Foo - Overqualified.

So, I can't get a job related to my fields of study (poly-sci, philosophy, bad-assery) in this economy because I lack experience (except in bad-assery). I've just been told by a retail store manager that I'm considered too overqualified to be taken seriously as an applicant. College has made me nigh unhireable until the recession is over. :thumb:

I'm gonna go ride my bike. :twitchy:

overqualified to sell stuff. that always makes me giggle. they only want stupid clueless dumbos to annoy the customers.

so what was the lowliest job you have been rejected from? i was turned down by mcdonalds. flipping burgers was too challenging for me.

I'm under qualified to do anything. Thank God I still have a business.

Lowliest rejection- A human sign holding company.

You stand on a corner with a sign, waving it around. You're a human billboard. They never called back.

For serious.

Lowliest rejection- A human sign holding company.

You stand on a corner with a sign, waving it around. You're a human billboard. They never called back.

For serious.

Would you have actually taken that job?

It's not very aerodynamic.

Would you have actually taken that job?

Dude's gotta eat.

You might be better off trying to forge your own job.

so what was the lowliest job you have been rejected from?Cleaning toilets. I showed them; I've made a career out of it.

Don't put your college qualifications on a resume when you're applying for entry level jobs. They don't want to hire people who think they're too good for the position because then they can't get you to work crap hours and perform crap tasks.

Tell them what they want to hear and nothing more.

Wait until you are middle-aged, with professional or graduate degrees, have 20 years plus of experience and then get laid off. Then you will know the meaning of over-qualified.

Wait until you are middle-aged, with professional or graduate degrees, have 20 years plus of experience and then get laid off. Then you will know the meaning of over-qualified.

Bingo! I laugh every time I hear a politician or business owner complain we don't have enough college graduates with advanced science degrees (mine's in chemistry). There are plenty out there, the corporate world just doesn't want to pay for USA labor!

Tell them you are perfectly capable of lowering your standards....

but seriously, it sucks... good luck next time bro

Lowliest rejection- A human sign holding company.

You stand on a corner with a sign, waving it around. You're a human billboard. They never called back.

For serious.

You got rejected for this?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CKAwI5Ul6dw/R6y2-8-h-TI/AAAAAAAABEo/2QfRHmMd3CI/s320/Liberty+Tax+human+sign+2.jpg

darn!

Bad-assery is often needed in the Human Resources departments.

Take your pick:

church secretary or callback to drywall hanger.

Have you tried panhandling?

A good homeless guy in NYC can typically make more than minimum wage...

Dude's gotta eat.

Not if you're really trying to be a bike racer you don't.

overqualified to sell stuff. that always makes me giggle. they only want stupid clueless dumbos to annoy the customers.

If I owned a retail store I wouldn't want to hire a college graduate who is obviously using the job as a temporary fix to getting his career started. I'm guessing that is the idea behind being over qualified.

become a freelance sniper...the pay is excellent.

Don't put your college qualifications on a resume when you're applying for entry level jobs. They don't want to hire people who think they're too good for the position because then they can't get you to work crap hours and perform crap tasks.

Tell them what they want to hear and nothing more.

Two problems with that:

1. How do you account for the time you spent in college? If there are any gaps in your history, they will assume that they are due to your having been in prison or an insane asylum or something equally shameful.

2. If they find out that you left something that important off your resume, you can get fired for having lied on your application. (To supress a fact is to publish a falsehood.) That means that you were fired "for cause", and therefore will be unable to collect unemployment.

Have you signed up with Adecco or Kelly as an office temp? If you can do word processing, spreadsheets, etc. they should be able to use you.

Adecco, yes. Over the summer. Not one call.

Went to my first job interview in a month, was told i'm wayyyyy overqualified, and that I'm one of four people applying for a cash register position.

WTF!

2. If they find out that you left something that important off your resume, you can get fired for having lied on your application. (To supress a fact is to publish a falsehood.) That means that you were fired "for cause", and therefore will be unable to collect unemployment.

While I understand that the legal interpretations for "at will employment" are widely variable, I can't imagine that "You're fired for not telling us you have a college degree" is a legitimate reason for withholding unemployment benefits.

How would I account for that space on my resume though? I didn't work most of my college career. It'd look like I didn't start doing anything with my life til I was 23.

The trick is to address their concerns. Some people are afraid you'll be a difficult employee because you think you're working below your level. This is a legitimate concern -- employees who think they're better than the job and smarter than the boss typically cause a disproportionate amount of trouble, aren't as reliable, and often aren't as good workers as people who are glad to have the job. Whenever I'm involved in any kind of hiring, one question I'm always interested in hearing is why the applicant thinks the job is good for him/her.

The second major issue with hiring overqualified people is that it's highly unlikely they'll stick around very long. This means the employer gets to spend a lot of time/money getting someone up to scratch only so they can repeat the process too soon. You need to convince the prospective employer that they'll get a good return on their investment in you.

This does not mean it's impossible to get a crap job if you're "overqualified." Just make it clear that you understand their concerns and will work with them. You don't have a problem (and may even enjoy) menial labor. You don't have an issue reporting to someone younger than you with less education. And while you don't know exactly what will happen, they can count on good reliable work from you for a modest amount of time. Or if you're changing gears and really want a job with much less responsibility, say why. For anyone who's done real work, this is not difficult to understand. If you do this, act friendly/outgoing, and demonstrate that you have more physical energy than most people, you'll be in the running.

So, I can't get a job related to my fields of study (poly-sci, philosophy, bad-assery) in this economy because I lack experience (except in bad-assery). I've just been told by a retail store manager that I'm considered too overqualified to be taken seriously as an applicant. College has made me nigh unhireable until the recession is over. :thumb:

I'm gonna go ride my bike. :twitchy:

if looking in retail, have you ever thought of ommitting education and experience? You should never make up and add those things but nothing says you can't omit them. I did that when I was going to school for my master's - I just wanted an easy, no thinking job but knew they would think me overqualified. I just put some retail experience, explained I was going to school (they don't care for what) and that I was unemployed. Easy hire.

While I understand that the legal interpretations for "at will employment" are widely variable, I can't imagine that "You're fired for not telling us you have a college degree" is a legitimate reason for withholding unemployment benefits.
I'm trying to imagine what kind of employer would fire someone because they found out their applicant failed to disclose some of their college education.

There does not need to be a legitimate reason to be fired in at will situations. They can simply say, "you're fired" and are under no obligation to say why. In such situations, getting unemployment will be no problem.

have you considered drooling at the interview and grunting your responses? that should get you a nice retail job or maybe a call centre job. those people hate customers.

If you are young enough, or look young enough... say up to your late 20's then you should be able to get a retail job. I think it gets much harder for people over 30 to get a job in retail no matter what because we are in such a youth oriented society. Do you think the A & F would actually hire any salespeople over 25? Or an unattractive person? I seriously doubt it. Even though it is not legal, they obviously get away with it.

tell them you were off planet the last few years........

While I understand that the legal interpretations for "at will employment" are widely variable, I can't imagine that "You're fired for not telling us you have a college degree" is a legitimate reason for withholding unemployment benefits.

It happened to two people I know.

If someone asks about a void, tell them that you were racing bicycles while you had your youth and good health.

If I owned a retail store I wouldn't want to hire a college graduate who is obviously using the job as a temporary fix to getting his career started. I'm guessing that is the idea behind being over qualified.

Bingo. I applied for a job at a running store right after I graduated. The first question I was asked was why someone with a degree in economics would want to sell running shoes. I told him I was planning to apply to graduate school and would probably be gone in a year. He liked my honesty and hired me, I stayed in town for grad school, and continued to work at the store part time while working on a master's degree. A decade later, I am close friends with my former boss. Point being, maybe you should be upfront and tell them you don't want to work in retail forever, but you will work hard for them while you are there.

If you are young enough, or look young enough... say up to your late 20's then you should be able to get a retail job. I think it gets much harder for people over 30 to get a job in retail no matter what because we are in such a youth oriented society. Do you think the A & F would actually hire any salespeople over 25? Or an unattractive person? I seriously doubt it. E
Nonsense.

The salespeople only need to be someone who can establish credibility with the target audience. This means jobs selling idiotic looking clothes and stereo equipment that looks like it came from the Starship Enterprise will probably go to younger people.

However, if you want to sell equipment, large appliances, high end kitchenware (i.e. all stuff with much higher commissions), a more mature salesperson who has some clue what the product is has a much better chance. Would you buy a range worth a couple grand or a high efficiency washing machine for that matter from someone who doesn't appear to have any practical experiencing actually using these things?

Do you think the A & F would actually hire any salespeople over 25? Or an unattractive person? I seriously doubt it. Even though it is not legal, they obviously get away with it.

A&F has appearance clauses in their employment agreement. Their business is based on outward appearance, and it's entirely legal for them to not hire someone for being unattractive by company standards. Ugly isn't a protected status.

Assos isn't going to hire me to be their next shirtless bibshorts model, no matter how often I apply for the position. It's not against the law for them to be up front about it and say, "Mr. GK1, we're sorry. Well, actually we're not... but you're too fat and hairy for this job." Rude, yes. Illegal, no.

This thread makes me cry. I'm an IT major with experience working retail. I just put in my two weeks notice.

This thread makes me cry. I'm an IT major with experience working retail. I just put in my two weeks notice.

Depending on what you want to do, IT is still out there. Just need to look in odd places. Hospitals, hospitality, school districts etc. I know of lots of IT jobs throughout north america, and have been recruited for a few of them (I don't want to work in New York or Alberta). Just depends on what you want to get paid I suppose. :)

This thread makes me cry. I'm an IT major with experience working retail. I just put in my two weeks notice.

Depending on what you want to do, IT is still out there. Just need to look in odd places. Hospitals, hospitality, school districts etc. I know of lots of IT jobs throughout north america, and have been recruited for a few of them (I don't want to work in New York or Alberta). Just depends on what you want to get paid I suppose. :)

Chippendales?

Anorexic Thursdays? 3 for 1 beers, half off well drinks...

Dude, I'm a cyclist!

Nonsense.

The salespeople only need to be someone who can establish credibility with the target audience. This means jobs selling idiotic looking clothes and stereo equipment that looks like it came from the Starship Enterprise will probably go to younger people.

However, if you want to sell equipment, large appliances, high end kitchenware (i.e. all stuff with much higher commissions), a more mature salesperson who has some clue what the product is has a much better chance. Would you buy a range worth a couple grand or a high efficiency washing machine for that matter from someone who doesn't appear to have any practical experiencing actually using these things?

Ranges, ovens and overheads have gone up. Replace a couple with a few or several! (Just been there).