» Job hunters dumb down their resumes to avoid looking overqualified
The WSJ talks to several people who removed high-flying achievements from their resumes because they didn’t want to appear overqualified for low-totem-pole jobs.
Sometimes, it seems to work:
Kristin Konopka sent out nearly 100 copies of her résumé in January in search of receptionist work, but got only one callback. That’s when Ms. Konopka, a 29-year-old New York actress and yoga teacher, took her master’s degree and academic teaching experience off her résumé.
The calls started coming in. The slimmer version of her résumé landed in 30 in-boxes and earned her three callbacks and two interviews. “It definitely picked up the interest,” says Ms. Konopka, who realized quickly that people don’t “want to hire anyone who is overqualified.”
Securing work in a tight economy means more job seekers might find themselves applying for positions below their qualifications. Many unemployed professionals are willing to take paycuts for the promise of a paycheck. But to get a foot in the door, candidates are gearing down their résumés by hiding advanced degrees, changing too-lofty titles, shortening work experience descriptions, and removing awards and accolades.
A recruiter tells the paper that she wouldn’t want to hire someone overqualified for fear that the person would “jump ship” at the first opportunity.
May 26, 2009, 8:59pm Comments
