Web Wealth: Can your resume look too good?
Can your resume look too good? That depends on the jobs available in this tight market. These Web sites help the overqualified keep their pride.
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Can your resume look too good? That depends on the jobs available in this tight market. These Web sites help the overqualified keep their pride.
Fight labels. It can be deadly to be labeled as overqualified, says the advice column here. Among those doing the hiring, "overqualified" is code for "will not fit the current position," says Randall S. Hansen, founder of QuintCareers.com. But he has 10 tactics for fighting the label. Among them, you need to be ready to deal with the issue head-on in the first contact, if you hope to get an interview. And, "take salary off the table," if your current or last job paid better than you're likely to get in the new place.
Dumbing down. "In some cases, job seekers are being told by hiring agencies to tone down their resumes if they want to get hired," says this article from the Wall Street Journal site that is posted at Yahoo Finance. Several examples provided make the case, but the writer notes that the job you get by masking qualifications may not be the rewarding one you want. A paycheck is a paycheck, though.
http://go.philly.com/WSJresume
Comebacks. This blog posting for the agreatresume.com site of career coach JoAnn Nix could start you thinking about appropriate comebacks to the near-fatal accusation that "you're overqualified." In fact, says Nix, the label is a way of stating the employer's fear. Options include turning "overqualified" into "fully qualified," and showing how your qualifications are the answer to the employer's problems.
64 questions. We learn here that there are at least 64 tough questions in job interviews, and the site sets about providing answers, including some for "Aren't you overqualified for this position?" Some in this minefield of questions are of the loaded type, such as an improper inquiry into your opinion on abortion or some other controversial matter. "Why do you ask?" is one return. Then ask yourself if you would really want to work for this person.