13th July 2010, 09:30 AM
Most of those points do seem like "reasons" rather than excuses (with the exception of the age issue). If vacancies are vastly over-subscribed, then as an employer you're going to be looking for people with current skills and recent experience, who can hit the ground running onsite. You might need to work on using your CV to prove that this includes you, rather than asking them to take it as read.
Are you appying for jobs that link with your PhD or MA subject? If you're applying for digging or project supervisor jobs when you've spent years buried in libraries and archives researching Roman hair pins, then it might be worth gritting your teeth and downplaying that aspect of your study. In my previous life in IT, I was occasionally responsible for recruitment; a CV and covering letter carefully tailored to each vacancy you apply for, could be the deciding factor in whether you get an interview.
Geting some experience in your target job field might actually prove as valuable as the PhD (and now my teeth are gritting on your behalf). Would you consider attending paid field schools, just so that you could find yourself a recent referee or two who can confirm that you pitch in, work as a team member, maintain focus (i.e. you don't get bored) and don't see shovelling spoil as "beneath you" - a preconception which is presumably part of the problem with a PhD?
If it's any consolation, I was rejected for jobs as over-qualified when I was 20 because I had A Levels. It's not an issue specific to archaeology. Good luck.
Are you appying for jobs that link with your PhD or MA subject? If you're applying for digging or project supervisor jobs when you've spent years buried in libraries and archives researching Roman hair pins, then it might be worth gritting your teeth and downplaying that aspect of your study. In my previous life in IT, I was occasionally responsible for recruitment; a CV and covering letter carefully tailored to each vacancy you apply for, could be the deciding factor in whether you get an interview.
Geting some experience in your target job field might actually prove as valuable as the PhD (and now my teeth are gritting on your behalf). Would you consider attending paid field schools, just so that you could find yourself a recent referee or two who can confirm that you pitch in, work as a team member, maintain focus (i.e. you don't get bored) and don't see shovelling spoil as "beneath you" - a preconception which is presumably part of the problem with a PhD?
If it's any consolation, I was rejected for jobs as over-qualified when I was 20 because I had A Levels. It's not an issue specific to archaeology. Good luck.