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Looking for a job can be a real nightmare especially if you're a first-time job seeker fresh out of schooling. The job market can seem like a big wide world fraught with difficulties. However, an understanding of what to expect and what is expected of you, always makes for a smoother transition from student to worker. Whilst at face value there seems to be little difference between what is available to young men and young women, subtle gender issues do tend to come to the fore eventually and I have kept one eye firmly on these whilst writing these articles. 

 

When a girl is out job hunting, she will be either coming out of secondary school, Junior College or University. The younger she is, the probability is that her work experience will be minimal if at all. Some girls take it upon themselves to find summer jobs during the last three years of senior school and even these short-term experiences are valuable in the long run. But others who stick to their books and believe this will be enough, eventually discover it is hardly the case. Certificates in themselves are important, but employers always seek more. 

 

Certain problems are voiced time and again. Young female job seekers repeatedly complain how, at interviews, they are told they lack work experience. And their concern is that 'if we are inexperienced and nobody will have us on, how on earth will we ever gain this required experience?' 

 

Another common problem is when girls approach the job market with scant qualifications, if any. O level standard is deemed inappropriate for certain jobs and if the girl in question has only this level of education she is going to find it extremely difficult to place herself. Girls who skip tertiary education in any form, are encouraged to take short-term evening courses in the work area they are aiming to target. A short course will provide further insight into the kind of requirements the job would eventually entail and it is easier to gauge if one has the right qualities for it. Moreover employers tend to be more enthusiastic about employees who show interest in what they want to do in life. 

 

A level standard, whilst preferable, is yet again still not satisfactory if not coupled by work experience. It is unfortunately true that employers are becoming increasingly demanding in their request for the 'near-perfect' entry requirements, sometimes losing sight of the individual's personality and propensity at self-improvement and progressively efficient performance. Again the best suggestion is to attend short courses in your line of preferred work. Try to take on temporary jobs which require minimal skills, because even if these are short-term arrangements, and perhaps not very well paid, in the long-term the experience acquired will be to your benefit. 

 

Then we come to all those career hopefuls who emerge from University with their degree firmly in place and extremely high expectations to booth. One cannot blame them. After long years of sheer hard work and effort they believe they are owed a good job plus benefits and perks. Time and again however, they get to hear the same old song over and again - 'No experience? I'm very sorry'. And if they do clinch a job, most probably they have to start at the lower pay level category. 

 

Ms. Tabone, an HR Executive, has seen considerable development in the needs of employers throughout these years. Catering mainly for office and secretarial requirements, her focus is on any vacancy within the office, from office junior all the way through to financial controller. 

 

She explains how today many of the most common tasks which were once delegated to the 'tea lady' or the 'messenger', are being included in the office junior's role alongside the filing of papers, telephone answering, preparing mail, etc. 'In my experience I have noticed that not enough training is given to youngsters on how to prepare themselves for their first jobs. Girls request an office job and don't really know what it involves'. 

 

Ms Tabone laments that many girls seem to be 'spoilt' by their parents at home, and expect their role within the office to be likewise cushioned. In reality they may have tangibly very little to offer by way of hands-on willingness to do what must be done. 'Many times in an interview girls get asked what they think they'll be contributing to the organisation they want to work for. Most won't know what to answer or provide a limp answer. On the other hand, those who have seen family members, especially parents, involved in business set-ups are more pro-active and have a good idea of what to expect on the job. They are more aware of the fact that roles can over lap.' Attitude is tantamount. The 'this is not my job' retort she says, does little to help one succeed. 

 

It is true that good jobs are not easy to come by and that one cannot hope to keep the same job for a lifetime. In fact it is generally known that a first job is likely to hold for two to three years at most, and then one moves on to better conditions and probably wages. Flexibility is the name of the game these days. But some mistakes which get made early on could be avoided very simply. 

 

Ms Tabone advises that one should read vacancy ads properly. 'For each secretarial job vacancy I advertise I tend to get 30 to 50 applications in the post, plus a considerable number of email applications. From what I read in these applications, I can see that girls simply do not even read the ads properly. They do not check the listed requirements and apply blindly for whatever seems to take their fancy. This makes for a lot of wasted time and expenses all around.' 

 

Another very sore issue is sexual discrimination which is usually very insidiously placed within an interview involving a girl. If she is fresh out of University and in her mid-twenties, she will soon discover that after 'the' interview, there is usually an unexpected addenda which males interviewees are always spared. 

 

She will get asked if she has a boyfriend, if she has marriage plans. If she admits to these, the likelihood is she'll get asked if she plans to start a family, and when. 

 

Rebecca (not real name) has been holding an office job for the past few months. Her first interviews however, were complete flops. 'I remember I was just out of University when I was interviewed for a job in this huge office. The interview seemed to be going along well until they wanted to know if I was engaged, which I was; if I planned to marry, which I did. Then they seemed interested in knowing if I planned to have kids soon after marriage. Ingenuously I said I would. I didn't get the job. When this happened in two consecutive interviews with interviewers frowning at me the minute I admitted to wanting to start a family, I decided to stop mentioning anything of my personal life. The next job interview I had, I got the job.' 

 

Anna Borg, senior executive in charge of the Gender Issues Research and Development Division within the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC) comments thus, 'One can understand the concern of employers when faced with an interviewee who might very well decide to get pregnant shortly after getting an important job. They would be worried that after extensively training her to form a fundamental component of their team, she would not be able to carry out her job to its full potential. However employers are undoubtedly breaking the law if they ask questions associated with the personal status of a female interviewee. The law prohibits this.' 

 

Ms Borg suggests a series of options available. Each option has to be weighed carefully. Whilst a first reaction would be to tell the interviewer that the question being made is illegal, this attitude may very well compromise the possibility of getting the job after all. 'Having said this, I must stress that it is all very subjective. If the interviewee assertively insists on not answering such a question, whilst the employer may decide she will not get the job, he may very well be impressed by her very assertiveness, deeming the quality a valuable asset for her role - and give her the post after all. In general however, it is advisable to react otherwise.' 

 

The first option would be for the girl to concentrate on the need of employment - insist that setting up family is not her priority at that moment in time, but that she wants to consolidate her career and get a good job. If they insist on asking status-related questions she can then try to address their fears. Rather than lying, she can explain that in the eventuality of a pregnancy, she would have no problem; that she has often discussed the issue with her partner and parents, and that she has the full support of family members and a valid child care facility available. 

 

What happens in the eventuality that nothing of the sort is asked at a 'formal' interview but the interviewee is asked to attend an 'informal' interview because she has been shortlisted? 'This is a very tricky situation, but for all its informality, the interviewee must still be very careful on what she discloses. She must remember that the issue at hand is for her to get a job and keep strongly to her point of not disclosing any jeopardising personal information.' 

 

At the end of the day, you should be aware that it is a privilege to work and make money and it is a role you must eventually shoulder if you want to succeed in today's world. Whether you're 16 or turning 25, the world is out there waiting for you. Do not let these details worry you too much - simply - be aware that they can come up, be conscious of what the repercussions may be and act positive. Be on time, smile, speak clearly and be sure to leave a good impression. Even if you do not get the job, the interview in itself will make for experience and you can correct what you feel went wrong next time round. 

 

Article prepared by Ms Marika Azzopardi 

 

Marika Azzopardi is a freelance writer and journalist. Although she has been writing 'all her life', publicly she has been writing prolifically for the past 12 years. A frequent contributor to national English language papers published in Malta and varied magazines, she enjoys writing about 'human stories', art and whatever involves feminine issues. Also the author of children's books and short stories, she likes to delve into fiction from time to time. 

 

These features originally appeared in print in 2006 on The Sunday Times - Classifieds Section, as part of a series discussing the issues of women workers in Malta.