Q. I graduated this year (I got a first) and have written more than 70 letters to potential employers. Those who deigned to reply just sent formulaic acknowledgements and regrets. People who know me can’t believe the apathy. Everything I’ve already achieved (without parental help) is there in my CV. Volunteering, sport, my own small business… Moreover, I’ve already raised enough money by my own efforts to be able to work without being paid for six months, an offer I’ve included in all my applications. Clearly, the employers are just too busy to read my CV. If they did, they would definitely give me at least an interview. Any suggestions?
— Name and address withheld
A. Has it occurred to you that the PAs who open the post in the offices you are targeting have indeed read your CV and decided to bin it rather than pass it on? Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas so why would it be in their interest to facilitate a rival for the position they, too, are aiming for — while posing for the moment as a lowly assistant? You may be better off applying for the PA jobs yourself in the short term. Go through the human resources channel and aim low. Once your foot is in the door, you will be off.
Q. At a fundraising evening in a neighbour’s house, we hit it off with some new people. As promised, I rang to invite them to dinner. The wife accepted, but then added that if the ‘Smiths’ — the couple in whose house we had met — were not free on the same night, they would be happy to reschedule. I was taken aback, Mary, because I hadn’t been thinking of also inviting these (rather earnest) mutual neighbours.
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