Bxdty

I am baffled by the fact that IT recruiters in Belgium systematically ask 3 years experience when the media says there are shortages year after year saying IT is the future.

It's not just some jobs but most of the jobs you can find on a portal like Stepstone or Monster.

People fresh out of a bachelor's degree obviously find a job, so there must be some junior or medior positions out there to acquire work experience.

Is there something they know that I don't know, and is this "3 years experience" a partial lie to deter the hordes of unemployed looking for a job?

It's absolutely dumb to not be able to demonstrate what you're capable of and have to remain on the sidelines for a superficial question of form over substance.

Is there some way of getting around this? Because I haven't landed a serious software development job in ten years and I am starting to feel disgusted at having my IT career snuffed in the egg from the start.

Maybe it's possible to go round recruitment and approach an employer directly or through distance work?

I am slightly lacking in people skills as a slight introvert, but it takes two to create a problem or conflict.

Yeah, I imagine anyone reading my cv would draw assumptions and I'd have no voice to explain the reality.

That shouldn't be that dramatic a problem and I feel like I'm facing some kind of deterministic social darwinist ideology that drops "unfit" babies off a cliff like in the movie 300.

There is no grand conspiracy at play here. Keep in mind that the IT industry is very broad. For instance, there may be a shortage of network engineers, but a surplus of frontend web developers. A given IT graduate doesn't have skills that's transferable to all jobs.

What is more likely is that they don't want to deal with naive graduates who don't know how the real world operates.

To speak anecdotally, I got my first job fresh out of uni with no experience, even though they were asking for three years experience.

"3 years experience" can also mean "we are not going to stick you in a grad program".

You may be able to demonstrate knowledge that you've learnt over the course of 10 years. Hopefully you have been staying current. Even being employed in any role can demonstrate a level of experience and maturity that they may be looking for.

It is always in recruiters best interests to lament about a shortage of professionals, imagined or otherwise. After all, more professionals, more work, and more money. Employers benefit from having a massive pool to pick from.

If I were you, I would submit you resume anyway. If a recruiter refuses to on your behalf, apply directly. You will need to explain what you've been doing for 10 years, so make sure you have good answers, and turn 10 years non-industry experience as a strength.

Also, don't worry about the people skills aspect or being an introvert. You will be in good company.

I am baffled by the fact that IT recruitors systematically ask 3 years
experience

They don't systematically ask for 3 years.

People fresh out of a bachelor's degree obviously find a job, so there
must be some junior or medior positions out there to acquire work
experience.

Is there something they know that I don't know

It's not clear what you are doing wrong here.

Searching for "entry level" finds plenty of IT jobs.