Curse of UCAS points

Having just completed an MBA from Leicester having gained an upper 2i in Business Studies and having 4 years previous management experince within retail and still only 27, why am i punished for not taking A-Levels when i left school? I am sick of receiving rejection letters on the basis of 'insufficient UCAS points"! Save for taking another year out to get some, how can i get round this issue?

Mark, All I can say is that in my experience recruitment is a microcosm of the organisation as a whole. in other words you are better off out of these organisations as they would only treat you as second class (for no real reason apart from snobbery) once you were there. (In other words - that is their loss. Find a company that values you for what you are and your experience in the recruitment process and they will value you for the same things afterwards. I hope this helps.

What a Sad Sack You Are...

Stop feeling sorry for yourself and move to New York City, or Chicago in the USA where they don't know a darn thing about UCAS points and could care less.

It is a big world out there...go job hunting in the global economy.

Getting any type of job with an airline would give you free travel to check out the job market out of your area. Put on your 'Thinking Out of The Box Cap' and get on with your goals.

Hmmm. Sounds like you are not having much fun. On the brighter side, it sounds like you consider yourself to have had a trail blazing career so far. As such, I would strongly suggest that you start contacting and networking with top tier search & selection organisations. If your retail background is from a blue chip organisation this sounds like your best route. A note of caution though - don't just throw your CV at every recruitment agency you hear of or find on the web. Ring them first, ask what there main focus areas are, find out what positions they are actively pursuing now, etc. Also, importantly, be ready with a strong 30 second resume about yourself (what you have done, what you want to do, what kind of organisation you want to work for, and in what sector, etc). If they remember your name, and are looking for your CV to arrive in their inbox you are well on the way to achieving the first goal : getting to interview! Good luck.

I have no A-levels, only 5 O levels, no degree and no MBA and I gross high 5 and early 6 figure sums.

A levels are irrelevant the moment the ink is dry. Your MBA and your experience are the things that count now. Make sure your CV is sharp with lots of "doing" verbs.

Iwould start with your name in bold 20 point [ not the heading CURRICULUM VITAE - you are selling yourself not two archaic Latin words!] then a 20 worder "who I am/what I want" paragraph at 1.5 lines psacing in 12 point bold.

Then work history with lots of "doing" verbs.

Then under Education just put your MBA with any key notes about it and finish with your name and contact details. People aren't interested in your interests unless they are something utterly amazing like jumping off the Great Wall of China on a parachute and ballooning with Richard Branson, and even then some jealous git will think "Oh he's no good, he'll only daydream about new adventures so you can't win!

Good luck.