Time passes...

it is a fact of life, time passes, jobs come and go, people come in and out of life. Just the way things go.
My frustration today still stems from the unemployment situation. Now mind you, I do have a "part-time" job, so I have not been sitting at home doing nothing. I have been working, as well as applying for numerous jobs in various fields. The problems seems to be, that I do not get the interviews. Or if I DO get an interview, there is always someone "better qualified" (and I would like to point out in those instances, it was someone who already worked for the organization!).
I don't want to work in retail or sales. Simply said, that is not my forte. Yet I repeatedly get job listings for those jobs. Even when I contact the person or organization and tell them point blank that I am not looking in that arena, I still get the information. I know that it is because the three most recent positions listed on my resume show me in "sales" type positions. It is like people are not reading beyond those positions to see that I was an administrative assistant for seven years prior to that. Or that I have a degree in Public Affairs. How do I get people to read "below the line", so to speak? I am amazing at handling paperwork, coordinating schedules, managing events and pretty much any office related type activity. I make the magic happen. Yet I can't get a job. It is beginning to seem like a lost cause.
I wonder about all the other talented, credentialed people out there who are not working in their area of expertise. Then I wonder about the people who are working in those areas, and what the heck is the difference? Is it simply a matter of "selling" oneself better? How does one "market" themselves to potential employers? I am seriously considering putting together a marketing package and sending it out to companies that I would like to work for. That may be the ultimate way to go. Everyone seems to think I am good at selling, so why not try to "sell" myself and my skills?
In a way, it seems kind of cheesy. I mean clearly there is a need for people to do paperwork. I know this because I see the ads online, in the paper and hear about them through word of mouth. I apply for these jobs and I am either told I am overqualified or that someone else is better qualified. I can't possibly be both, can I? I suppose it depends on the position, but there have been jobs that I applied to that I actually did everything they were asking about in prior jobs, only to be told that I didn't have the "right kind" of experience.
Of course, the most frustrating is an organization where you cannot apply through their online app without first answering "qualification" questions. This in itself isn't bad, as it screens out those who don't have the qualifications. However, once past that screening, after the application is submitted, you never hear another word from them.
Well, I shall press on and see what I can find. It is still early, and I know that there are jobs out there, in fact, the perfect job for me is out there! We just need to cross paths!