Experience is supposed to be valuable, but these days they dont look at your experience so much as your age and your value in monetary terms, for instance they would have to pay me more than they would have to pay a 17 year old that they could train to a degree and keep for maybe six months or a year. A 35 year old with less experience could also be paid less money and be kept for a lot longer, they would advise that she/he could advance within the company, carrot dangling, wheras they would look at my age and work out how much they would have to pay me and how long they might be able to keep me as the carrot would not work due to the experience.

Of course the fact that I have done four years of Uni also doesn't help though you would think that it would, it apprently means I am worth even more, except people dont want to pay it. With so many out of work in the area they can afford to be choosy, so underqualified for some work and over for others makes it hard to find that middle line. Trudging streets and constantly bugging employers doesn#t seem to work anymore than the constant barrage of applications I have made to the same places, of the few that I manage to get further than the bin, and finally get an interview it seems there is always something that doesn't work for them, I have great intrviews and no job, the last one was a really bad interview, and no job.

It seeps away your self esteem, your confidence ebbs a little more each time and you begin to feel inadequate, this affects your interviews, I know this happened last time, they asked me a question that I had difficulty in answering and that was it, the rest of the questions felt like hurdles and the confidence I felt at the beginning slowly disappeared, I wouldn't have hired me either. I know I could have done the job, the problem is that they dont, and they do interviews to gauge that, had they given me the chance I could have shown them just how good I am, but people dont do that because it is too big risk.

So now I take a deep breath and learn some more, another lesson in how not to get a job, and a little wiser we think next time we learn all we can beforehand, the problem is that they want more than they advertise for and how are you supposed to know that or what 'more' it is that they are looking for? And the cycle starts again, the season of goodwill is almost on us and it is possible that I may get a temp job somwhere but, when that is over we are back again to the same cycle, do you not take it because you fear it will make things worse or do you take it and hope that they might keep you on while at the same time looking for other work?

Ah well, someone out there is looking for what I can offer, and eventully we wil cross paths.

Hope everyone has a good day :wave: