The Jobless Rate for People Like You

[christiangirl]

Originally Posted by als463

I've learned that if you are really concerned you won't get the job based on being "over-qualified" you are better off "omitting" that you have a Masters degree. Once I did that, I had job offers all over the place.

You know, I never thought of that, thanks. I may do that if it comes to it.

When I worked at B&N, one of my fellow cashiers had a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. Everyday, someone else would ask her "What the heck are you doing here???" and the answer was always the same. "I can't find a job anywhere else."

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by als463

I hate when people say that you are "over-qualified" for a job. When I first graduated from Penn State, I was worried about the economy. I put in applications everywhere. I even applied at a local factory. The guy interviewing me looked at me like I was nuts as he said, "You realize this is not for any management position. This is factory work." I nodded my head in agreement that I understood. He then proceeded to run down my list of accomplishments and asked me why I would want to work there when I was "clearly over-qualified" for the jobs he could offer me. I explained that I was not above working in a factory. Needless to say, I was not offered the job.

Being overqualified does not mean that you think you're "above" certain work. Or, more accurately, above the people who do certain work because that's what many people mean when they say "you're not above doing this."

Many of us wouldn't have invested in graduate degrees if we were going to end up doing something a high school graduate could do. It doesn't mean we won't do it if there is absolutely nothing else available and an unemployment check is little help. It means that it is disappointing to invest so much time and money in something that we'll be overworked and underpaid doing. In addition to regular bills and "life stuff," people have tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans to repay. And it isn't exciting to work 100 times harder than you should be working for your education level and making 60K less than you should be making.

****************

I agree with the rest of als463's post.

I advise people in many fields to be on the job market even if they have a job (within or outside of your career). This is particularly the case if your company is experiencing financial strife. Celebrate that you still have a job and keep your resume` out there just in case. In the job market, have a resume` for each line of work. All of your graduate degrees and so forth will go on the resume` that you send out for your career oriented jobs. Your skilled labor qualifications and so forth will go on the resume` for the full time or part time jobs that will tie you over until you get what YOU consider to be a "desired job." Thank God for work because it is money but it is silly to believe that everyone has to be thrilled to have ANY job with no hopes for something that THEY consider better. Whatever better means to them.

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by als463

I've learned that if you are really concerned you won't get the job based on being "over-qualified" you are better off "omitting" that you have a Masters degree. Once I did that, I had job offers all over the place.

Tactics like this one are much needed these days. Gotta get creative (and realistic).

[als463]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

Tactics like this one are much needed these days. Gotta get creative (and realistic).

What do you mean? Are you being snarky, again? It is true that sometimes, depending upon the job you are looking at, you need to omit how much education you have. The same way people get insulted if you tell them they have too little education (or not enough skill), it is insulting to tell someone who has worked their butt off to get an education that they are "too educated" for a job in this economy.

I guess some people try to rationalize and say that the less educated person is more likely to stick around because they don't have many other places to go. The only issue with that is that some of those people who have no other place to go don't always have the work ethic many employers want. If they did, they would not have limited themselves on various levels. You don't need a college education to be hard working, but in this day and age, there really is no excuse for people in their 20's and below to not be considering college (in my eyes).

I hate to say it this way, and this is what I told my little brother:
An Associate's degree is now the equivalent of a High School Diploma,
A Bachelor's degree is now the equivalent of an Associate's degree,
A Master's is the equivalent of a Bachelor's degree...and so on...

I'm not downgrading anyone's education (because I have a Masters and I recognize that it seems many other people in my field do, as well), I'm just saying the way the job market is-everyone is going back to school.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by als463

What do you mean? Are you being snarky, again?

LOL. I think she meant exactly what she typed.

ETA: After reading this post, I realize what you meant by "I hate it when people say you are overqualified." I thought you meant that you hate it when people say THEY are overqualified. You meant that you hate it when employers tell you that. LOL. I've had that happen a couple of times. Thank God because I really shouldn't have been working at those places.

ETA2:

Originally Posted by als463

I hate to say it this way, and this is what I told my little brother:
An Associate's degree is now the equivalent of a High School Diploma,
A Bachelor's degree is now the equivalent of an Associate's degree,
A Master's is the equivalent of a Bachelor's degree...and so on...

This isn't completely accurate, though. There are fields/industries and employers where a masters is still a masters and a doctorate is still a doctorate. The point of downplaying your education sometimes is to be marketable outside of those industries and employers. That's why I recommend people have 2 resumes.

[als463]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

LOL. I think she meant exactly what she typed.

ETA: After reading this post, I realize what you meant by "I hate it when people say you are overqualified." I thought you meant that you hate it when people say THEY are overqualified. You meant that you hate it when employers tell you that. LOL. I've had that happen a couple of times. Thank God because I really shouldn't have been working at those places.

ETA2:


This isn't completely accurate, though. There are fields/industries and employers where a masters is still a masters and a doctorate is still a doctorate. The point of downplaying your education sometimes is to be marketable outside of those industries and employers. That's why I recommend people have 2 resumes.

You bring up a really great point. Thank you for stating that. I should have said that in some fields (such as Liberal Arts, for the most part) it works that way. I have friends who are Science and Engineering majors. I feel as though in certain fields like those, my rationale does not necessarily work. In some other fields (not all-and I should have clarified) that idea of a degree not holding as much weight as it used to, still applies.

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by als463

What do you mean? Are you being snarky, again? It is true that sometimes, depending upon the job you are looking at, you need to omit how much education you have. The same way people get insulted if you tell them they have too little education (or not enough skill), it is insulting to tell someone who has worked their butt off to get an education that they are "too educated" for a job in this economy.

I guess some people try to rationalize and say that the less educated person is more likely to stick around because they don't have many other places to go. The only issue with that is that some of those people who have no other place to go don't always have the work ethic many employers want. If they did, they would not have limited themselves on various levels. You don't need a college education to be hard working, but in this day and age, there really is no excuse for people in their 20's and below to not be considering college (in my eyes).

A job seeker once told me his reaction when he's told that he's too overqualified and will leave as soon as a better option comes along. He tells the employer that he may very well be more educated/experienced than other applicants, but that his qualifications only mean that the employer will have to spend less time and money training him. Apparently, he also asks employers if they would prefer to have the ideal candidate for 6 months or a mediocre candidate for 12. I don't imagine that part goes over too well. As far as I know this job seeker is still looking for a job.

And, no, I wasn't being snarky. You didn't say anything snark-worthy here.

Originally Posted by DrPhil

The point of downplaying your education sometimes is to be marketable outside of those industries and employers. That's why I recommend people have 2 resumes.

Absolutely.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by als463

You bring up a really great point. Thank you for stating that. I should have said that in some fields (such as Liberal Arts, for the most part) it works that way. I have friends who are Science and Engineering majors. I feel as though in certain fields like those, my rationale does not necessarily work. In some other fields (not all-and I should have clarified) that idea of a degree not holding as much weight as it used to, still applies.

Yeah, this all goes back to having more than one resume` (or more than one way to articulate your qualifications) and doing a "career job search" and "joblessness job search."

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

A job seeker once told me his reaction when he's told that he's too overqualified and will leave as soon as a better option comes along. He tells the employer that he may very well be more educated/experienced than other applicants, but that his qualifications only mean that the employer will have to spend less time and money training him. Apparently, he also asks employers if they would prefer to have the ideal candidate for 6 months or a mediocre candidate for 12. I don't imagine that part goes over too well. As far as I know this job seeker is still looking for a job.

Depending on the job and the overqualification, there aren't too many employers that will fall for that trick across the board. LOL. That may work more for overqualified people seeking professional and managerial positions where the skills, education and income levels are more comparable.

Employers (who know how to make profit--make more than you pay) know that having an overqualified person (especially in terms of education and previous salary) means that this person is often not trained in the ins and outs of the lower tasks. For instance, someone with an MBA doesn't automatically know how to be a floor person or cashier at TJ Maxx. That person will most likely need more training than someone with the experience and who doesn't have the education. Moreover, the person with an MBA may overthink a lot of the more mundane tasks and see herself/himself as being on the same or higher playing field as the managers and higher ups. This leads to more questioning of company policies and practices, demands for higher pay if the person stays long enough, and almost definitely high employee turnover when a more career oriented job comes along.

Thus is the nature of profit.

[AGDee]

What if, when they say you are overqualified, you give an indication that, while you might be overqualified for this particular position, you are certain there are positions that you could move into within the company over time and you'd like to get to know how the company works so that when those positions arise, you would have more knowledge about whole operations than an outside candidate? I would think this would be part of doing your research because you could find out whether there is a management training type of program with this company, etc. It could let someone know that, although this isn't your ideal final career stop, you have an interest in THAT particular company and moving up within that company rather than jumping ship at your next opportunity.

I think I'd rather hear that if I was interviewing somebody.

[aephi alum]

DH and I had lunch with my in-laws today. They told me that they are proud to be able to answer the question, "How are your son and DIL doing?" with "They're employed." A lot of their friends can't say that about their children and children-in-law.

Even so, I could use another client or three. (Anyone need a web site? )

[christiangirl]

Originally Posted by aephi alum

DH and I had lunch with my in-laws today. They told me that they are proud to be able to answer the question, "How are your son and DIL doing?" with "They're employed." A lot of their friends can't say that about their children and children-in-law.

"My son is a doctor."
"My son is a lawyer."
"My son is employed. So there."