Summary

When your resume shows that you are overqualified for a job, it usually gets rejected. But there are ways to be taken seriously for just such jobs. It’s called managing your Marketing Plan.

Today’s Problem

If you are like many job seekers looking for work in today’s economy, you are probably sending out resumes for position for which you are overqualified. And you are most likely distributing the same resume you send for jobs that are right up your alley. It is likely you aren’t getting many responses where you are considered overqualified. What do you do? Dumb down your resume? I prefer to call it adjusting your Marketing Plan.

With unemployment so high, Hiring Managers have the luxury of choice - much more so that job candidates, who have fewer jobs to pick from. To be one of the "chosen," you need to amend your resume to meet the requirements of the employment marketplace. Hiring Managers want to fill a position with someone who is neither overqualified or under qualified, but - right in the middle - perfectly qualified. That is your target.

Marketing Plan

A resume is nothing more than a marketing tool aimed at a target marketplace. By modifying your resume, you increase your chances of hitting the mark. So, first, you need a Marketing Plan that will keep you within the neighborhood of the truth, yet allow you to change the way that truth is perceived by the reader. Think of it as you, painting a portrait of yourself. You can create an image of you in all your gold trimmings and finery, or make yourself more of the common person.

If you are overqualified for a job that you are interested in, there are elements of your resume that you can adjust to make your portrait more acceptable to the Hiring Manager.

Adjusting Down

One of your primary tools in making these new changes to your resume is the job description. The qualifications and qualities mentioned are critical to note, and to mention in your document. This is the Manager’s wish list.

Let’s say that you were a VP of Operations, and you are applying for a middle management job.

• The first element to consider is the design of your resume. Some formats just scream executive. Avoid those. Opt for a more standard layout, with your name on the left, and your contact information on the right, or in a single line below your name. Have left justified headings, and avoid overdoing bolding, and italics, and don’t use underlining. Put your dates of employment on the right, across from the company name. All this will give you a less "aristocratic" appearance.

• The second element to change is your Summary of Qualifications. A bulleted list usually does less verbal flaunting than a paragraph.

• Next is the Career Accomplishments section, that place where you put your highest level achievements. Eliminate that. Your triumphs are probably more than the Hiring Manager needs.

• Your job title - if it was VP of Operations - will surely exclude you from consideration. Choose a "functional" description rather than a hierarchical title. How about: Operations Management. It is true, and explanatory.

• Only list positions within the last 15 years. Too much experience may work against you.

• Pay attention to the job description when amending your bulleted lists of accomplishments. This is key, and it will help you list achievements that are reasonable for the new position.

• Manage the language of your bullets. If you sold more Acme Widgets than anyone in the world last year, you may want to tone that down to just being a "top performer." Don’t go overboard with your praise for yourself, and avoid language full of superlatives.

Conclusion

The marketing tactics you employ to appeal to a Hiring Manager looking for a candidate with lesser qualifications than you will pay off. If your pride takes a blow, just remember why you are going through this exercise in the first place.