Just found the perfect joblet - BUT...

[phdlife]

I only want a bit of work to fit around preschoolers and thought I'd found the perfect thing - a web content analysis position, up to 20hrs a week, media analysis is my thing! - but they are only interested in my work history for the past five years. You know, when I've been SAHMing? So I emailed and asked if that would exclude me from applying and they said they really needed my work history for the past five years. Hmph.

My knee-jerk is to reply it's a shame they're discriminating against stay-at-home mothers and I didn't think that was on in this day and age, but let's face it I'm tired and crabby right now and who knows? Maybe that's exactly on in this day and age.

Is there a polite but assertive way around this?

The way I would read it is that they want someone with current web analysis skills - this stuff becomes old and obsolete in blinkin days- if you can prove that you do have those skills without an employment history I would go for it anyhow....

SAHM work is valid! Would they be open to a bit of humour.... you know -childcare specialist, transportation controller, domestic engineer, information manager, scheduler, artistic director, financial controller etc...etc... etc.... I put these on a dinner lady application because I knew the head would have a giggle..... and got the job without interview!!

I might try this but I don't think it'll work, the reply email was so po-faced. I don't think the skills can go out of date - it's content analysis (is this webpage clear to read? easy to navigate? etc) not anything tecchie!

They also want me to have lived in this country for the past four years so I know its culture - well I lived here for sixteen, lived away for nine (regular visits, news, contact), been back 3.7 - oops, kid puking again gtg

lol - been there with the kid puke!.... hope all is better now....

If there is nothing to lose -( i.e. you don't think you'd get it going down a straight route, sometimes these companies are just so blinkered in what they think they want as opposed to what they really NEED) I'd go for it big time with the humour - could work... makes it stand out from the crowd - and if not, at least it would be fun to write!

Hmmm - what makes good online content now is very different to five years ago tbh. (I do online experience benchmarking and have worked in the online space for 17 years). I would imagine they will want you to be up to speed with current SEO strategy and the implications for content, for linking, and for social media strategies. Can you demonstrate you have kept current with all of this? Eg by reading relevant journals, blogs widely?

This happened to me exactly! I have to admit I didn't bother pursuing the application because I was so annoyed (mainly because I was overqualified anyway - just had been out for 4 years). I think if I had convinced them to interview me I may have persuaded them that I knew my stuff. But I was informed by the recruitment agent that it was a competitive market and in the end I was too scared of rejection which I felt would be humilating as I was in fact (IMO) overqualified anyway.
There must be so much wasted talent out there...

patricia - they aren't asking for anything like any of that in the ad. Just good comprehension and communication - it's about clarity, not strategies; there is no requirement to know anything at all about the online world.

agree weaselbudge. But since I'm not going back to my old career, I figured I had to start somewhere and on paper this job and I were ideally matched.

No harm in applying? I am starting to look for work after being out of 4 years and finding similar e.g. The application I made today needed referees from previous employment covering the past 3 years, which was impossible and heaps of application forms start with a question about most recent employment and then move onto a chronological list of jobs and then ask about gaps in employment so I find myself explaining my very reasonable gap to have twins about 3 times, by when it sounds unreasonable even to me! But I figure I just need to keep applying until I find someone who gets it,

Apply, even if it is a long shot, it is worth a go. Word your application carefully to show you are up to date

I think I might know which company you are applying too? I may not! But they take into account gaps in your employment and ask you to explain this gap....so you could type in the box that you have kept up to date with Internet content etc? I have applied (if it's who I think it is) and gotten so far with my applications and am waiting to hear....and I haven't worked at all in the last five years.