I’ve been with my current company for four years.

Anonymous

November 16,2023 at 1:21PM UTC

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I’ve been with my current company for four years. The first two years were wonderful. It was a small company and they were innovative and empowering with an amazing company culture. I had a seat at the table and a say in decision making. After integrating into the new company, it has been anything but that. I went from being the only person with my job title to now being one of four. The new company culture was initially extremely toxic, but we have gradually worked to change that. Although it’s still not ideal, it’s much better than it was.

Due to the economy, there have been multiple layoffs this year with another large layoff in the works. It’s been extremely stressful, not knowing if I’m on the next layoff list. I have lost sleep and even dreamed one night that I was laid off. I updated my résumé and have applied for numerous jobs over the past several months but have yet to get a single interview. I did not complete my college degree and have only been in my current industry for four years, although I have over 13 years of professional experience in leadership roles. At this stage in my life and career, going back to school is not something I’m interested in doing. How do I get past the lack of degree or having many years of experience in a single industry? The different roles I have had and the different industries I have worked in have given me a broad range of experience. I have a lot of transferable skills, but how do I get recruiters and hiring managers to see this? So many of the positions I have applied for have been ones that I am 100% qualified for yet I get an email saying unfortunately we are looking for someone who skills and experience more closely align with the role. What should I do?

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AnonymousNovember 16,2023 at 2:10PM UTC
I hate to say this, but without that degree listed on your resume, sadly you won't get past the screening phase. Why a crusty piece of paper is more important than real world experience is beyond me, but it is. I had applied to jobs that could have been written from my resume, with the exception of the degree. So, I went back to school full time doing on-line learning, while still working full time. I really encourage you to look into completing your degree. Opportunities are far and few between for folks without one. Good luck!
AnonymousNovember 16,2023 at 6:38PM UTC
Use CHATGPT to help you customize your resume for each application. Scour the professional organization sites (maybe join a few as a member to up your profile) and job descriptions to help you update your terminology and skil description. This will keep your resume current with the new trends.
Finally network with your peers in the industry. Get to know your professional counterparts. Try and attend industry conferences and workshops to network and keep your knowledge up to date.
The possibility of being laid-off is very real so you need to get busy getting out in front of your competitors for opportunities. Make this your 2nd job. Sending out resumes in response to postings is maybe 30% of the job. Being well informed, networking and prepared with a great resume, presentation and sound bites will get you 50% more. Tge remaining 20 is timing and luck.
Angie Lawson BlumeNovember 17,2023 at 3:24PM UTC
One of the other things to keep in mind on job postings is compare the job functions to the requirements, especially for jobs that are not considered to be entry level. With the way the job market has been working over the last couple of years (esp. this past 12 months), companies are wanting to do more with less from day 1. Unfortunately, a lot of companies either don't have the resource (including time) nor the inclination to do a significant level of industry-specific functional training, so even if you have great general transferrable skills, depending on the company they may see you as a long-lead time to get you up to speed. Definitely recommend including specific examples of what you consider to be your best transferrable skills and relating them to specific job functions/requirements on the posting. The more you can proactively head off the training "investment" and immediate contribution concerns, the more likely you will get farther in the candidate process with the company. Also, if it's a job you are really excited about, try to find someone in the industry who might give you a few pointers on verbiage to use, or how to frame your accomplishments, or possibly some insight on what organizations/management may generally focus when hiring talent.
Julie ENovember 17,2023 at 3:39PM UTC
A lot of companies use software that screens resumes for keywords. I
Sadly, you may be getting rejected by the software because of your lack of a degree. I would reconsider not finishing it. You can do online classes. I have two degrees and I’m still considering getting a certification or two to further my career.
Cindy GloverNovember 17,2023 at 10:50PM UTC
teal? tried to find it but couldn’t
AnonymousNovember 18,2023 at 5:32PM UTC
Stop applying and expecting people to notice you, work your network, join some groups on linkedin and speak out about what you know just like recruiters post and pray that someone qualified applies applicants also expect to rise from the pile. These days it takes a lot more, a well written cover note, reaching out to those in your network that know folks that can introduce you or writing directly to leadership in a company that you admire. Get noticed by doing something different. Degree? who cares! I read resumes all the time and that matters little when you can truly show me your accomplishments and how you save the company money, or optimized a process, or mentored people, or gained clients for the firm. Show that and focus on the great things you have done in your long career that transfer over.