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ladyelaine
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16 Jan 2018, 5:52 pm

Companies expect job applicants to have a bunch of paid experience even for entry level jobs. Companies don't want to count volunteer experience as experience because it's not paid. I don't think it should matter if the experience is paid or not. Sometimes the person with five years of volunteer experience in the field is considerably more knowledgeable about the job than the person with two years of paid experience. People gotta be able to get experience somehow. Volunteering can be a good place to start.



infinitenull
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17 Jan 2018, 7:18 am

Scorpius14 wrote:
I recently took the time to weigh out my options job-wise and made a list of jobs that were among my search, 146 to be exact, and found that 58 of those were duplicate listings or unrelated adverts/sponsored links, and 59 were unsuitable for me for reasons such as requiring a drivers license & car, medical background, personal hygiene that are unlikely to change in the future. This left me with 13 marginally suitable jobs with 4 questionable ones which might need further training or courses to get. Bearing in mind the site [Indeed] only updates me with 10 or so new jobs every day, where i'm lucky to be even suitable for one.

This gave me the conclusion that on average, my jobsearch results suggest just 17% of all jobs I look at online are suitable for me to apply for, and I always have second thoughts on applying to half of that 17%, which is as optimistic as i'll get. I did a skills health check, only to see that I have little to no marketable skills because it's been so long since i've been out of work (the only work I have undertaken has been voluntary) and this comes to no surprise that companies look down upon volunteers when it comes to advertising paid roles.


Have you considered trying to go for an analyst job? This is pretty thorough analysis of your job prospects and suggests that it's something you might be good at. Someone who did an analysis on their own like this, even if not experienced in analytics would probably be a great candidate to train and enhance their skills. Not every hiring manager thinks that way, but there are some out there that do!

To point out what it is about your analysis that makes it so good:
Not overstating statistics or claiming that they're 100% the truth
It draws a clear conclusion
You mention relevant facts and conditions that support your conclusion
You've shared your assumptions and data collection methodology for those of us who like to know where the data come from

These are all thing I expect from analysts in my own company and things I tried to cover in my own analysis. Just a thought :) Generally when I notice non-analysts at my company pump out analysis like this my first thought is "someone needs to put them in more situations to do that kind of work". Sorry if I am imposing or assuming more than I should.


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I do not experience cognitive dissonance reduction the way that other people do.
Professionally diagnosed in March 2018


GiantHockeyFan
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17 Jan 2018, 7:28 am

ladyelaine wrote:
Companies expect job applicants to have a bunch of paid experience even for entry level jobs. Companies don't want to count volunteer experience as experience because it's not paid. I don't think it should matter if the experience is paid or not. Sometimes the person with five years of volunteer experience in the field is considerably more knowledgeable about the job than the person with two years of paid experience. People gotta be able to get experience somehow. Volunteering can be a good place to start.


Not to mention that the "experienced" person will peak and decline a lot quicker and usually leave after a few months. You would think HR would catch on to this by now. My own late Grandfather wouldn't be able to get a carpenter's job today due to lack of experience and education even though he built an entire house by himself completely to code with no blueprints.

On the other hand, some of the 'requirements' border on delusional and you can safely apply anyway. On job I saw required a diploma that maybe 7 people in my province have (including me). It paid significantly LESS than what I or anyone else already makes and was in a dying, out of the way community.



Scorpius14
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17 Jan 2018, 9:53 am

infinitenull wrote:
Have you considered trying to go for an analyst job? This is pretty thorough analysis of your job prospects and suggests that it's something you might be good at. Someone who did an analysis on their own like this, even if not experienced in analytics would probably be a great candidate to train and enhance their skills. Not every hiring manager thinks that way, but there are some out there that do!

To point out what it is about your analysis that makes it so good:
Not overstating statistics or claiming that they're 100% the truth
It draws a clear conclusion
You mention relevant facts and conditions that support your conclusion
You've shared your assumptions and data collection methodology for those of us who like to know where the data come from

These are all thing I expect from analysts in my own company and things I tried to cover in my own analysis. Just a thought :) Generally when I notice non-analysts at my company pump out analysis like this my first thought is "someone needs to put them in more situations to do that kind of work". Sorry if I am imposing or assuming more than I should.


I've in the past intrigued people such as teachers, lecturers and colleagues with my analytical skills and ability to organise like others don't. But as the saying goes, where one is proficient in one area, they tend to be lacking in the other, for me it seems this analysis side of things is all I know, whilst it might stay with me forever I can't really picture myself in such a role. Analytics is a good thing to have but I lack in all other necessary skills like communication, interpersonal skills, being socially inept, lack of integrity etc.

Plus I live in the sort of area where there are so little jobs in analytics, some are taken by people who hold degrees, have years of experience, things i don't have.



HistoryGal
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17 Jan 2018, 9:24 pm

Scorpius, some employer is likely to hire you given what you are able to do. Don't give up.



infinitenull
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18 Jan 2018, 6:18 am

Scorpius14 wrote:
I've in the past intrigued people such as teachers, lecturers and colleagues with my analytical skills and ability to organise like others don't. But as the saying goes, where one is proficient in one area, they tend to be lacking in the other, for me it seems this analysis side of things is all I know, whilst it might stay with me forever I can't really picture myself in such a role. Analytics is a good thing to have but I lack in all other necessary skills like communication, interpersonal skills, being socially inept, lack of integrity etc.

Plus I live in the sort of area where there are so little jobs in analytics, some are taken by people who hold degrees, have years of experience, things i don't have.


I lack a degree, didn't have great communication or interpersonal skills, although I have always valued integrity very much. The company I work for today taught me communication skills (it's part of why I am struggling with diagnosis right now). As an autodidact I figured out ways to consume advanced education outside of post-secondary school (mostly listening to audio books, experimentation, and online research) and hold a few certifications which has been much easier for me. For the last 12 years I've been building a career around my abilities as an analyst and I even mentor other analysts at the company frequently.

If you have a linkedin profile, try finding something unusual that also interests you to analyze. (If you don't have a linkedin profile, create one). Take a special interest that you might analyze on your own just to understand something about it better and share your analysis in a linked-in article (anyone can post articles on linked-in, they're kinda like blog posts). Preferably something positive, or something that could be improved.

Then apply for jobs, including the ones that require a degree!

Here are my thoughts behind this recommendation:
- This puts your work out there and sells itself rather than you having to sell your personality
- Hiring managers would see the active participation in linked-in as a positive social move. Building your "personal brand" is huge in business right now and it'll make you seem like you're cutting edge and outgoing in the important ways which will offset any social difficulties that you have. (The idea of "personal brand" is completely silly to me... please note, I am not endorsing this trend... I just know that it's a shiny toy for the NT folks right now. I play along because I like business it's one of my favorite things to think about and do)
- It might actually be fun if the analysis is related to a special interest :) so even if it doesn't work at least it's something enjoyable to do

Anyway, I don't know if any of this will actually help you :oops: I am kind of just throwing it out there because I have a habit within my own company of encouraging people to pursue enthusiasm for analytics. I do hope you the best of luck either way!

BTW, I would consider volunteer experience if I was hiring. Also, don't let the expectation for a degree hold you back. Apply anyway... Sometimes recruiters will ignore it, and the worst that would happen at the rest of them is they'd overlook your resume which won't hurt your chances with other companies.


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Very high systematizing, low empathy, but moderate to high sympathy.
I do not experience cognitive dissonance reduction the way that other people do.
Professionally diagnosed in March 2018