Almost Had a College Degree, What Job Shall I Aim for?

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Almost Had a College Degree, What Job Shall I Aim for?

There's the rub. You nearly got to the platform of glory, but for some unfortunate reason, you have to stop pursuing your bachelor's and look for a job. Of course, you can't expect to win in a competition of a pool of a hundred college graduates, but you don't want to end up low in a blue collar job along with the high school graduates either. So what do you do?

#1 Research and learn from others

And congratulations, you've already done the first step! Fooling aside, it's really smart of you to refer to the great World Wide Web to know what to expect from your current situation. If you could get even luckier, ask some friends and relatives who are also undergraduates. Chances are, once you've got the idea of a fitting work for you, you can narrow your job search to more realistic positions.

#2 Stand along with Associate Graduates

You can't deliver a decent application if you don't classify yourself. In your case, the safest is to level yourself along with the associate's title holders. Though you have longer years of study than they do, both of you are in between the bums and the buffs, idiomatically speaking of course. Aim for secretarial, clerical, and assistant posts, they are the most attainable choice for you. However still, secure your edge over the others. Almost a college degree is still better than not a college degree. Assert your advantage by showing that you have some stock knowledge in what the professionals are doing just in case it comes in handy for your work.

#3 Don't lie

You've been applying to various employers for two reasons: first, because they are looking for ideal associate grads or college undergrads to fit in the post; second, because you match their qualifications. So why will you bother altering facts about your academic background? And even if you're applying for a post that requires college degree, you still don't need to utter a fib if you really believe that you have what it takes to do the task except for a wretched piece of paper they call diploma. No, lying is not useless - it is harmful to your career.

#4 Put emphasis on specific knowledge about the field

Here's one good thing about entering college (even if you have gone off too soon) - you've got more than the required knowledge in the company's processes. Say, you're applying as a clerk in an accounting firm? Let them see that you also have the technical knowledge aside from the ability to organize files and answer clients' calls.

Not having to attain your degree does not mean that you can't have a decent professional niche. Sometimes all it takes is cunning and some confidence. Imagine, there are a lot worse situations out there. If you almost finished a college degree, it doesn't just mean that you lack some semester over the college grads; it also means that you got some extra years of learning over the associate grads.

Relax, not being able to attain the bachelor's is better than not taking it at all. Case in point you forget that you're luckier than the others. Heck, remember kick-outs, and felons, and the disabled persons before thinking that there's not much job in store for you.

Kate Ross-Myers works for a New-York based human resources magazine. She has a broad experience in preparing resource materials on hiring, recruitment, and training. Kate also speaks on forums and conventions on employee wellness and growth.

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Resumes When You Don't Have a Degree

Fortunately, one's career and life success is not based solely on obtaining a college degree. Just look at the rise of Bill Gates of Microsoft, Michael Dell of Dell, and in more recent days, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. These high profile and successful businessmen chose to pursue business over completing a college education. That decision hardly stopped them from succeeding.

But, just because these individuals have succeeded in leading prosperous careers for themselves without first obtaining a college degree, can you do the same? Many candidates fear employers will pass on their resume for other candidates with a college education. Certainly, there are employers that require their employees to have a college education and degree to qualify for the job, but there are also employers who could care less about your education or degree obtained. The fact that one earned his stripes from an Ivy League institution does not place him in higher favor at many organizations. Some employers are more interested in a candidate's character and professional experiences to determine qualification and the best placement for the job.

A college degree becomes less of a highlight on resumes when you have five or more professional years of experience to show. In such instances, even for a candidate with a college degree the education portion of the resume is shifted down to the bottom of the page or entirely eliminated.

So, don't worry so much about what you don't have and focus on highlighting what you do have to offer on your resume.

Place Your Work History before Education. Employers want to know that you are effective and can do the job, and the best way to do that is to demonstrate particular accomplishments and achievements in previous jobs. By making the right impression at the start of your resume and showing how you qualify for the job by the time an employer gets to the education section of your resume, they may be able to overlook any shortcomings. Or, they may be so impressed to not even take note of what you indicate in the education section.
Add Professional Development. This is an opportunity to showcase self-initiative - and is a category on your resume that can help downplay the fact that you did not obtain a degree. For instance, it is especially critical in the IT sector for professionals to be up-to-date on new developments happening in the field. Professionals also need to be trained on new developments in technical infrastructure and obtain or renew certifications. Showcasing your participation in training, such as courses, seminars and conferences will demonstrate to an employer that you have the know-how needed to do the job applied for. This provides greater value to certain employers than seeing that a candidate has obtained a college degree alone.
Include Partially Completed Education. If you are in the process of completing your degree or you took courses in the past, make sure you indicate that on the resume which will help you in keyword searches.
Send your resume to the Decision Maker, not HR. If you have over 10 years of work experience, the decision maker will probably not care about a diploma from a long time ago. However, the human resources manager probably will as they attempt to screen out all but the most perfect fits for a job. So do not send your resume over the web - better to send it to the decision maker directly.

Clearly, there are certain career paths where you need to obtain a degree in order to make it your profession - such as being a lawyer, a doctor, a CPA or a teacher. In many instances, however, one's life and career success is based more on experience than education alone.

Don Goodman, President of About Jobs ( http://www.gotthejob.com/ ) is a nationally recognized Career Coach and Resume Writer. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business and Stanford University's Executive Program, Don has helped thousands of people secure their next job. Read his blog at www.GotTheJob.com/blog/ or contact him at 800-909-0109 or by e-mail at dgoodman@GotTheJob.com.

Read more ...

Resumes When You Don't Have a Degree

Fortunately, one's career and life success is not based solely on obtaining a college degree. Just look at the rise of Bill Gates of Microsoft, Michael Dell of Dell, and in more recent days, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook. These high profile and successful businessmen chose to pursue business over completing a college education. That decision hardly stopped them from succeeding.

But, just because these individuals have succeeded in leading prosperous careers for themselves without first obtaining a college degree, can you do the same? Many candidates fear employers will pass on their resume for other candidates with a college education. Certainly, there are employers that require their employees to have a college education and degree to qualify for the job, but there are also employers who could care less about your education or degree obtained. The fact that one earned his stripes from an Ivy League institution does not place him in higher favor at many organizations. Some employers are more interested in a candidate's character and professional experiences to determine qualification and the best placement for the job.

A college degree becomes less of a highlight on resumes when you have five or more professional years of experience to show. In such instances, even for a candidate with a college degree the education portion of the resume is shifted down to the bottom of the page or entirely eliminated.

So, don't worry so much about what you don't have and focus on highlighting what you do have to offer on your resume.

Place Your Work History before Education. Employers want to know that you are effective and can do the job, and the best way to do that is to demonstrate particular accomplishments and achievements in previous jobs. By making the right impression at the start of your resume and showing how you qualify for the job by the time an employer gets to the education section of your resume, they may be able to overlook any shortcomings. Or, they may be so impressed to not even take note of what you indicate in the education section.
Add Professional Development. This is an opportunity to showcase self-initiative - and is a category on your resume that can help downplay the fact that you did not obtain a degree. For instance, it is especially critical in the IT sector for professionals to be up-to-date on new developments happening in the field. Professionals also need to be trained on new developments in technical infrastructure and obtain or renew certifications. Showcasing your participation in training, such as courses, seminars and conferences will demonstrate to an employer that you have the know-how needed to do the job applied for. This provides greater value to certain employers than seeing that a candidate has obtained a college degree alone.
Include Partially Completed Education. If you are in the process of completing your degree or you took courses in the past, make sure you indicate that on the resume which will help you in keyword searches.
Send your resume to the Decision Maker, not HR. If you have over 10 years of work experience, the decision maker will probably not care about a diploma from a long time ago. However, the human resources manager probably will as they attempt to screen out all but the most perfect fits for a job. So do not send your resume over the web - better to send it to the decision maker directly.

Clearly, there are certain career paths where you need to obtain a degree in order to make it your profession - such as being a lawyer, a doctor, a CPA or a teacher. In many instances, however, one's life and career success is based more on experience than education alone.

Don Goodman, President of About Jobs ( http://www.gotthejob.com/ ) is a nationally recognized Career Coach and Resume Writer. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business and Stanford University's Executive Program, Don has helped thousands of people secure their next job. Read his blog at www.GotTheJob.com/blog/ or contact him at 800-909-0109 or by e-mail at dgoodman@GotTheJob.com.

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Should I Leave My Degree Off My Resume?

By Jessica M Holbrook Jessica M Holbrook
Level: Platinum

Jessica Holbrook is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, and presenter. She has written more than 100 articles that are featured ...

There are many different reasons why you might be interested in a job for which you're overqualified. Maybe you need less stress in your life, maybe you're returning to the workforce after some time away, or maybe you're making a career change and need to get some entry-level experience. Regardless of the reason, applying for jobs for which you're overqualified can be tricky business.

Common sense tells us that employers should want the best educated, most qualified candidates for any given position. In reality, employers want to hire employees who are going to stick around, because bringing in new employees is expensive. Many companies assume that someone with a degree (or two) will quickly grow bored performing an administrative job. Therefore, employers sometimes sort obviously overqualified employees immediately into the discard pile.

If you're applying for jobs that don't require as much experience or education as you possess, it's perfectly okay to omit some of your professional history. The objective behind writing your resume is to secure an interview. Once you're in that interview, you'll have the opportunity to tell the company why you're interested in a position that may not seem like a challenge. However, you'll never get that opportunity if you don't make onto the short list of great candidates.

Remember, hiring managers make decisions about candidates based on very quick impressions, usually 30 seconds or less. It's best to offer them just enough information to show that you're a great match for the job description. Don't worry that you're selling yourself short-remember, the goal is to get an interview, not to act like you're not as smart as you are. Once you get that interview, you can surprise the interviewer with how competent and engaging you are-and how much you want the opportunity they have to offer.

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class, resumes and cover letters that transform job searches into interviews and ultimately job offers. For more information about professional resume writing or to read more career and job search related articles visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com/ or call 1.800.991.5187.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jessica_M_Holbrook

This article has been viewed 5 time(s).
Article Submitted On: December 17, 2010

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