As I sit here in my Dickens Chesterfield low back chair, donning my monocle, cigar, dickey bow and long johns. I reminisce on the old days when I was a whipper snapper, when I had no clue about the world and all its wonders......STOP! Stop right there!!!!
Hopefully the above is a line I can scribe one day in true sincerity, however, for now I have other issues, way more pressing issues.
First I must commend man for his utilisation of the concept of 'Time', by this I mean it is truly great to be able to mark one's point of birth and celebrate the occurrence on an annual basis. It is an honour to calculate the amount of time it takes to build palaces and monuments of splender. Its truly a gift to be able to calculate the amount of time it takes the Sun's rays to reach our atmosphere... there is no doubt that the concept and practical use of 'Time' is truly special. However as with all things, there is a positive and negative side to this tale...
This same concept of 'Time' that serves to highlight and keep a reign on 'happenings' does so for both positive and negative sides of all stories, take for instants the fact that I have now been unemployed for 10weeks!!!!!
Yes you read this correctly it has been 10weeks since I earned a salary!!! Now I don't really normally like to moan, but in honesty this is a moan worthy subject, I mean really it is. Don't get me wrong, I've clearly enjoyed the 'time off', it has been blessing to be able to go to bed late, knowing full well I can have a lie in and not have to come up with any excuses for some boss figure in the morning. Its been nice to have too many glasses of wine the night before knowing full and well that I won't be driving to or for work in the morning. These are aspects of unemployment that are truly priceless and ironically occur at 2 ends of the financial scale i.e. Unemployed or Debt free and financially independent.
As with my brief assessment of 'Time', there are positives and negatives to the carefree (less concerned) lifestyle. In my case stark reminders come in the form of ever diminishing bank account balances, delivered on the monthly bank statements. Suddenly paying £75 for Sky Tv and £45 mobile phone contracts seem like a lot of money. The sobering image of your diminishing finances, sees you measure the remainder not in k's, but in weeks. Specifically 'how many more weeks can I survive on what is left'. You notice you walk around turning off lights and closing dripping taps, you give great care and attention to the hot water and central heating schedule, questioning "is it really necessary to have the heating on when I'm asleep". You literally turn into the most frugal version of YOU.
Your distaste for your current and diminishing financial state serves to provide you with a great fuel of enthusiasm, grit and determination. You do not like your financial state and so distancing yourself from it in the shortest possible time turns you into an employment fiend. Your already a member of almost every on-line agency there is going, you've bribed various members of the Job centre team, into giving you the 'heads up' on certain jobs as soon as they are available (sometimes before advertising), you've got friends and family on the case.
You've re-written your CV, shit you've got two or three versions depending on the application. The Job centre told you, you need to make at least 8 applications every 2 weeks to be seen as actively looking for work, you make 8 applications before 10am nearly everyday for 2 weeks.
In most cases you get no feedback, then, you find what looks like your perfect role, you apply, you call the agent moments after sending your CV to 'discuss' your prospects with the 'expert' (there are very few experts in recruitment), you get Vmail, you leave a message, you wait....
An hour passes, you really love the look of this role, it has your name all over it and so you call back, again Vmail, you call the mobile number, again Vmail, you leave messages on both. Repeat the above for 3 days straight, then your perfect job is no longer being posted on the recruitment sites any-more....some fu&ker got it!!! You grieve for a moment, pull back on your battle armour and go at it again, apply apply apply! Then your overqualified!!!
WHAT THE FRENCH CONNECTION IS 'OVER QUALIFIED'?
–adjective
having more education, training, or experience than is required for a job or position.
That is the dictionary definition of the term, now if I have been honoured enough to have you read my rants and or moans, I think you would agree that my approach to matters is not dissimilar to my forename 'Simple'. I won't disappoint now....
If it is, that by definition 'Overqualified' means "having more education, training, or experience than is required for a job or position", wouldn't it be safe to say, that an overqualified person is more than acceptable for the job?
Now I know immediately the 'off the wall' / 'out the box' thinkers among you will automatically say "Its not whether you can do the job or not, its more about you leaving if you get a better offer". I've heard this so many times, but the question I would like to ask is this; If it is that I am the person seeking employment, I've read the job description, acknowledged the salary, placed an application and then called up to 'discuss' the role in more detail, would it not stand to reason, that I am aware I'm overqualified for the position? Could it not be that I actually want an easier life? Would I really waste my time to apply for a position, start the position and then waste more time, by sitting another interview elsewhere, to then up sticks and move? Isn't that a lot of bother? Is it not possible, that the overqualified applicant knows he's overqualified and still wants the position?
Surely from an employers point of view, having a member of staff who exceeds the experience and qualifications required is an asset? Surely it offers confidence that the role will be fulfilled to a standard above satisfactory and could even see strategic deployment of processes and procedures that will improve the roles scope and productivity of the department as a whole? All for a bargain salary....
Don't misunderstand me here, because I am fortunate to have been on both sides of the imaginary fence. I too have sat at the employers end of the table with an applicant's future in my grasp, I too have told candidates that they're overqualified BUT!! I've given due explanation. In some cases the person's CV is dumbed down to get them to interview stage, nothing wrong with that, but at the point where we start talking and it comes to light that you are an inventor, mathematician etc... I will lay the truth on you, like butter on toast.
"You have an excellent resume from what I can see here, coupled with what you have told me, I can tell you for a fact that this role will bore you senseless within 2months. It actually takes about 6months for you to have a full understanding of how this role fits in with the rest of the business, the repetitive nature of the role will see you pull your hair out way before then. With regard to this role, I would be the one training you, providing this is the case, there is nothing worst for me, than to train someone over a 6month period just to have them up sticks and leave.....meaning I'll have to do it all over again and in essence not fully fulfil my other role duties, couple this with the fact that this position has NO graduation or career path and you will literally just be collecting pay-checks, less than modest ones at that. I'm of the opinion that someone of your skill set and expertise could be doing...."
That is my speech, on the surface its harsh, but I feel I've given ample justification to why you are not getting the job and also issued direction on where better to pawn your skills. I've even spoken to the recruitment service in question on the candidates behalf (with permission of-course) and given testimony to the above effect, ultimately steering the recruiter in the best direction for the candidate. What is most satisfying is I've been thanked by both recruiters and candidates for the advice.
You see what I've understood is that the same 'Time' that I mentioned before is precious, every single second is valuable, so if it is I can take 5mins of your time now that will save you 2months of certain disappointment later, I feel duty bound to do so, with your permission of-course.
So it irks me no end when some 'new kid on the block' recruiter tells me, I'm overqualified and he won't consider me for a position because I might change my mind and take a better offer if and when it comes along....WTF.com!!!
As if the 'recruiter politics' was not enough, national politics is seeing massive cuts in virtually every facet of UK life, from benefits to jobs. Unemployment is high and set to rise and that old ratio of 50 people to every position is now more like 1000. In fact if you get a job today you should be a combination of happy and paranoid. Happy because you triumphed over 999 other candidates but paranoid because you might have been the cheapest and most gullible option; no one wants to be the office fool...
That said, my new strategy is to apply for positions I have no chance in hell of getting (on paper), sods law will have me get called up for interviews and all sorts LMFAO...
Maybe that's how so many incompetent people get into high positions...? Oi! stop looking at your line manager/supervisor/boss ;-)
iMoan because right now, it truly is my main source of entertainment...oh yeah and cos I have a point!
