Why is it so hard to find a job!?

Question

I am a highly skilled secretary / PA but am finding it impossible to find a job. I search on all of the job websites including reed, monster, total etc ect but come up with nothing and anything I do apply for is through an agency who either dont get back to me or ask me to go in and register and then I never hear anything from them. Very frustrating!!!

Answer 1

Secretaries face more forms of discrimination than almost any other job role. But there are jobs with the right companies, government agencies, and organisations.

What kind of experience do you have? You mentioned highly skilled, but not experienced.

There are sexist bosses who'd rather have a dumb pretty blonde than someone who knows their stuff. Employment agencies are usually worthless, don't worry about them, they're cv banks. It's better to put your cv on sites like Monster these days, but I think that's more for IT related roles.

But here's my trick for getting interviews. Phone ahead of time to find out if the boss sounds like a jerk or not. Print out completed application forms (leaving no blanks, put "none" if you have to), with a cv/resume and good cover letter.

Oh, and the best places to look, places that list government jobs. The EU and US governments hold "competitions" to find qualified candidates.

Secretaries are usually hired locally. Get to know your local employers, maybe there's a tax office, a phone company, some schools, or other people who need secretaries. Call them and ask where they would advertise jobs locally (this does differ from town to town. Some towns prefer job banks, others the local paper, and sometimes one employment agent gets most of the secretarial jobs while another gets the bus driving positions)

Secretaries don't tend to go with agencies in many places because part of a secretary's job description may be to make the calls and fill out the forms himself.

Government employment websites are pretty good for finding secretarial jobs sometimes.

Now, passing interviews I'm not as good at, but that's how I get them.

Answer 2

Hi there,

unfortunately you are not alone in your experience. UK recruitment agencies are notorious for their bad customer service, they are just mass-factories and don't give a damn of acknowledging your application or ever getting back to you.

However, there might be a few things you could do. Of course it is difficult to give advise without more details knowledge, but I tell you what worked for me:

I invested £ 100.- and had my CV written by a professional, that already helped a lot. Then I started to slightly tailor make my CV for every job I applied for. I am not saying I lied, but I did highlight relevant skills and experiences and skipped non-relevant stuff.

I also selected more carefully where I applied in the first place.

Still, it was a sort of a numbers game, but you improve your chances by adding a nice, individual cover letter and a photo of you.

It makes your application stand-out, builds a personal relationship and after all, people buy people, so if you look empathic you may score enough points to make it to an interview.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Why not become a virtual secretary? Work for yourself. This can be online and off. Take on work from people the world over. These days you can handle business over the internet and by telephone. You don't have to work in an employers office.

Answer 4

Tell me about it! I did a NVQ Level 1 in Administration course at College and also a Childcare course and both were a waste of time, as I cannot get into these sorts of jobs because they want more than these qualifications ie NVQ 2 and which we were not told at College or they want lots of experience in this, but if you are not given a chance how are you to gain experience?

Answer 5

I am having the same problem, I have worked in a bank and then a office for 6 years and have lots of experience but people seem to want monkeys!

Its all about hiring morons who last 5 mins then they sack them and hire some more!

No one seems to want a long term employee anymore

Answer 6

companies want to hire the cheapest labor and hope they find someone who cares about their work more so then money.

I also blame it on the mexicans. They come to the US and work under the table for 3 or 4 dollars and hour. They take away many jobs and companys love them!

Answer 7

Sorry to hear that you are having problems, perhaps you could start up your own agency? The are lots of schemes to help people start up their own business, Good Luck.

Answer 8

There are also other secretaries other than you that could be more skilled than you are.

Answer 9

It might be where you live?? also how much are you asking for?

Try the back of trade magazines they are always better than the internet.

Answer 10

Maybe your not looking in the right places?