#80 - Avoid Looking "Overqualified"
Adam Karpiak
My resumes and job search strategies get people hired. Go to KarpiakConsulting.com for my services! Looking for a job sucks. I make it suck less.
The new Jobseeking is Hard is out now! Read it here:
This week we’re talking about:
And for Premium subscribers I’m:
Check out Issue #80 today and let me know what you think!
SHAMELESS PLUG
If your job search needs a little more help, Karpiak Consulting offers resume and LinkedIn services, as well as job search strategy coaching.
Who knows…maybe it’ll help you improve your interview rate like this person???♂?
How did I help this resume review client? By pivoting their resume from looking “overqualified” to “qualified.”
Being overqualified is a serious issue for some recruiters and hiring managers. Ageism can creep into the process if you have more than 15 years of experience, leading to rejections.
Is having more years of experience than required on the job posting enough to get you rejected? No. But looking overqualified can certainly sink your chances.
When you’re a Senior Manager or above, you have to be very careful how your experience is presented on your resume and how well your job title(s) match up with the positions you are applying for. As someone who has recruited for more than 20 years, I’ve seen numerous circumstances where candidates have been rejected on job titles alone. Job title matching is one of the lazy ways that recruiters evaluate candidates, and someone who is a Director might be rejected when applying for a Manager role. Why? The “overqualified” bias.
When the reader perceives your interest in a role that is interpreted as “below” you, that raises red flags that 1) you aren’t very good at what you do, 2) you’re just looking for a bridge job, 3) you’ve inflated your skills/experience on the resume, or 4) you’re going to ask for more money than the position pays.
But focusing your resume is just the first step.
Now that you’ve matched the qualifications, you must show you’ve also been successful. You can’t just tell someone you’ve been successful…they won’t take your word for it. You need to list specific examples of your success. Implemented marketing strategies? Give an example. Created process improvements? Give an example. Provided thought leadership? Give an example.
Impactful resumes are so much more than buzzwords and keyword matching.
By strategically aligning your resume with the job posting’s qualifications/experience, and then providing specific examples of your achievements in the role, you can effectively highlight your value while avoiding the perception of being “overqualified.”
Not sure how to pivot your resume from overqualified to qualified? We can show you what to focus your resume on and tell you what red flags to avoid :)
BEST (WORST?) JOB POST OF THE WEEK
Here’s the job post that got the most people talking on my Instagram this week!
“thrives in ambiguity”
If you come across an irritating job posting, email it to the newsletter or DM me on Instagram and I’ll add it to the list to post!
PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER QUESTION
o assist with my job search, I paid to participate in a six-month mentorship program managed by an award-winning chapter of the American Marketing Association. I had a Teams meeting with a recommended "resume guru" Sunday afternoon, at the recommendation of my mentor, who gave me dangerously outdated information.
The man's credentials are that he's worked with [outplacement firm] for the last 10 years. He's not a hiring manager, doesn't work in my marketing field, and has not updated his resume since becoming a consultant in 2016. He also talked to me about [outplacement firm’s] general guidelines rather than with me as a marketer seeking a new role. It was a very long hour on my end.
I want to share my concerns with my mentor, who runs the chapter's mentorship program, and explain why she needs to at least warn vulnerable, underemployed, or unemployed mentees that the guru's advice may prolong their job searches with irrelevant generalized information.
Adam, you always deal with inaccurate and out-of-touch resume and job search strategy information. What do you recommend I say when expressing my concerns? I don't want to insult anyone, but this man's advice is counterproductive and detrimental to job hunting in 2024.
Check out the Premium Section of the newsletter for my answer! Not a Premium Subscriber? Upgrade here: www.JobseekingIsHard.com/upgrade
领英推荐
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY!
Don't forget about our LinkedIn group,?the Jobseeking is Hard Community!
We now have 5,200+ members!! If you're looking for a job, this active group is for you. Here you can freely talk about your job search...the ups, the downs, the frustrations, what works, what doesn't work. It's an unlisted group, meaning it doesn't appear in search results for non-group members and is not visible to others on members’ profiles. This community is here to help each other, passing on leads and ideas. And most importantly, support, encouragement, and empathy.
AFFILIATES!
NOTE: As an affiliate to these services, we will receive compensation if you purchase products or services through the links provided.
BETTERHELP: 15% OFF YOUR FIRST MONTH OF ONLINE THERAPY
Mental health is a massive part of your career. Anxiety, depression, self-worth issues…all become more intense the longer a job search goes on. With my link, get 15% off your first month of online therapy with BetterHelp!
COURSERA PLUS: ONLINE COURSES
Unlimited access to 7,000+ world-class courses, hands-on projects, and job-ready certificate programs—all included in your subscription. $59/month, cancel any time, OR $399/year with a 14-day money back guarantee!
Sign up here!
SECTA LABS: LAUNCH PRICING FOR AI-GENERATED HEADSHOTS
Want a new headshot for LinkedIn? Hate having your photo taken? Don't have the time to pick out what to wear and coordinate with a photographer? With Secta you can upload 25 pics and get AI-generated headshots without leaving your bed.
You can still take advantage of their discounted Launch pricing of $49 (down from $99)! All you have to do is upload 25 photos, enter a few prompts how you want to look in the images, and they’ll generate 300+ headshots. And with a 100% money-back guarantee, you have nothing to lose.
Interested? Here’s my affiliate link! And when you get your new profile pic, be sure to post about it to kickstart the networking!
Take advantage of discounted launch pricing!
PLURALSIGHT: FREE STANDARD OR PREMIUM 10-DAY TRIAL
Pluralsight is the technology learning platform. They help individuals evaluate their technical abilities and align courses to their learning objectives and close skills gaps in critical areas like cloud, mobile, security, data, and web development.
Try out the standard or premium subscriptions with a free 10-day trial!
HUNTER: FREE TRIAL FOR EMAIL ADDRESS FINDER
Want to follow up on your job applications? Looking to network? Have some target companies? Try Hunter! The Email Finder is all you need to connect with any professional. It puts all our data together — email formats, email addresses found on the web, and verification status — to find reliable contact information in seconds.
NOTE - If you don't have a corporate email, choose the "Sign up with Google"option and use a Google account!
Try it for free here! https://hunter.io/?via=jobseekingishard
SKILLSHARE: GET 30% OFF ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP
Want to learn some new skills? Looking for a few new keywords to add to your resume or LinkedIn profile? Want to sharpen your expertise in Excel or Tableau? Skillshare is an online learning community with thousands of classes on topics including illustration, design, photography, video, freelancing, marketing, and more.
Join Skillshare today with my link and get 30% off your annual membership with unlimited access to thousands of online classes!
Seeking motivated individuals to join our team. Our financial firm offers paid Internships. And we are hiring full or part time.
5 个月Is there anyone in this with a Life Producer's license, please reach out to me!
Outcomes-focused coach providing customized approaches to support unique journeys towards organizational agility, customer satisfaction & team empowerment for over 15 years | KMP (KSI + KSD), TKP, ICP-ACC, CAL1, AHF, CSM
6 个月I'm an agile coach and I've been rejected a couple of times recently for being "overqualified". I'm not sure if that's "you're too old" or "you're too expensive". (If it was the latter, we could have negotiated but they just said no.) I wonder how they expect someone to gain valuable experience simply from attending a two-day course.
Administrative Professional | Executive Support | Business Management | Project Management | Human Resources | Benefits & Compensation | Remote Work Advocate
6 个月Claiming someone is “overqualified” is really just saying “We don’t want to pay anyone at the top tier of the salary range we posted.”
Embedded / Fractional Talent Consulting | Unapologetic TA Nerd | Consistently Ranked "Top 2" For "Person I'd Want At My Table During a Mystery Dinner Theater Event"
6 个月I had a job seeker coaching session yesterday, and the instant I opened his resume and learned the titles he was targeting (vp and up) there were two very quick edits: removal of the "cxo" as a title below his name and contact info, and including a hyperlink to the company's LinkedIn page where he held a c level title so its more obvious to the recipient that the title was large, but in a much smaller setting. It was just yesterday, but I'm certain these minor edits will get past the "overqualified bias". And thankfully the outcome he's seeking is employment, not ego stroke, so he was immediately open to it!!
I position mid-career leaders for high-value executive roles | Expert Résumé & LinkedIn Profile Writer | 7 years in business, 500+ clients | The LAST Résumé You'll Need | Top 15 Chicago LinkedIn Expert
6 个月This is so important! Especially if you’ve had a high title at your current org and want to move to a larger org with a “lower”title. Sharing the scope and scale of your role can help.