Do you think it's hard to get a job if you are 'over educated?' (degree, salary)

[GypsySoul22]

I wanted to know what you guys thought. Do you have any experience in having trouble getting jobs, especially if you live in a small town/small city, because you are more educated than most of the population? Do you get the 'why would someone with your 'degree/degrees' want to do this?

What did you do to convince them to give you the job?

Don't employers understand sometimes you have to take a 'lesser' job to feed the family or just because you need the flexible hours (due to childcare or family responsibilities?).

[FarNorthDallas]

Oh yes, dumb down your resume. Absolutely. Otherwise you look too expensive and that you might be a "know it all" or intimidating to others. It's just like with taking cases in front of a jury in a small town. The attorneys can't come across as too city, too educated or the jury will reject their case.

[dgz]

I've run into some of that. I have a lot of experience in my field and I have a very impressive resume, but I kept hearing that I needed to get a Master's degree for the manager/director positions that I'd rather be doing.

After going through grad school, and having just finished a contract job, I began applying for those positions, and I got lots interviews but it was the same story over an over... 40 people would apply and I'd be 3rd in line. Well, coming in at #3 in an interview is the same as coming in at #40.

After doing this for months and repeatedly coming in 2nd or 3rd for these manager/director interviews, I decided that I really needed to find work soon. So I went back to applying for the regular 'Same old _____ I've always been doing' jobs, but this time it took me much longer to find one. Normally, I would interview and get an offer within 2 days. However, I wasn't called back on any of them. I later learned that in 3 of the positions, the people who were eventually hired for them were much less qualified. I later eventually got one of these 'Same old _____ I've always been doing' jobs and I am feeling totally bored out of my mind with it, but I feel like at least I can be employed this time while I continue to hunt for a manager/director position. Would I still go back and get my Master's? Yes - because ultimately, I do hope to find a job that I would like. And the job that I'm doing now isn't 'horrible,' it's just that if you do any job for too long, you really start to hate it, no matter how much you excel at it. At least, that has always been the case with me.

[yellowsnow]

I've had to dumb down my resume several times in my life. I needed the job more than I needed to impress some hayseed of a boss. I've been known to use poor speech and grammar when it's to my benefit. People don't want to hire employees they perceive to be too smart or too well educated.

I always admit to having a degree. I just forget to mention I have 3.

[golfgal]

Most employers worry about someone coming in with an advanced degree taking an entry level position for fear they will become bored. Training new employees is expensive and they want to make sure they get the right person for the job. There would also be the question of WHY someone with 3 degrees wants an entry level position.

[gardener34]

Yes, after 9/11 when everyone in Illinois got laid off as well. I definitely dumbed down my resume just to get an interview. I had 20+ years experience in my field. No one would look at it otherwise.

As for why someone would want an entry level position... to put food on their table.

Lots of places figured this out and were bottom feeding big time during that time period. So I could not get a job at my level. As all the higher level people took the positions I was qualified for. So I was stuck doing work that I started out doing 20 years ago.

I am just now back up to my work/salary level pre-9/11, after 5 years.

[LVGAZ]

As well as education - through the years I have found that "over experienced" can hurt too
So I have had to take that down a notch when I needed to find a job to keep my family going..
SO beware of both areas as you get older...

[GypsySoul22]

Well, I guess I either sub (if I can get work) or dumb down the resume and remove the Masters Degree...
Actually, I am being up front with jobs and telling them I need flex time (due to childcare) or they can just not waste anyone's time.
If I do get a great job, then my husband has to get the 2 part-time ones or the lesser job to be home. It's what we agreed.

[Tulsaboyw]

In my own case, I actually was desparate enough that I applied for a data entry job at a wharehouse. The dataentry was CICS based... and in my job 2 years earlier I was a CICS systems analyst/programmer...

The initially said I was overqualified , and rejected me... despite the fact that it was nearly minimum wage (my programmer job was $28/hr).

I came back the next day and made sure the same person was at lunch (heard day before when she would be at lunch)...

Gave the new person my dumbded down resume..and was instantly hired.
I actually started that evening...

I bet though If I had not been told to start that evening, that the other person would still have rejected me... As it was, she came in 2 days later (ended up sick for 1-2 days).

By then it was too late, and I picked up the training to do what they needed in 1 day.
The other dataentry person they hired, took 4 weeks to learn what I learned.

Anyway, thepoint being, that even if you dumb things down, if they have any past history on you it may not matter.

[Huckleberry3911948]

no such thing as over educated what they have a probem with is how come a 45 year old lifer stock boy has a PHD.