Jobseekers resort to desperate measures

A recent job advertisement for a council binman with a salary of 14,000 attracted hundreds of applications from overqualified candidates*, reflecting the findings of a new survey revealing that jobseekers are resorting to increasingly desperate measures to secure employment.

Research by Interviewgold.com, the leading online interview skills training website, has revealed that 44 percent of jobseekers would consider taking a drop in salary in order to land a job and a further 28 percent would go even further and change career altogether.

Joe McDermott, CEO of Interviewgold.com commented on the survey:

ëThese statistics illustrate just how difficult the job market is at present. Despairing job seekers seem to be willing to go to any lengths just to get a foot in the door.í

The Interviewgold.com survey also asked visitors to the site, if they would apply for a job for which they are overqualified just to gain employment and a staggering 85 percent said yes.

According to McDermott, targeting lower paid positions or changing careers simply as a route into a job is not the best approach.

ëMany people see this as an easy way to get workí says McDermott, ëhowever it is actually more difficult for overqualified candidates to find a job. Employers are reluctant to employ over qualified applicants as they fear they will leave as soon as something better comes up or they will get bored.í

The Office for National Statistics recently announced that the number of people out of work in the UK has risen to 2.22 million, so it is hardly surprising that jobseekers are considering alternatives.

McDermottís advice to those out of work is to focus on jobs for which you have the right experience, to make sure that your CV is up to date and your interview skills are first class.

Interviewgold.com teaches individuals how to excel in interviews using a unique combination of video practice interviews and interactive mock interviews.

From graduates to executives, Interviewgold.com has helped thousands of people win jobs in a broad range of sectors and not surprisingly has seen a dramatic increase in subscribers over the past six months.