What to do when youre overqualified

What to do when youre overqualified by Michael Cheary One of the biggest challenges we face as jobseekers is how we find a position that matches our career ambitions with our skills and experience.But its not just a lack of appropriate qualifications that can be a hindrance. As strange as it can sometimes seem, being overqualified can be a Catch-22 situation, and is often just as frustrating as any other reason for rejection.Here are a few tips to help you deal with being overqualified:1. Be honest with yourselfFirst things first: Are you actually overqualified?If the answers yes, think carefully about why youre going for this position. Chances are you have a number of legitimate reasons, which could easily be communicated on your CV or directly to your interviewer when the question comes up.Examples of possible reasons may include:RelocationTo achieve a better work/life balanceA desire to change industry or professionThe opportunity to work remotelyThe position youre applying for is more convenient or within a n area you wish to specialise inThese are by no means the only possible motives, so try to think about your individual reasons and ensure youve thought them through before moving forward.2. Tailor your CV and covering letter to every position This point is applicable to every jobseeker (without exception), however, it is definitely worth reiterating here.CVs are frequently used by individuals to over-state and embellish their personal achievements. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this approach, its important to try a slightly different tack in this situation.Instead of concentrating on your qualifications and professional accomplishments, place your focus on the skills you possess which will make you a great fit for the role. 3. Show a desire for the position From a recruiters point of view, there are many reasons why a candidate being overqualified might not be desirable. However, regardless of the size or stature of the employer, the main reservation will almost always be that you are not in the job for the long-haul.In order to combat this, showing a genuine desire for the role is vital. Always ensure that you demonstrate, not only your ability to do the job, but also that you really want the job. Additionally, you can try suggesting signing a minimum length contract (usually between 12 and 18 months) to help convince them of your commitment. Even if this cannot be done, it should help to allay their fears and assure them that they wont have to start the costly hiring process again anytime soon.4. Take emphasis away from salaryWith more experience under your professional-belt than many other applicants, some hiring managers may be concerned when it comes to your salary expectations.Show recruiters your flexibility when it comes to salary, and explain that you only expect to be paid the current market rate for the position.Not sure what salary you should expect? Use our salary checker now.5. Look harder for positions for which you are qualifiedIf youve tr ied all of the above, and/or youre consistently being told that youre overqualified, it may be time to aim a little higher.By simply making your overall application more dedicated to the specific role, and making yourself come across as more aspirational, you may be able to find a position that better matches your abilities that you never would have considered previously.Struggling to find your perfect position? Get your job search started now.Final thoughtsDont highlight any fears you have about being overqualified in the interview. You may just be talking them out of hiring you instead of selling yourself.Never explain your motives for a position from a purely financial standpoint no employer wants to be considered as an easy pay cheque.If directly asked about being overqualified, dont panic. Simply state that you have decided to take a position that allows you to work to your strengths then elaborateFinally, whatever your circumstances, dont underestimate yourself. You might be just the candidate your ideal employer is looking for, so dont be tempted to sell yourself short.Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Career Development

How to Attract Job Hoppers at Every Stage of Their Journey

How to Attract Job Hoppers at Every Stage of Their Journey Job hopping and changing is on the rise more than ever before! Recruiters need to be taking advantage of this opportunity, but there is also a lot of competition. In order to attract this group of people we need to understand why they changed jobs and how they did it. This way you will better understand the way candidates think and act within a job. This infographic by LinkedIn Talent Solutions analyses some job changers to provide us with some important questions: Awareness: The top reason why people change jobs is a career opportunity. They leave because of lack of advancement opportunities. They join for career path and new opportunities. A struggle is not knowing what it is really like to work somewhere. Consideration: Invest in the most common way that people find their jobs: Referrals. Stand out from others with standard employer value proposition. Decision: In order to recruit job changers, you need to be fast. 44% took less than one month from first discovering the job to accepting the offer. Retention: Once they have landed, dont let them leave. 42% who left could have been convinced to stay. LinkedIn: 75% use LinkedIn for job search. Attract candidates by impressing them with your recruiter brand and talent brand. Tailor your message to their career goals. Empower employees by improving their skills. How to Attract Job Changers at Every Stage of the Journey from LinkedIn Talent Solutions

How to Find People to Follow on Twitter [Top 10 Ways]

How to Find People to Follow on Twitter [Top 10 Ways] Twitter isnt dumb if you are following smart people. In the job search smart people work for companies you are targeting. In business, smart people are potential customers and clients. The trick is finding them, but it isnt as hard as you may think. Here are 10 ways to find and follow people on Twitter: 1) Add blog or website owners: When you read a good post, find the Twitter handle and follow the author, owner, and/or company (almost everyone has a Twitter icon on their site!) [We do you can follow us on the right @UndercoverRec] 2) Use Wefollow.com or your favorite Twitter directory: Search by industry or area of interest and follow users who are active, meaning theyve tweeted something within the last couple of weeks. Inactive followers wont follow you back, and your timeline will be extremely empty! 3) Find “Top X? lists and follow them:   For example, there is a post listing the Top 50 Social Media Power Influencers. They are doing this social media thing better or differently and you can learn a lot from them. Do this for your industry and/or occupation too! 4) Follow followers: Often, when someone follows you, they have a reason. You may just want to follow them back. Look at your followers list within the Twitter application, read their bio and follow those people/accounts that seem relevant, big or somehow otherwise worthy of following. 5) Use #FF: #FF stands for Follow Friday watch and follow people who have been #FF recommended by the people you already follow on Twitter. 6) Use Twitter’s “Who to follow”:  From the Twitter application, pay attention to who Twitter recommends you follow. By no means is it always accurate, but often there are some interesting suggestions. 7) Follow the leader: Once you start following someone,    see who they are following or what lists they have created and follow those that make sense 8) LinkedIn Connections: Check the LinkedIn profile section called contact info to see if your connection has listed their Twitter account. 9) Hashtags Search by # (whatever is of interest): A hashtag is a way of tagging/filtering a tweet.   For example, search using the #job and you can find all the Tweets that contain the hashtag and the word job. Follow Twitter accounts that share relevant job postings. 10) Watch or join in on Twitter Chats: There are hundreds of Twitter chats covering a wide variety of topics, join in and watch how they work!  (Here is an ongoing list of Twitter Chats.) BONUS: Add new followers to lists: Creating lists will help you filter content and information being shared by the people you are following. For example, you may have a list called Potential Employers. But dont stop with one list. You can have up to 1,000 lists and each list can have up to 5,000 members! What to share? Seldom do people care what you ate for breakfast so your tweets should have some value. Think about retweeting a great article you read or perhaps one you wrote yourself. Share news and information relevant to your metropolitan area. If you attend an event, consider live tweeting excerpts of presenters greatest moments. Your tweets should be a mix of information that others following you would deem interesting. Give it time: When you begin building a network of people in real life, it takes time to establish mutual trust. The same holds true on Twitter. If you are expecting miracles out of the gate, it isn’t going to happen. Be slow, purposeful and sincere in your communication with others on Twitter. Give to get. Help others selflessly and regularly. See what starts to happen.

Dont Let Plan B Destroy Your Career

Dont Let Plan B Destroy Your Career I am not sure whether this is coincidence or a trend, but lately I notice most of my clients have huge decisions to make at work and we always start with discussing plan B. During everyones career advancement there has been risky choices. In fact, most of the people I know take more risky decisions than they realize every day. Some examples of those are: Whether to quit my job and start a business/get another job Whether to go this way or that way with my business Whether to say what I really think about this project/situation to my boss Whether to do the exception that this client asks for Why are these decisions risky? Because you have something to lose, and in most cases it is something important too: money; respect; that clients account. It is in such moments that professionals often draw plan B. I must say I support the need of plan B in general, as it often speeds the decision up and gives us the courage to challenge our fears. However, it can also translate into failure and there is a simple reason for that â€" focus. I have already talked about focus and its power in many of my articles. In short, what you focus on is what you will get. Once you draw a plan B, you inevitably start looking out for signs that you need to execute it. By doing that you activate your natural survival instinct â€" must watch for X, because I must run if it happens. And suddenly, its all about X. I have talked to many people so focused on their exit strategy, that they never created a success strategy. To understand whether thats you, see if you agree with the statements bellow: I know what failure looks like, but I am not sure what success looks like I know what I would do if I get fired tomorrow (or my business goes bankrupt), but I have no idea what I would do if I get asked to be the director of the company (or a huge client hires me for a job) I know what I would do if I start running out of money, but I have no idea what I would do if I start making more than I expect (besides partying like a rock-star) If you said “yes” to one or more of these statements, you need to switch  from plan B thinking to success thinking  now. In 1981 a female singer broke off her contract with Gotham â€" a small music agency, declining an offer from Columbia Records, because she thought she could do better. Wait, what was her name? Oh, right, Madonna. When you have success thinking, you are bravely going for what you want and nothing else will do. We will never know what Madonnas plan B was and whether she had one at all, but I can guarantee she wasnt focusing on what she would do if she was not to make it. I am not saying you have to oppose opportunities, but if you want similar focus and in return similar results, heres how to get it. Get the plan B out of your mind Theres a saying where I come from: a stupid person will remember it, a smart person will write it down. You need to keep your mind free for big dreams and next steps to them, so put your plan B on paper. If your decision is a small one, you may think this is stupid, but its not. I used to work in sales. When I decided to make a risky move to sell something to a difficult client, I wrote on a post-it “If it doesnt work out, call tomorrow and offer X.” And then I focused all I got on how to not call tomorrow. Want to guess if I hit my targets? Stress yourself Funny anyone would give you that as an advice, isnt it? But come to think about it, arent you obsessing over your plan B exactly because you are stressing about what would happen if things blow up in your face? We are taught that stress is all bad, but in healthy doses it could be a powerful tool, which controls your focus. Mentally put yourself in a situation where you suddenly reach HUGE success. What would you do? Are you ready for it? Can you handle it? Will you make the best of it? Wouldnt you feel sorry all your life if you missed an amazing opportunity? You would, so make your plan A a priority. Realize what is the only real benefit of plan B anyway Plan B is rarely done to be followed. It is done to give you piece of mind and the confidence to follow your dreams. When you face difficulties, it is always tempting to use it, but plan B should only be used in one situation: When you have NO other choice. And I mean that! For example, if you feel slightly financially challenged because you quit to build a business, dont go running for a new job right away. Read something useful, like Money Makeover Series: Money Plan=Life Plan  or [amazon template=productasin=1451629230] and get back to figuring out your success. When stressed out, you should be able to direct your focus towards what to fix in order to get what you want. Because if you dont, you doom yourself to failure. Have you ever chosen plan B when you could have adjusted plan A? Tell us bellow. If you need help achieving an amazing career, check out my Career Grower Program.

Resume Writing - The Importance of Using Your Resume Dictionary

Resume Writing - The Importance of Using Your Resume DictionaryThe first step in building your resume dictionary is to make sure you know what the dictionary really means. A dictionary should help you with your resume writing as it will help you when you are looking for a word or words in a certain context.Dictionary definitions can be helpful as long as you remember that you will be applying them in different types of circumstances. If you really want to narrow down your search, you may want to look at dictionary definitions specific to the industry you are looking to enter. For example, if you are looking for a job in marketing, you may find that there are a number of special dictionaries devoted to that particular field.Even job-related dictionary definitions can be important in your job search because they will help you when you are searching for specific terms. Most dictionary definitions will include technical terms, so make sure you can use the right technical terms when you a re searching for them.In addition, a dictionary can provide you with the information you need to write a specific job description. It is very important that you look up the specific dictionary you are using for your job search, because you may not be able to get the information you need from the manual or the web site you are using. If you cannot find the job descriptions, this can have an effect on your resume writing because you may not be sure about the content you will be using to describe your skills and experiences.If you do not know how to get the dictionary you need, you can check out some free versions online. It is best to use these, but you may also find that some of the free versions to give you more information than other sites. Keep searching until you find the one that works best for you.If you do not have the job description you need, you may want to pay for a job description dictionary. The money you spend on this will probably be well worth it if you can get the in formation you need.Your resume dictionary will be your guide for creating your resume. You will also be able to stay organized when you have everything you need right at your fingertips.Remember that your resume dictionary is a resource to help you during your resume writing. However, it is important that you know which dictionary you should use in the right situation to make sure you will be successful in your resume writing.

How to Be at Your Best More of the Time

How to Be at Your Best More of the Time Do you consistently bring your “A-Game” â€" your best self â€" to everything you do? That’s something I strive for, but the truth is I often fall short. For me, a more realistic goal is to find ways to operate at my best more of the time. As they say, it’s about “progress, not perfection”. The question is how do you get and stay in that “best self” zone? You Get What You Measure One of the sayings that got drummed into my mind back in the day is “you get what you measure”. While that was in the context of running the business, it also holds true for so much of life. Now, I was the first one to say, “wait a minute â€" some of the most precious things in life can’t be measured, like love, freedom and peace.” And there will always be a part of me that rails against measuring everything. However, I’ve found it is true that measuring progress is essential to knowing where you stand, feeling good about how far you’ve come, and staying focused on what’s important. In this case, bringing your best self to work â€" and the world. Measuring progress is essential to feeling good about how far you’ve come When It’s Hard to Measure When it comes to measurement, it would be easy if we were machines. After all, machines are designed to operate at a certain speed and within certain tolerances, so optimal performance is measurable. But we humans are different. It’s more subjective. The tasks we’re capable of change over time because we learn and grow. The expectations of us change too as we gain experience and expertise. So, delivering our best can look and feel different at different times in our lives. Layered on top of that, it’s people â€" others as well as ourselves â€" who are doing the assessing. With all our differences in perception, it’s even less straightforward. So, how do you know when you’re in your best zone? How can you keep track of how you’re doing? Measure What’s in Your Control I believe that peak performance and being at your best is a very personal measure. For some of us, it’s good enough to just know it when we see or feel it. Like the US Supreme Court’s ruling on pornography: “I know it when I see it.” But to make it more repeatable and more likely that you’ll spend more time in that optimal “best self” zone, it’s useful to have a way to measure and track, even if it’s qualitative. To get an accurate measure, you’ll want to come up with the metrics that make sense for you and then a tracking system to record them. Metrics The key thing about the metrics is to choose things that you can control. Put another way, if you require bright sunshine to be at your best and you live in London, then you’re going to have a hard time with your performance! One way to get at your own set of metrics is to start by thinking of what you’re like at your worst. You can use that to generate your list of what to keep an eye on to stay in your best self zone. For me, my worst self is: Morose â€" getting down on myself, letting that color everything else, seeing the glass as pretty nearly empty Grumpy â€" snapping at people who are trying to make helpful suggestions, being disagreeable and hard to console Fearful â€" having my “what if” factory on overload, allowing that to stop me from taking action, being anxious and worried, seeing multiple worst case scenarios and imagining my way through each of them Indecisive â€" stuck in analysis paralysis Procrastinating â€" not getting things done Then, it’s pretty easy to look at the flipside of that. For example, I need to monitor the extent to which I am: Being compassionate with myself, bouncing back from setbacks, and looking for ways to move forward Treating others with kindness and gratitude Being fearless and unstoppable Making decisions and moving on Taking action Or, you could look at some broader universal categories and identify your own specific metrics within each. Here’s an example that works for me: Mindset: Am I being fearless? Positive? Energized? Am I coming from a place of abundance? Have I been compassionate with myself and others? Social interactions: How have I treated people and built relationships? How have I communicated â€" am I listening closely and speaking confidently? Who have I empowered? What have I shared? How have I collaborated? Priorities: Have I set the right priorities? Have I met them? Have I remained focused on what matters most? Results: Was I clear on the definition of success and how to measure it? Did I set realistic targets? Did I deliver what I agreed? Have I persisted? Resilience: Did I bounce back from setbacks? Tracking As for tracking systems, you could create a spreadsheet, use a journal or put it into Evernote and go through these categories at the end of each day. If you ask yourself “to what extent have I [insert metric]…”,  then you can rate yourself on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) and enter numbers into the spreadsheet. If you ask open ended questions like “who have I empowered?”, then it lends itself to a text answer that may be easier in a journal format. Either way works. Just choose one that’s most natural for you. While we’re talking about this as a way to enable you to operate at your best more of the time, renowned CEO Coach Marshall Goldsmith’s research shows that tracking your answers to these types of questions is likely to increase your happiness too. In particular, he recommends 6 questions to ask yourself and track every day. A Challenge For You What do you need to measure in order to bring your best self to work more of the time? Leave a comment and let me know. For more actionable tips and tools for being your best, most productive self, check out Ron Friedman’s Peak Work Performance Summit which runs through Thursday April 27th. The Peak Work Performance Summit is a FREE online conference featuring over 40 New York Times bestselling authors in the fields of health, happiness, and productivity. Discover how you can work less, achieve more, and live better by learning from the world’s leading experts

6 ways to avoid an expensive bad hire

6 ways to avoid an expensive bad hire No manager is an island: You need a great team to meet your business’s goals and fulfill your potential. Hiring is one of the most important things a manager does, but it’s also one of the most difficult. As much as we’d like to believe we have the skills to avoid it, all managers eventually have to deal with a failed hire. Bringing someone new on board only to determine they’re not going to work out can be a blow to your ego, and it can be a sign of a larger issue with your hiring practices. The cost of a failed hire is nothing to sneeze at. In addition to the cost of a candidate search and lost productivity, it can have a real toll on a team’s morale. A recent study from Robert Half Finance Accounting asked CFOs about the most common reasons new employees didn’t work out, and their responses were revealing. The majority reported a mismatched skill set (38 percent) as the top reason for a failed hire. After that, unclear performance expectations (27 percent), personality conflicts (20 percent), and a failure to fit into corporate culture (15 percent) were the most common culprits. When a similar study was conducted in 2011, the order of the reasons for a failed hire was the same, but there’s been a notable decrease in the proportion attributed to unclear performance expectations. That reflects well on employers: Talking about what constitutes success in a position is a conversation you should be having throughout the hiring process and onboarding of a new employee. But the issue of mismatched skill sets still looms large. You can avoid making a failed hire next time you’re recruiting new talent to your team by brushing up on these hiring best practices: Pay attention to soft skills and cultural fit. While technical expertise is important, it’s primarily soft skills that determine whether a candidate is a good fit for the role and the company. Think about what skills or traits you wish the last person in the role had had. Make a point of talking about company culture and team working styles during the interview process. Refresh your job listings every time. Don’t recycle the same job descriptions year after year. To attract the right candidates to apply for your job listing, you need an up-to-date portrayal of the job and its duties. Make sure the list of essential skills and those that can be built through training are all current. Do a thorough reference check. Don’t skimp on this just because it’s often a difficult process. Take the time to talk to candidates’ former managers to get a better sense of whether these applicants might do well at your firm, asking about their work styles, strengths and areas for improvement. Don’t limit yourself to just the people the candidate listed â€" for key roles it can make sense to talk to former coworkers and other managers, as well. Take advantage of all your recruiting resources. By tapping the extensive networks of a specialized recruiting firm, you gain access to a larger talent pool and become more likely to bring on high performers. A recruiter can help evaluate each job seeker and accelerate the hiring process. Woo your top choices. If you find a great applicant, move quickly and offer attractive compensation. Additional Robert Half research shows promising candidates lose interest when companies delay making a decision. Don’t drag the process out and risk losing them to a competitor. Be clear about expectations. In interviews with potential candidates, make it clear at the outset exactly what success looks like for the position. Set measurable goals with new hires during onboarding, and provide additional training if needed. Every new hire should be set up for success and given the chance to excel. Paying more attention to hiring best practices when you’re building your team can help you avoid a failed hire in the future. And that means your team will grow stronger and reflect your skills as a manager. Join Dana Manciagli’s Job Search Master Class right now and immediately access the most comprehensive job search system currently available!