12th July 2010, 06:29 PM
Unfortunately it's normally a mix between over qualified, lack of experience and age
Right now the commercial sector is growing, albeit slowly, this means there are jobs in archaeology. However, the majority of people chasing these jobs will be archaeologists who were made redundant last year, and thus have much more recent experience (commercial archaeology has changed dramatically in the 6 years I've been involved with it!).
Although there are plenty of commercial diggers who are over 40, most of them have moved into more managerial positions, and thus don't really do the circuit as much. You'll probably be viewed as someone with a family/other commitments who wouldn't be as willing to go to say Shetland for 4 weeks, with no time home, for a small evaluation, whereas younger diggers with less ties would be.
Thirdly. Overqualified. It's a pain. I've been rejected from supermarkets and bar jobs before because of this, and I only have an first degree. I'm not saying this is you in any means, but there is probably a generalised view that someone with a PhD would find doing a fairly rubbish watching brief beneath them, and the HR person would probably be questioning why someone with a PhD is applying as a digger again.
To better your prospects join the IfA, it can't harm your prospects, get a CSCS card, if you can trim down your CV. If you had a job while you did your PhD maybe remove the PhD aspect from it, and just keep the employment record. Stops you being so "overqualified"...
Not sure if that's what you want to hear but my two cents
Right now the commercial sector is growing, albeit slowly, this means there are jobs in archaeology. However, the majority of people chasing these jobs will be archaeologists who were made redundant last year, and thus have much more recent experience (commercial archaeology has changed dramatically in the 6 years I've been involved with it!).
Although there are plenty of commercial diggers who are over 40, most of them have moved into more managerial positions, and thus don't really do the circuit as much. You'll probably be viewed as someone with a family/other commitments who wouldn't be as willing to go to say Shetland for 4 weeks, with no time home, for a small evaluation, whereas younger diggers with less ties would be.
Thirdly. Overqualified. It's a pain. I've been rejected from supermarkets and bar jobs before because of this, and I only have an first degree. I'm not saying this is you in any means, but there is probably a generalised view that someone with a PhD would find doing a fairly rubbish watching brief beneath them, and the HR person would probably be questioning why someone with a PhD is applying as a digger again.
To better your prospects join the IfA, it can't harm your prospects, get a CSCS card, if you can trim down your CV. If you had a job while you did your PhD maybe remove the PhD aspect from it, and just keep the employment record. Stops you being so "overqualified"...
Not sure if that's what you want to hear but my two cents