By Chanelle Schneider
“How do you portray yourself as qualified for a job for which you have no proven track record? The under qualified or just plain unqualified label most often plagues new graduates with limited experience, as well as career-changers whose experience is outside the area they now wish to pursue.” — Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.
It also plagues candidates who did not graduate from college. These non-graduates started but did not finish college for various reasons including medical or financial troubles. Often left out of the equation, non-graduates are just as essential to the ecosystem of the employed. It is often said that someone has to clean the floors, meaning some are born to be at the bottom of the ladder. For a career waitress who lives to be in this profession, CEO is not the right fit. However, someone who readily discusses methods of revamping current strategy to increase the profit margin is likely passionate about a career that belies their current minimum wage placement.
How Job Seekers Can Move Into a New Industry
If you are ready to dive into a different career but have no degree, it can be difficult to transition. You must be willing to start at the bottom in your desired industry. The key is to find jobs within your desired industry, not just jobs that pay. You already know you will have to work hard. A hiring manager will take the qualified person over the under qualified person every time unless you can do the following:
- Build rapport with someone in the company.
- Show your current level of knowledge and your desire to learn.
- Become a resource.
Build Rapport
This is where social media becomes highly relevant to your job search if it was not before. You can build rapport with someone by scouting the companies with which you would like to work. Follow companies on LinkedIn. Get to know the people behind the company on Twitter. Please avoid being fake or overly aggressive about this. These are professionals.
Show Knowledge and Willingness to Learn
Start a blog on WordPress.com if you have not already. If you have been on WordPress.com for a while and can afford it, register your own domain on WordPress.org. Make sure your blog highlights your current expertise in your desired industry while showing some personality, as well. You can show your willingness to learn in the way you respond to comments or through blog posts that ask questions of your readers.
Become a Resource
Solve as many problems as you can. Learn to anticipate questions someone might have and be the first person on the scene with a resolution. In The Devil Wears Prada, the film turns a corner when Andrea earns the right to be called by her actual name after having already done everything that Miranda, her boss, was asking her to do.
Do you have a story or insights of your own to share on how you went from being underqualified to qualified? Share them in the comments.
The author, Chanelle Schneider, runs There From Here, where she writes on career and life advice for Generation Y with a specific focus on those older GenY’ers who have yet to graduate from college. Known as @WriterChanelle on Twitter, she also writes for the Examiner.com as the DC Social Media Examiner, is the founder of the generational chat #GenYChat and manages the @GenYChat account.
