Age Discrimination???

I would be interested re jpb's view, if she would want to post it. If she doesn't see this for a while, pm her, Brandon. Well, just a suggestion. I respect her generally but also re laboratories.

She has applied at every hospital within 30 odd miles which has posted a job opening.

All of the younger graduates (except one so far) got jobs.

It doesn't have to be the CV. It may be simple age discrimination. You're assuming that it can't be anything sinister, like discrimination. Why have I gotten jobs with essentially the same CV? I strongly suspect that the CVs of some of these other people stink. Your theory is that every one of the 20 odd other people has a good CV and the CV that has gotten me in many doors and never been significantly criticized by any recruiter is so much worse than that of people with no experience?

I actually misspoke earlier. One or two of the people her age did get hired, but only one or two. The rest of them, save the one fellow who went a thousand miles to get a part time job, have also been utterly ignored. So, all of the early 2os graduates have great CVs and almost none of the over 40 graduates do? That's some big counter intuitive coincidence.

Yes, but her certificate was way late.

Brandon, I don't know, but I'm plotzed on all this. Enraged on your behalf, though.

That is correct, but it is also correct that her many applications over six months haven't generated a speck of interest from anyone. Even when a former hospital instructor called a department head who was hiring and told him that she's fabulous, he never contacted her at all.

Truthfully, I am enraged too and that's really the word for it. I'm furious. My wife comes from a really great family, and that was a bit of good luck, but she has been denied many things in life by simple bad luck, a lot of it just because of where she was born. I don't think she would want me to tell people too much about her, but just one example is that for a time, when she was a little girl, they had running water for only two hours a day in her town. Now, she comes to America, studies incredibly hard, helps her fellow students who often come to her for help, achieves almost impossibly good grades, and the result is that when she graduates with high honors, every door is slammed in her face, although not quite her face, since she can't get an interview. Yes, I am very angry. By the way, in case you are wondering, there is no other factor which I'm withholding about her, nothing obvious which might affect her prospects.

if your wife isn't even getting an interview, how do recruiters/employers know she isn't in her 20's?

if they are figuring it out by way of her resume (c.v.'s are usually only for academics and teachers), then, yes, it is the resume and her age - though 40 seems very early for that to kick in

she definitely does not want a one-size-does-not-fit-all resume. She needs to prepare it sniper-style to suit each ad. Another factor is that by the time there is an actual ad, it can be too late to apply. A good resume with a superbly tailored cover letter can get her some attention from h.r. when postings are sent to them by hiring departments.

has she done any informational interviewing? where she contacts potential employers to find out where their new employees come from.

my current employer hires virtually nobody straight out. everyone (below executive level) comes in on a 6 - 12 month contract to begin with. People applying for apparent job openings will be sorely disappointed as they aren't going to be considered for a permanent role to begin with. if things are sticky, you've got to find out what the industry-specific tricks are.

what does her school do to prepare students for job-searching? do they have campus recruiting events? what support does the school offer grads who are looking for work?

32 years after graduating from one university and some mysterious number of years after completing a few programs at another (somewhere in the 20 - 25 year range), I still get emails letting me know about programs offered to grads who are job-hunting.

But not at a university and not re research?

It's hard for me to see a university ignoring her creds, unless maybe her cred studies were at some odd school.

Yes, I can read. I don't get why the mixed others did good except re timing.

ehBeth knows more, listen..

Brandon. What to say - if we have talked before, it's been not all good, politics or whatever.

I am extremely interested in how this goes. I want to see her doing well.

It has to be her resume if she doesn't get even a foot in the door. You cannot model her resume after your own, Brandon. You are in a completely different profession. She needs to model her resume according to the medical community. Maybe if her name suggests that she's a foreigner, just use a middle name then and your married name. If she writes under skills that she speaks several languages and one of it is her native tongue, that could be a red flag too.

I don't know where you live, but I'd think in certain areas they're not accustomed to foreigners. Also, try to omit years - like jespah had suggested, this way they cannot pinpoint her age. No one needs to state their age, but when they graduated high school in 1960, it's obvious that
they're not in their 20s.

Get as much written recommendations as possible from previous employers/internships/professionals, that helps too.

Rewriting her resume is the easiest part you can do, yet you keep saying that she has a good one. Obviously is not good enough if she doesn't get an interview.

Try several variations and see what it brings. On the other hand, your wife has already applied to every hospital in your area, I don't think that it would be wise to re-apply with a different resume. Can't she go into private industry? Does it have to be a hospital?

If it's not a problem with the accreditation or the CV...then why isn't she getting an interview?

The C V can be tricky...I've learned to make it as tricky as possible with very good results.

what is a cretic ate?

Sorry...no glasses ..,had to correct.

Maybe they live in a problematic area.

I'm perplexed.

sorry, maybe someone posted that by mistake.

edit - Got it.