Paranoid? Or realistic?

I have long bemoaned my issues with finding work. My industry is dry as a bone due to the absence of a population the size of London. And also due to the absence of an influx of tourists like London. So I am looking at many many alternate options for my future work life.

Alas, a stumbling block keeps popping up. My residency.

Oh how I long to say I'm permanent. To scream from the rooftops I'm here to stay. And that time will come within the next 6 months. But where in the next 6 months - I don't know.

In my recent spell of unemployment/my career break from the demands of temping I looked long and hard at my residency and decided I was putting too much weight behind having my PR (permanent residency). It wasn't going to be a magical thing where suddenly people would throw jobs at me. I would then discover all the other hurdles of the Australian recruitment market. Oh won't that be fun!

So that was it. It's not my lack of PR. It's my shit cover letters and crappy CV. It has to be! How could I not have seen it before? I'm useless!

Then this week a call - from an agency I applied for a fabulously overpaid, unique and interesting job with dying my sabbatical from temp life. A job that would get me in the door, qualifications, a steady (did I already say generous) wage. And dare I say it... Maternity pay one day...

My cv was perfect my covering letter had hit all the right spots and got me noticed. Yey me! I'm not that crap at selling myself after all!

I was all geared up for it. Thursday I wore my nicest work dress and was all excitable. And then I checked my email...

"I should have asked before, but what is your residency status?"

I then spent 20 minutes typing then retyping, then reading and rereading the most explanatory email of how I basically am permanent, my PR will be here before my probation would even have time to run out. It was professional. I felt rather desperate while typing it but tried to remain semi positive. My covering letter had been so fabulous she had not noticed the section on my visa status...

No. T'was not to be. Interview cancelled. Agency lady the most apologetic woman I've ever listened to on my voicemail. Because that made me feel better didn't it...

So back to square one. Am I unnecessarily paranoid about my lack of PR? Or am I just realistic in the idea that Australian companies are either too ignorant or fussy when it comes to visa status?

The demo in the pic is Melbourne's contribution to the wall street protests.

They can't get jobs either. But at least they can get over that first frickin PR hurdle!

I'm not bitter.... Honest....