TOO GOOD TO GET THE JOB
SHE’S worked under highpressure environments on the floor of the Singapore Exchange, has experience in human resources and as an operations manager but it’s not enough to land her a job in Townsville.
Despite – or because of – her impressive resume Townsville woman Amanda Ching has not been able to find a job and has been labelled “over- qualified”.
The 33- year- old moved to Townsville from Singapore in February and started applying for jobs in May.
She carefully tailored resumes and cover letters for about 50 jobs and has been rejected every time. One employer told her she had too much experience.
“He said my resume was too powerful, that I was overqualified,” Ms Ching said.
She’s considered “dumbing down” her resume.
“I applied for a job as an administrator and I ticked all the boxes,” she said.
“But I was rejected and then one month later I saw the same job again, still advertised.
“They either don’t get back to me or I get automated email rejections.
“I don’t mind being rejected for the right reason, I just don’t like to be rejected for no reason.
“Sometimes I think I’m wasting my time working through cover letters and resumes for places that aren’t looking for people.”
Clayton Cook is the managing director of TP Human Capital, a recruitment business based in Townsville and said being over- qualified was a real problem.
Mr Cook said employers often considered how long a potential employee would stay with the company, and took that into account in their decision making.
“Many employers have had a negative experience at some point employing someone that is over- qualified and normally associated with being paid more than the role they’ve recruited the person into,” he said.
Mr Cook said employers were often concerned about training a person who might have a long- term goal of a different career. “In Townsville there is a reasonably high unemployment level and things are getting tougher and it’s harder to find good people,” he said.
Mr Cook said over- qualified jobseekers should consider “dumbing down” their resumes.
“It’s important to target your resume to the role you’re applying for and make sure you identify transferable skills,” he said.
“If you’re an ex- stockbroker and you’re looking for a job in sales and administration, for the person looking at that experience it won’t matter or they might not understand.”