The 3.5 x Salary ideal - ever realistic again?

[Deleted User]

Pastures.. just out of interest, got any experience in the healthcare system?

PasturesNew

ringo_24601 wrote: »

Pastures.. just out of interest, got any experience in the healthcare system?

Of course I have! LOL. But not significant.

I've never worked for the NHS itself, just had a number of admin/typing jobs over the years for them and some University of Cambridge departments as they have a major base at the hospital there as it is a teaching hospital.

And right now, I do some medical transcription from home for some Occupational Health providers, who are not part of the NHS.

So, nothing significant that I would ever apply for any job that said experience of the NHS is required.

The NHS is one of those strange beasts where you get into the "no" pile just because so many other applicants do have NHS experience. It's the same with local authority, government and civil service jobs.

My experience has mainly been in financial institutions and education/learning.

I am very adaptable and skilled, with a raft of transferrable skills. Employers want flexible and adaptable staff. But at the end of the day, for every job there can only be one winner. And people would rather bet on somebody with relevant experience than somebody who appears brighter and more able but doesn't have such relevant experience. I guess in large organisations they might be scared of somebody saying it was discrimination - or - they're scared to step out of the way they've always done it.

I even had a phone call once after an interview. The woman said "You were clearly the very best candidate for the job. We all agreed that. However, we felt we should give it to this other woman who is moving into this area as she's done the job before". And it wasn't a rocket scientist job. Simply an office manager for a very small adult education centre.

PasturesNew

I would add, I don't "need" a job, I just "want" one. I currently work for myself, working from home, earning more than I have done in recent years.

But I am wasted doing that, when I could be doing so much more in an organisation. I need to feel I am making a difference.

And once I get a job, I'd like to think that it would enable me to afford a nice little home. So 3.5x salary I think is a good benchmark to head for... come on banks! Sort it out!

m00m00

I'm in a similar position to pasturesnew (only without the STR bit)

I don't actually need a job at the moment, but could do with a more constructive way of passing my time.

I am very highly qualified and experienced, yet I just can't seem to get a single interview here. I've even been told off the record by an agency, that because I'm late 30's I'm considered 'too old' automatically by most of the agencies that place IT jobs, and they prefer people in their early 20s with a very conventional CV, which mine isn't by any stretch of the imagination.

when I do get interviews, I get the job.

PasturesNew

m00m00 wrote: »

I'm in a similar position to pasturesnew (only without the STR bit)

I don't actually need a job at the moment, but could do with a more constructive way of passing my time.

I am very highly qualified and experienced, yet I just can't seem to get a single interview here. I've even been told off the record by an agency, that because I'm late 30's I'm considered 'too old' automatically by most of the agencies that place IT jobs, and they prefer people in their early 20s with a very conventional CV, which mine isn't by any stretch of the imagination.

when I do get interviews, I get the job.

LOL/late 30s "too old". It's supposed to be illegal isn't it! I'm ... quite a bit older than you - AND - female! Double whammy.

Mine is also, from necessity, not a conventional CV. I've worked for too many companies that closed. Too many small/1-man companies that didn't allow me to specialise. Then I lived in an area where there was nothing similar to what I needed, so I did what I could.

Good luck in your search!

Badger_Lady

^ Since the new age legislation, I've found most job agencies aren't allowed to ask your age (although of course it can be inferred from your education dates etc).

I have the opposite problem that I'm normally considered too young - when I was offered my latest job they thought I was 10 years older! Shocked the poor account manager when I told him the truth (after the offer was formally accepted etc).

tomstickland

ringo_24601 wrote: »

where do you live PasturesNew?

I guess i do live in world where I don't know anyone who earns < £24k a year. Even our clueless graduates are hired at that rate.

I live near Bristol and I know loads of people, graduates included who earn less than that. Then again, cost of living is lower here than London an quality of life higher too.

lostinrates

PasturesNew wrote: »

I would add, I don't "need" a job, I just "want" one. I currently work for myself, working from home, earning more than I have done in recent years.

But I am wasted doing that, when I could be doing so much more in an organisation. I need to feel I am making a difference.

And once I get a job, I'd like to think that it would enable me to afford a nice little home. So 3.5x salary I think is a good benchmark to head for... come on banks! Sort it out!

I don't want to feel I'm making a difference necessarily (I do voluntary stuff and I get a lot of satisfaction from that) but I would like to be earning.

[Deleted User]

tomstickland wrote: »

I live near Bristol and I know loads of people, graduates included who earn less than that. Then again, cost of living is lower here than London an quality of life higher too.

Quality of life is a odd thing to measure.

I can get to a west end show with only a 15 minute tube ride from work. I actually live up in Hertfordshire in the countryside and get the train in (45 mins - 1 hr). I would say I have a pretty decent quality of life, other than my daily commute. My manager lives in Bristol and commutes to London.

Managers start on about 38k, Project managers earn 50k+. Most of our graduates complain the salary is too low.

I asked about the healthcare experience as we're a healthcare IT firm and have quite a few ex-medical people on the books.

PasturesNew

ringo_24601 wrote: »

Project managers earn 50k+.

I was earning £50k for project management right before the dot com bubble burst. So, back in 2001-2002.

Then it all kind of died.... where I was living was too far away to commute to/from the jobs any more (like I had been doing). Jobs died, wages halved almost overnight... it seems to have picked up again in the last 2-3 years, which is why I thought it might be a good time for me to relocate/do the job I love again.

I've been mainly applying for jobs at £45-100k so far. But if you're not getting them it doesn't matter HOW much they pay does it. Might as well be thruppence