Hello all,
I am currently trying to push my career to the next level. In doing so, I have made myself available to the idea of relocating anywhere in the United States and our neighbor to the north Canada. I figured I would cast a wide net so as to increase my chances. I have had several interviews, even a few "last round" interviews. Many nibbles, no bites, many times to bobber was moving around and dipping, but I have yet to real one in. I keep running into something that I am continually surprised by (maybe I shouldn't be) but again I am perspective is tainted by my agenda. I'm talking about discrimination in the job market. No, not the kind you would first think of, more along the lines of product discrimination.
Every time I apply to a Dairy Manufacturing Company, I have every single criteria they have requested as prior experience, certification, or education. Then the placement specialist (headhunter) relays to me that "they really only consider people with prior dairy experience".
Then... The Jelly and Jam company I applied to wanted a candidate with "previous Jelly experience", all of the poultry facilities I have applied to want someone with "poultry specific experience". I promise, from the job posting requirements I have every other attribute. The Seafood places in Oregon wanted, that's right you guessed it. My god, I was always under the impression these skills were highly transferable.
Sometimes I feel like If I told the dairy facility that I did in fact have experience with milk they would say "what kind of milk?".
<me> Uhhhh....... cow milk?
<them> "Nope, sorry, you gotta have experience with the rare New Zealand Arapawa Goat milk exclusively!
<them> "and you gotta have it using the same machinery and procedures we use here at our rare New Zealand Arapawa Goat Milk processing facility!"
<them> "AND your name has to be "Fred", because that was the name of the guy who used to do this job!"
Well dam, I had it all the way up to "Fred"