It Takes More Than Experience To Get A Job

It Takes More Than Experience To Get A Job

Are you sick and tired of hearing that you’re “overqualified” for jobs? We don’t blame you. As a seasoned professional, hearing this over and over again can be frustrating and discouraging. You have the experience, why don’t they value it?


Here’s the thing: It takes more than experience to get a job.

Sure, it’s great to have experience in your back pocket (in fact, many jobs require a certain amount of experience), but when you’re not actively keeping your SKILLS up to date, that’s where you run into problems. “When employers don't see us as current, all that extra experience means nothing to them - except that we'll probably want more money and still not provide the value they seek,” wrote J.T. O’Donnell, career expert and LinkedIn Influencer. “Nobody likes to overpay for services - especially, employers.” As a seasoned professional, you need to find ways to better market yourself to employers, and advancing your skills is a key factor in a successful job search. If you haven’t been working to advance your skills, you’re likely going to lose out when it comes down to you and the ‘other guy.’

It’s not your age that’s holding you back, it’s your strategy.

You can’t change your age, but you can change how you approach your job search. If you want to find a satisfying career, this is absolutely critical. Job search has changed drastically over the last 10 years. If you want to stand out and get interviews, you need to ditch those old job search strategies in favor of new ones. What used to work for you likely won’t work for you now.

Overqualified? Don’t sell yourself short.

It’s easy to blame employers for your lack of job search success, but your success is up to you. It’s your responsibility to advance your skills, not theirs. Empower yourself. Find ways to make your skills current. Learn how to market yourself. There are a ton of free resources that can help you do this (like this one!).
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