Posts Tagged ‘job search’



Advice for the Over-Qualified

Posted On: Monday, July 6th, 2009 - Posted By: Online Resume Builder

Balancing Pride with Relevance

Definition of Over-Qualified:

American Heritage Dictionary, fourth edition, defines overqualified as “educated or skilled beyond what is necessary or desired for a particular job”.  Here is a list of the perks and challenges associated with being overqualified for jobs for which you are applying.

Perks to take advantage of:

  • You are able to ramp up quickly, contributing at a high level within 30/60/90 days.
  • You will apply a wide range of talents to the job.
  • You can problem-solve and brainstorm complex issues.
  • You can demonstrate that your networking, resumes, cover letters, and interviewing skills put you ahead of others competing for the same jobs.

Challenges to overcome:

  • Jobs are focused on particular skills sets needed at a particular level.
  • You might be perceived as bossy, a know-it-all.
  • Employers assume you will have higher minimum salary requirements than they have budgeted.
  • You may feel the need to “dumb down” their resume.

Re-vamp Your Approach:

There are two primary obstacles in play for the over-qualified job-seeker.  Pride and demonstrated scope.  Pride becomes an issue when your sense of identity and level of achievement is at odds with your current situation.  The choice of words you use to describe your situation has a big impact on your attitude and approach.  Is it “dumbing down” your resume to target a job and demonstrate your relevant qualifications?  No.  That is what all resumes need to demonstrate, for jobs at any level.

Choose your descriptive entries carefully.  What do you know about the company, its mission, and culture?  Use suitable entries that help prospective employers know that you understand where they are at, what they need, and that you are ready, willing, and able to help them at that level. Don’t “dumb it down” but do be relevant without going over the top and forcing them to acknowledge that you will run circles around half their employees right out of the gate.

Opportunities are out there and employers are hiring.

They’re Your Qualifications!

  • Action words are powerful.  Choose them wisely.  Use the same action words in your resume that a prospective employer highlights in a job posting.
  • Use your advanced level of creativity and problem-solving skills to tackle the opportunity to create a highly relevant resume that fits the employers’ needs without coming across as bragging.
  • You want a prospective employer to hire you and pay you to apply skill sets they need in order to grow their company according to their strategic plan.  They set the direction, not you.
  • The economy will turn around.  Many people are working “survival jobs”.  Be realistic and realize these are stepping stones to help you reach your larger goals.

Lisa has 14 years of résumé coaching experience.
She currently directs day-to-day operations and programming of a career center at a two-year technical college. From 2006-2008, she served as State Chair of a national organization to support women leaders in higher education. She remains on the Board. Previously, she served as HR Director of a legal services firm and specialized in worker’s compensation issues. From 1996-1998, she worked as a graduate assistant in the career services office of a large four-year college.

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Build your resume with the GigTide Online Resume Builder and visit the CYJ website at www.changeyourjob.us.

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Facing Lay-Offs, Head On

Posted On: Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 - Posted By: Adam C.

Managing Your Fears While Preparing for the Worst

Planning for an Uncertain Future:

There is an old saying, “Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket”.  We have all heard it, or some variation of it.  This adage applies to your income requirements as much as any specific investments you might hold.  The worst thing you can do is bury your head in the sand and say, “It won’t happen to me”.  It can, and does, happen to people every day.  While it usually comes as a shock, the truly unprepared are especially devastated by sudden job loss.  Fear is a great motivator for some.  For others, it causes a sort of paralysis.  Get motivated.  Manage your fears by being proactive and tackling what you CAN control.

Start Protecting Yourself Today:

Schedule some time for yourself, very soon, to tackle the following items:

  • Create a current budget, listing all expenses.  If you couldn’t pay for them anymore, how important would they be?  If not important, consider cutting them out for awhile.  If they are still important and necessary expenses, think about alternative sources of income that will cover these costs in the event of a sudden job loss.  If you don’t have any alternatives, get a second job, start earning money from your hobbies, and/or start saving as much money as possible over the next six months.
  • Update your resume and get it professionally critiqued.  Have it ready for immediate use.  While you are clear-headed and employed, create a list of prospective companies within your industry and geographic location.  Note contact information, job titles they routinely hire for (relevant to your skills), how they need to receive application materials, and so forth.  Create/use your LinkedIn account to research these companies further and build possible networking contacts.

It’s Your Plan!

Talk to people who have been laid off.  Ask for their advice.  What would they have done differently if they had known what was coming?

Research your industry.  Is your industry strong, growing, declining, are remaining flat?  What are the professional organizations supporting your industry say about emerging trends and cautions?

Talk to your boss and state that you’d like to know more about the challenges currently facing your organization.  Let them know you want to see the organization pull through these tough times.  What can you do to help?

You cannot predict the future.  But you can take control by implementing these two concrete steps to protect yourself, starting TODAY.  Stay calm and focused.  Be proactive.  Good luck!

Lisa has 14 years of résumé coaching experience.
She currently directs day-to-day operations and programming of a career center at a two-year technical college. From 2006-2008, she served as State Chair of a national organization to support women leaders in higher education. She remains on the Board. Previously, she served as HR Director of a legal services firm and specialized in worker’s compensation issues. From 1996-1998, she worked as a graduate assistant in the career services office of a large four-year college.

Need More Advice?

Get the resume help you need!

Build your resume with the GigTide Online Resume Builder and visit the CYJ website at www.changeyourjob.us.

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Posted in Your Career | 1 Comment »

Focus: How to Structure Your Job Search

Posted On: Monday, April 20th, 2009 - Posted By: Adam C.

Know What You Want:

Know what you want, specifically, in terms of job titles, industries, locations, work environments, and salary.  Know the difference between what you WANT and what you NEED; know your deal-breakers.  By knowing what you want, you can focus your search efforts.  Better focus means clearer targets.  This allows you to better manage your search.

Know Who Hires:

Make a list.  At the top of your list, indicate one desired job title upon which to focus.  Your list should be ever-evolving and contain the name of every company in your area that hires for the job title in question that also fits as least one more variable such as: industry, miles from home, accessible by bus line, etc.  Do your homework on each of these companies.  Then make contact, network, send targeted resumes and cover letters, request brief informational interviews – you have many avenues to pursue.  Once you exhaust your list, widen your search circle.  Repeat.  Continue to follow up with all companies on your list.

It’s Your Search!

Know what you want, and be specific.  Generic, vague resumes will not serve you well because prospective employers and recruiters will not play career coach on your behalf.

Your next job is likely to be found because of WHO you know more than WHAT you know.

Do not apply generically for currently open positions like everybody else is doing.  Network and do your homework on the position and the company first.  Then send a highly targeted resume and cover letter based upon what you learn.

Sending out 10-20 highly targeted resumes and cover letters each week is far more effective than blasting out 100 generic resumes.

Lisa has 14 years of résumé coaching experience.
She currently directs day-to-day operations and programming of a career center at a two-year technical college. From 2006-2008, she served as State Chair of a national organization to support women leaders in higher education. She remains on the Board. Previously, she served as HR Director of a legal services firm and specialized in worker’s compensation issues. From 1996-1998, she worked as a graduate assistant in the career services office of a large four-year college.

Need More Advice?

Get the resume help you need!

Build your resume with the GigTide Online Resume Builder and visit the CYJ website at www.changeyourjob.us.

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