How many times have you been told you were overqualified for a job search position? It actually happens a lot and can be just as bruising to an ego and not being considered at all. There is actually a reason why employers will use this tactic during the interview process.
They will actually see you as a possible problem. They will not want someone whom they think may start a job and quickly try to run a department, become the office tattletale or think everyone is beneath them. Even if they are impressed with your skills, they view that as a threat for a lower paid position.
A woman I knew had this happen to her several times. Her husband was in the oil fields and every time he got a promotion, they had to move. Hence to say, she developed a wide range of skills in different industries by taking whatever jobs were available in each location.
She had experience in convenience stores, nursing assistant, grocery stores, newspaper work, administrative assistant and even office manager positions. You can see how her progression looked really well on her resume. But sometimes she would hit a snag and not get a position she really wanted because this question would pop up. She always explained why she had such a wide range of skills. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t.
Perseverance, determination and not giving up are crucial in getting around this question. Sometimes you do have to take a step backward in order to make a living. Be sure to explain why you still want the job and that you would be a valuable asset to the company.
If necessary, update your resume to reflect more of your skills that are in line with the job position. And, remember, some income is better than no income, so don’t give up.
Searching for a rewarding job can be stressful, frustrating and more demanding than running a multi-million dollar corporation. A few simple rules of the game is just about all it takes to make sure you land the job you want.
These rules should be followed ALL the time with no exceptions. Know your strengths and accept your weaknesses. Not everyone can run a global empire, just as not everyone has the talent to build a house. Recognize your skills and talents and build upon them. Will you truly be happy managing a lumber mill when you would rather be in the woods cutting the trees? For the love of money?
Set your priorities before you apply for the position that will double your salary but will leave you no time for your family or outside interests. Do not let a large increase in salary cloud your perception of what will be expected of you. Know what you are willing to sacrifice for what amount of money. Remember, some jobs as well as a large raise may not always be the best option.
If you are presently employed and looking for a job, do not use your work email address when searching for job offers on the Internet because your present employer may have access to your email files. Establish a new email account at one of the many free email services such as yahoo or gmail. But do not create a user name such “hot_for_you” or “studmuffin.” Be as professional as possible when choosing your username.
Be honest during a job interview. Don’t oversell yourself. It is important to highlight your talents, but skilled interviewers can tell when you are lying.
Be realistic. Will two years of experience be enough to get you the position of CEO at IBM? Of course not. No one has ever been the president of a company just starting out.
Be committed. Look at any successful person and you will see in them the drive and determination to succeed. The most successful people have had failures, but they have learned from them and continued on their journey. You have to keep trying and pushing harder and harder.
If you have been successful enough to be invited to a job interview, then well done you! The hard part is over with – you have already showcased your skills, told a company about your experiences and they have decided that they would like to at least give you a chance at working for them.
Many people get worked out and nervous about a job interview, however, it is simply a matter of further showcasing your talents and abilities. They already know how good you are on paper, so you just need to back this up in real life. A big part of this is creating the right impression and a lot of this is to do with how you present yourself and the clothes that you wear.
Whatever the job is that you are applying for you need to give a professional approach and show this in your interview. This means that even if it is only a casual job or one that doesn’t require you to dress up you need to dress smart for your interview. It is a good idea if you have a set of clothes that you keep aside just for interviews, that way you know that they are always going to look their best. Trouser suits, skirts, shirts and smart shoes are all ideal clothes for a job interview, no matter what that job interview is.
What you also need to make sure of is that the clothes you wear are in good condition and look the part. Making sure the clothes you wear are pressed and look smart is essential. Making a little bit of effort goes a long way – making sure that your shoes are shined, your hair is tidy and that your clothes match are all small ways you can make sure that you look as good as possible. That way you know that you have done everything you can to ensure job interview success.
Since a lot of businesses now use the internet to check potential employees, it’s very important to know what your personal brand says about you. So, how do you do that.
For starters, search for your own name on Google to see what comes up about you. Sometimes, there will even be other people with the same name so you need to make sure you know which searches are relevant to you.
Google will find you especially if you have any Google accounts such as email, Google Voice or Google plus. Additionally, make sure your social networking pages are more professional than casual.
Be careful of the things you post on networking sites. You don’t want it coming back to bite you, and it will if you aren’t careful. It doesn’t matter what others are posting on their own sites, but if you are trying to build a brand, yours needs to be more professional than that.
Register for online forums that are relevant to your type of skills so that you can build your personal brand better. Forums are an excellent way to find business relationships and information.
The more you keep your presence alive on the internet, the easier it will be for potential employers to find you and to become acquainted with who you are.
Last, but not least, tailor your resume so that it details all the relevant skills you have and your expertise. Once that is done, post your resume in as many places as possible on the Internet. Before long, you will have built a professional brand that others will contact you instead of you always having to seek job positions.
Both cover letters and resumes are essential when applying to a job. However, each format has its own specific style so it is important not to confuse the two in the preparation process.
The cover letter introduces the candidate as well as explains to the prospective employer the reasons and qualifications for applying to the specific job.
A resume is the listing of experiences, accomplishments, and education that one has accumulated over the years.
These are the five ways that cover letters and resumes differ:
- While the resume is brief in nature, the cover letter should expand on any details that the resume may have left off, including explanations for inconsistencies.
- The cover letter should be an actual letter with complete sentences and divided paragraphs while the resume can have bullet points and phrases.
- The cover letter attempts to get further consideration from whomever reads it while the resume is the basis for which they see the candidate’s background and qualifications.
- A resume outlines past accomplishments and experiences while a cover letter expresses future goals.
- The cover letter can express more enthusiasm in the language while resumes should follow a rigid and professional tone.
As you can see, the two go hand in hand. So, be sure to have your cover letter prepared and detailed for each job posting that you apply for.
Due to the job markets lately, there are a lot of older generation employees wondering how to get hired. The key is recognizing and remembering that your work experience can play a supportive role as well as a leadership role with organizations. The two need not be mutually exclusive.
If you’re over 50, you’ve probably had the experience of being labeled as overqualified. And in response to this unwanted job-search slur, you’ve probably done what any intelligent, ambitious individual would do: Dumb yourself down on your resume.
A good move, but what does this do to your career confidence? If today’s market is telling you repeatedly in rejection emails that they are not concerned with your achievements, it’s no wonder your self esteem is shaky.
As an over 50 job candidate, you have a unique challenge to struggle with during the interview. Even though the interviewers are telling you that you are overqualified, you are suddenly feeling very inexperienced. This is because you’re overqualified because of the simple length of your resume, the style of your suit, color of your hair, and lingo in your business repertoire.
You’re under qualified because you may lack some understanding of today’s rapidly evolving technologies, flattened infrastructure, and business culture. Coming to terms with this before the interview is an essential component to building back your career confidence.
Be confident that you could do many of the job duties of the interviewer just as easily in the pre-computer generation. That doesn’t make you stupid. Many people couldn’t do a lot of jobs if it weren’t for computer programs helping them along.
Figure out your strengths and what you can bring to the table as far as being able take on a leadership role. It will still be a learning experience but we all have to learn something sometime. It’s important to know multiple aspects of your professional self prior to your job search, and it’s important to know how to present them to your next employer on paper and in person.
Professional resume objectives receive a lot of criticism. Some say the goals are usually poorly written, and have no real point. Others say that if it’s well written, then it will make the potential employer continue to read the resume. He or she will know what you wish to attain in your profession and your feelings for their organization. Here are some guidelines about writing expert resume objectives.
Goals need to be short and powerful sentences, letting the employer know what value you can offer to the company. It’s not necessary to express your dreams in an objective, but instead you need to relate to a particular responsibility.
Even though resume objectives can grab the attention of the hiring officer, in some situations these might not be very good methods to sell yourself. For example, if you need to apply for more than one job or you need to submit your application on line or a job fair, an objective statement can be too restrictive.
As a rule, objectives for entry-level job hunters and professionals should consist of short sentences about their objective in the profile section, not as an isolated heading towards the top of a resume. People with a lot of professional experience will notice that expert resume objectives do not always give them their greatest benefit.
Writing a profile part at the top of your resume is probably the best way to handle this problem. This has to be a 2 or 3-sentence outline of your major areas of expertise, unique talents and skills, as well as your profession goals. If you can write an expert resume, you will probably catch someone’s attention for a job interview.
If you don’t think you can, search online for resume writers who can get your resume tailored to put you in a very favorable light.
What are transferable skills? They are the skills and abilities that transfer from job to job no matter which position you have held in the past. One of the things that make these skills so valuable is that they can be used in such a wide array of work settings. For instance, everyone needs problem solving skills, whether you are a general contractor or a financial analyst. That skill transfers from position to position regardless of what the job title is. How can this be used to benefit your resume and your job search in general? When you create or revise your resume, there are a number of things to consider.
The first and most important consideration is how you are going to ensure that your resume specifically speaks to the prospective employer’s needs. This could be if you are qualified to do the job, can you get along well with people, mutually agreed on salary and will you stay with the company.
As is true with all aspects of writing a resume, each and every word on your resume should be tailored to the position you are applying for. If you are seeking a job as a computer programmer, you probably will not want to list your public speaking ability. You would, however, want to emphasize your ability to organize, plan and/or work well under pressure. Each job has certain qualifications that are best suited to it.
Job duties may differ from job to job, but there are a myriad of skills needed that transfer well from one to another. Being able to identify and clearly relate those transferable skills to a prospective employer is a huge benefit to you. When you can incorporate these transferable skills into your resume and cover letter, you will be making the job of a hiring manager much easier. He or she will see that you have a lot to offer that will be over and above your specific job qualifications.
