When and why did things get so blooming complicated

Small person hear on her soap chest waving her hands in complete and utter frustration.

Call me a fossil what you will but why are things so complicated today or is it me unnecessarily worrying about dotting the i's or crossing the t's!  I cannot help it I have always had an eye for detail.

I have spent nearly 12 hours in trying to progress what in effect should have been a simple CV application.  However to start with my normal email address is not considered decent enough for professional applications and is considered by most to be a little risqué never mind the fact that there is an innocent story behind it.  I have attempted in the past to create new email accounts and then got lost in the system with them not remembering passwords etc. and then for the system to screech that no such account exists.  So I started off with doing that.  All appeared to go through smoothly until I came to log into it again when it categorically decided my password was wrong.  It was not and I eventually got into the system after leaving it a while.

I am not fond of email this or email that and I am certainly not fond of email job applications.  Deep, deep, groan here.  Even though I am reasonably proficient with IT (there is stills some I am not au fait with).  I am quite happy to prepare a CV, for myself.  After all that is what a lot of the training I have carried out recently states that I should do.  But in reality a lot of authorities or employers have their own CV formats which bear no relation to what I am actually supposed to do or indeed what information they should ask for.

The next stage was to log into the jobs website and they suggest that you create a profile with all your details in which can be tailored for each new job application.  I kept a running list of passwords and information etc.  and then got locked out of that.  Eventually managed to get sorted but oh what a bind.  So I am now up to the point where the majority of the application is done.  But I have had to read this and read that and dip into this and dip into that which has made the whole process completely daunting and difficult. There is also a time limit on how long you can be online with the application about an hour so you have to extend it or go out of it and then go back in again. I just have to fine tune it tomorrow before putting in an application but I find the whole process unnecessary and wasteful.  All I wanted to do was to email my CV with an appropriate covering letter.  However despite my best endeavours there would appear to be no provision or a covering letter to accompany said application.  The covering letter is a place for usually adding further relevant information without blocking up your CV which should be no longer than two pages.  Unfortunately also the qualifications I have are too many for the appropriate 11 boxes allowed.  

One of the things that was stressed to me at my recent training was that often someone other than the employer was delegated to go through all the CVs received or in some cases computer programmes were utilised to check for key words which are usually contained within the job advertisement.  Only those CV applications which include those relevant key words get through!

Many years ago a CV was simply a Curriculum Vitae (or life story).  It was to be truthful, honest and fully reflect what qualifications you actually had and your employment history without any omissions.  I must say that I find the methods employed today not very honest to say the least and it does not sit well with me even now.

There is also conflicting information about what should go in and what should not go in the CV.  You are not bound to give a Date of Birth or your full address on the grounds of prospective employers being ageist however there are also the GDPR Rules to take into consideration.  However, by the same coil a lot of employers ask for the date the qualification was taken as if I can remember that far back over 40 years ago.  I did not just take qualifications at school I went on for two years at College and then a further year at night school as well as bits and bobs of training inbetween and inhouse training that I have been given by whomsoever I have been working for.  That in itself contradicts what the guidelines say. Grades of certificates do not have to be put in.  However each prospective employer has their own applications which in a lot of cases just do not conform with the guidelines.

My generation were very much the "guinea pig" generation.  We were last year secondary modern/first year comprehensive.  They used us as guinea pigs with certain exams with the English Literature exam at O Level being computerised.  The girls of that generation were also not expected to go out and hold down jobs but it was expected that we would be married and be raising a family.  In real life things do not work out and you have to work with what you have.

I was married a month into 19, was married to  gentleman seven years my senior, and expected to be the trophy wife, but not expected to have my own opinions, ideas and dreams.  The marriage lasted six and a half years.  The truth of the matter is that we grew apart and the whole affair was very vindictive on his part and very malicious.  Not long after that I was made redundant for the first time.  I had been a Director's Secretary for about  seven and a half years.  I then went temping and that is when I did my first stint with legal work with an agency.  I ended up managing to obtain a float secretary position (a secretary that worked across Departments).  Within six weeks I had been made up to a Legal Executive's secretary. It took me two years to fully get to know the job and my legal work went on from there.  I think I have been a Legal Secretary 34 to 35 years all told.  I am old school I came into the work to help people at their most difficult times but the work has very much changed to what it was and the requirements have changed as well.

So now I am looking for a job for the rest of my working career.  I have about another six years of working life left I think. Am I too old to retrain and do something worthwhile that will actually help me financially but give other people help that they so often need.

Thoughts please on a postcard.  Am I past the sell by date.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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