Fellow Jobseekers Unite!

[Feuer Frei!]

Snapshot:

I've recently (approx. 3 months ago) moved interstate to be with my parents and to assist in their well-being and to give care to my mother who has early stages of dementia.
I have always been employed and whilst being here in a city where i originally grew up, have had to get myself into the process of applying for jobs again. Ie. cover letters, resume updates, interviews, talking with recruitment agencies, welfare payments, networking and so on.
My profession is Restaurant management and have also got experience in retail, government departments, laboring, management courses, certificates which allow me to work in the above-mentioned industries and so forth.

The city i moved from is 2 and a half times bigger than the city i am now in, and i knew full-well that it was going to be tough to break into the labor force again, partly because i'd lived here for many years on and off and partly because the city is smaller and no major industries to speak of, a market base made of predominately 3 categories: 1) uni students 2) retirees and 3) unemployed.
I won't count the employed since that wouldn't make much sense in including them.

I have over the last 3 months applied for many positions, when i say many, i mean around 20 or so (which is a lot for this city).
This city is incredibly seasonal, ie. when the holidays are on, it's a very busy place, but when no holidays are on, it's extremely quiet.
Transient is another example of what this city is.

The positions i have applied for are well within the scope of my work history, therefore i am more than experienced to apply for these positions, being realistic in the application process, writing cover letters as requested (even when none are), ensuring the resume is tailored for the particular role i have applied for, with relevance the top priority, ensuring my referees are sound and in contact with me at all times, especially when they receive reference checks, ensuring no spelling mistakes when submitting resumes and cover letters, and all the other rules that go along with applying for a position.
So far, i have received 1 interview!
Out of more than 15 applications, 1 interview.
Now one could say that i am doing something wrong here, that either my resume is indicating irrelevant work history to the position i'm applying for, or that i have made the fatal mistake of including bad referees on my resume.
Not addressing the job criteria set out in the advert, bad spelling, not enough experience, etc etc.
None of these are the case, and i might add that that has been confirmed by employment agencies, friends who recruit in their current jobs etc.

So, we come to the point of this thread:
what can be done to increase my chances of obtaining an interview?
Do you have any tried and tested tips that you can share for other fellow job seekers?

In my defence, i will say that i am excellent in English, confident, outgoing nature, 10 years' experience in my main profession (and the bulk of the jobs i am applying for), excellent referees, credentials, proven track record, very good knowledge of the labour market and community, reliable transport, maturity, etc etc.
Now most of these are on the resume, with some of them one cannot show these on paper, since they are a interview stage process.

I'm scratching my head, wondering what the hell is going on with employers these days?
I have recruitment experience and know full well the time and effort that goes into screening applicants for a given position.
I also know fully well that not all applicants are suitable.
I also know fully well that some applicants can be over-qualified.
I am realistic, experienced in the recruitment process and know that i wouldn't hesitate to ring someone and get them in for an interview if they had 10 years' experience in the industry that i am recruiting in.
At least make a reference check, something.

So, any tips, strategies, hints, advice or otherwise that you may be able to give to me and others in a similar boat would be greatly appreciated.

[Vince82]

Not only write down why you are qualified. But also write down why you want to work for that particular company, basically why you enthusiastic about it. Write down some things that show that you understand what that company is all about.

[Betonov]

Lie if you have to. Small lies, the kind that make you look better than the rest but you can cover once you get the job.

[Armistead]

Can you move back to a bigger city? Some areas are simply depressed or don't have many jobs per the percent applying.

[Wolferz]

Sounds to me like you've dotted all the I's and crossed all the T's.

It could be a matter of too much experience and the prospective employer may feel like you'll be unhappy with the pay or they might be looking for a less experienced candidate to be molded into what they're seeking.
When it comes to a resume, I always use the KISS method...
Keep It Simple Stupid.

Or you can try this...
If you are unable to dazzle them with your brilliance,then baffle them with bull scat.

[Jimbuna]

Selling oneself can often be one of the most daunting of tasks but looking at your OP I would say there is nothing outstanding missing but I hardly consider myself qualified seeing as how I've only had three or four employment interviews during my working life.

I wish you the very best of luck in your efforts

[Betonov]

I never had a job interview in my life.

When I worked in a florist shop and pizzeria it was a short term help for a friend.
I got my job in Seaway as one of the students working for an employment agency which was paid per student workhour, so the more of us they employed the more money they made. I managed to prove myself so I wasn't thrown out with the rest of the rabble.

[August]

Have you tried recontacting the companies you have already applied to?

I know of one employer who deliberately blows off a job seekers first contact to see if the person will try again. That's his judge of character and perseverance.

I know another employer who has hired people just on their demonstrated persistence. During the 2008 economic slump when nobody was being hired I had a graduate call a particular company once a week for almost 6 months. They were so impressed by his persistence they eventually created a job for him. He's still there years later.

You may need to go through a temp thing to get a foot in the door.
I did that a few times before I went self-employed and ended up being hired full time as a full employee.

It bites, Yes. As the pay is always below what you'd get being hired outright.

Around here? You only get in through temp agencies.


You may also want to look at doing consulting or free-lance work.
It's worked for me in many cases in the past where I would not do the temp thing.

I've been self-employed since 1994 now and it's probably the hardest and best thing I've ever done.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by privateer

I've been self-employed since 1994 now and it's probably the hardest and best thing I've ever done.

Rgr that...when your in work the fruits of your labour are yours

[Feuer Frei!]

Originally Posted by Vince82

Not only write down why you are qualified. But also write down why you want to work for that particular company, basically why you enthusiastic about it. Write down some things that show that you understand what that company is all about.

Good tip. Thanks for that. Will keep that in mind. Although, having said that, that question comes up in the interview stage as well...

Originally Posted by Armistead

Can you move back to a bigger city? Some areas are simply depressed or don't have many jobs per the percent applying.

Not an option at this stage as my primary goal is to assist my parents in bettering their quality of life. Mum's dementia, my father's back problems, it all adds up.
If i were to pack up and move away, i would feel i betrayed them, even though they would never hold it against me.
It seems my mum hasn't got too much to go before the aged care facility calls her in.

Originally Posted by August

Have you tried recontacting the companies you have already applied to?

Absolutely. I follow up job applications, with ensuring that i don't overstep the fine line of giving off the impression i am pestering the employer, which can blow up in your face.
In fact i did just that, not recently but a few years back when i was inbetween jobs.
I had applied for a position by distance, and checked back on the process of the application, and was told a decision would be made to short-list for interviews by the following week.
I let the due date pass by a few days and rang to follow up. I was fortunate to get the HR Manager on the phone and he advised me that they are still making a decision. This is after 3 weeks, when they placed the ad.
No word of a lie, and i had my email client open whilst talking on the phone to him, within 2 mins. of that phone call ending, i received an email from him, saying that i had been unsuccessful at this time!
Now if that isn't suspicious then i don't know what is.
Point of the matter is, some people do NOT like applicants to check on the process of the application!
I was outraged that i was rewarded with a blunt rebuttal by being keen and following up on the app., i know that when i recruited that i rewarded the job seeker with an interview or at least a positive remark when they followed up, not just sent off an application and sat back waiting for them to ring them.

As for selling oneself to be considered top of the heap in the application process, there is only so much you can do with cover letters, selection criteria addressing and resume editing.
The issue i'm having is that i can't even seem to get that interview where i can dazzle them with my presentation, both from a verbal and physical sense.
That's dire, to say the least.

Thanks for the advice so far.