I am really good at what I do. I learn quickly and help others to learn things I already know. I have impeccable customer service skills and can (and have) apply them in a lot of different situations.
I have found myself disqualified for too many positions because a lot of placement agencies take superficial requirements as gospel. Though I’ve worked in End-User support for years and worked with 3000 people on projects, because I haven’t worked with 1000 users in a Help Desk capacity I am automatically disqualified for just about every State job out there.
Outsourcing has caused most entry level positions to disappear in the US, but the outsourcing of Human Resources to placement agencies all too often means that people who are qualified for specific positions are out of the running because non-technical people are not able to look past the guidelines given to them by the hiring companies.
I wonder how many other people find themselves in my position, unable to find work because their experience is incompatible with guidelines that are read as requirements.
I interview well. If I could GET TO THE INTERVIEWS I would have been employed by now, but because I’ve only supported 300 people in a Help Desk capacity, I can’t even get to the interviews. I can’t even get past the forms that say "Fill in each required area. If you don’t have the specific experience we’re looking for, you will be considered non-compliant."
I don’t know when the shift occurred, but I know that there was a time when it mattered what you could actually do and what you had done and who you were, rather than filling out a form to be considered compliant or non-compliant. Guidelines should be just that, guidelines.
Because, you know what? I know that I’m good at what I do. I just need (another) chance to prove that to people.