficient. The high volumes of applications thanks to the recession aren't helping much, either.
Tell your wife not to get too upset. The different nature of her various jobs could confuse screeners, because they won't see a clear career track and all the dots joined like they're trained to do. This is a purely bureaucratic process, everything runs on rails, keywords and checklists. No use of intelligence is involved. If they're told to hire a can of baked beans, that's what they'll be looking for. This level of diversity often causes some difficulties, we see it on the site regularly.
It's likely to be more productive if you target obviously relevant positions based on her prior experience. She does have some very positive experience which would be high value to employers in those areas, and I think that's what you should be targeting.
Her skill set is advanced admin, with office management experience. She also speaks the language for financial practices, which is often invaluable, because of the huge learning curve in that area. Not everybody has this experience, so that would cut down the numbers factor drastically when making applications.
Records, I know for a fact, because I've done that sort of work myself, is a potentially frustrating area. There are lots of potential applicants. Specializing in legal records, however, is a plus, because of the requirements of the position. Again, not everybody can do that work. I think she should stick to targeting jobs where she can show direct experience in the field, because she doesn't have to spell it all out to the people screening applications.
Updating the resume and filling in the gap:
Suggest also checking out part timers, as a second string. These are useful to build up a more recent set of entries in the resume.
Networking is another option, if you know anyone with their ears to the ground. Most jobs are filled without advertisement, and getting in first is the real job getting mechanism.
Another possibility, maybe: Use either a temp agency or a recruiter, and build up some more recent work experience so even the dumbest application screener can see the skill sets and recent experience. That'll give some more choices and possibilities down the track. |
|
Register
Log in
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
