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Looking for employment, regardless of age, is never easy. Looking for new employment that entails a career change adds yet more difficulties. Looking for new employment that will satisfy all your needs is near nigh impossible. So just what exactly are the problems here? Do they perhaps fall into 3 very distinctive categories, namely: skills, experience and salary?

The initial employment search requires the in-depth perusal of newspaper Recruitment Sections, a daunting prospect to bear for anybody regardless of their social standing. Another avenue to explore in the quest for sustainable employment is to register with an Employment Agency, the likes of which scream out requests for CV’s to fill the endless jobs they have advertised. They also issue wonderful rose tinted promises of keeping you on file with every good intention of contacting you as soon as something comes up, which sadly it rarely does. Heaven knows what they do with all those CV’s, and who for goodness sake rummages through the dozens and dozens looking for a suitable person for each new position.

As a seeker of work, when you eventually manage to find an advert that appears to be suitable for you, you swiftly find within the small print that the offer of employment is on condition that only applicants who can fulfil the extensive list of pre-determined skills should in fact apply. This list is often longer than a-piece of string and as ambiguous as a request for a self-sealing envelope that has been previously used.

For instance do you really need to have extensive knowledge – nice word for skill - of Microsoft Word to be a Receptionist? Yes it can be argued you may need to know how to type up a letter and the odd notes, but equally it can be argued, do you need to know how to insert images, add sequential page numbers, create and run macro’s, insert index’s and table of contents etc to answer the phone? Should the ad not in fairness be saying something to the effect of, knowledge of Microsoft Word to suit position is required?

The question to ponder here is whether the meaning of extensive knowledge is the same for both employer and prospective employee, and there again, who determines the true meaning of this ambiguous word?

The pre-requisite of experience is yet another obstacle to put under the employment microscope. Here the results of analysing “experience” would bring back 2 possible responses, namely: you must have previously worked in this field because we don’t want to supervise you, or, don’t bother applying if you’ve never worked in this field because we don’t want to supervise you? It’s a catch 22; we want you as long as you can offer us something without needing supervision. This adage can be likened to the chicken and the egg scenario, how do you get experience if you can’t get a job.

Possibly one of the biggest aspects to deal with is the question of remuneration. Generally speaking it’s well below your current acceptable level, a level it must be remembered, but often is not, that was reached from years of gaining skills and experience. How many people can afford to take a salary cut that will extensively impact on not only oneself, but also on ones family’s accustomed life style? There are few who can afford to do this, unless of course you find yourself in the enviable position of being inherently wealthy, or, happy to lower your standard of living including changing house, car and children’s school’s. A prospect in reality few are prepared to mull over.

This is probably a good place to consider a sub-category of age that proudly brings along skills and experience. And yet age also works against you, with individuals quickly discovering how un-marketable they are on reaching their early thirties. Now they have skills and experience, are used to a nice salary, but they are too old for the position on offer. In essence prospective employers are saying, if you were younger with the same attributes you’d be hired but at a much cheaper rate. But apply for the same position in your teens or early twenties and you’ll be told you’re not old enough to hold such an important position. You just can’t win.

So what is the approach to take? Is there in fact a solution? Should you perhaps not bother with the Employment Agencies and Recruitment pages? Would it not be better to select the Company you want to work for, decide on the position you want and then set up an interview with the staff to see if they are suitable for you to work with? It certainly seems a lot easier and more direct than scanning through Job Ads.

Email your “Running the Employment Gauntlet Stories", or opinions to mrbiscuit@yebo.co.za