Overqualified? What Should You Add and Subtract From Your Resume?

Posted by in Career Advice •


With the job market saturated with highly qualified candidates who have been laid off from jobs they've held for years, it's no secret that many are now interested in applying for jobs that may fall below their level of expertise. If you are a candidate who may be overqualified for a job you're considering, think about making adjustments to your resume to help you get the job. Subtract 'Too-Impressive' Job History and Education Believe it or not, it's perfectly acceptable to leave information off of your resume that might be considered too impressive. For instance, if you have worked as a marketing executive but now want to apply for a job as a human resources manager, you can leave the executive information off, especially since the new and old positions aren't in the same field. Same goes for education. If you have a doctorate, you don't have to add it to your resume. You can postpone any discussion about this qualification for your interview where you can take the time to explain why you're looking for a job that doesn't require as much of a challenge. Add Extra Details About History That Help You Qualify On the other hand, it's a great idea to elaborate on various aspects of your career that can help you better qualify for a position. Take time to think about what made you a great manager at a previous point in your career. What caused you to excel and advance to the level you reached prior to leaving your last job? As a manager, you're sure to have had great accomplishments to list on your resume. Be sure to go into detail about what made you great then, and what will make you exceptional in the position you're applying for now. The goal of writing your resume is to make sure you get called for an interview. Unfortunately, this can be difficult to do if you get tossed into the denial pile because an employer is worried that you'll become bored with your job and flee as soon as you can. By adjusting your resume accordingly to get the interview, you have given yourself the opportunity to sort out the remaining details face to face.

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  • Kimberly Wolfe
    Kimberly Wolfe •
    Omitting something from your resume isn't lying.  A resume isn't supposed to lay out everything under the sun about you.  It's supposed to show what skills & qualifications you have that are pertinent to the job you're applying for.  Why do you think resume experts always tell you to "personalize" each one? That is basically highlighting things you've done that apply to the position at had and removing things that might be pertinent to some other job, but is superfluous to the current one.  HR doesn't want to wade thru a bunch of stuff that isn't relevant, anyway.  A resume is just a snapshot of whatever info YOU choose to put forward to plead your case.  They neither need nor deserve any more information than you are willing to impart.  Stop acting like it's an employer's right to know anything about you they want.  It's not.  If, for example, you have 25 year's experience in something, you can still say 10+ and it will get across that you both know the skill, and are sufficiently experienced to deal with anything in that area.  But what it doesn't do is give them a chance (at this stage) to judge you negatively due to age or over-qualification.  All a resume is, is a communication that tells an employer why they wouldn't be wasting their time interviewing you, because you have the skills for the job.   Enough of the talk about lying. You are being way too sensitive and way too "open" when you don't need to be.
  • Anthony Egbuniwe
    Anthony Egbuniwe •
    This article is very helpful to me as I have not been getting any interviews despite having a bachelors degree in Business Admininstration and over 22 years of experience in banking.  I now see what I can do to my resume to attract some interview calls.  Thanks!
  • Jacques Debrow
    Jacques Debrow •
    Great Tips!
  • VIPEESH VISWANATHAN
    VIPEESH VISWANATHAN •
    thanks for your geat information
  • Alison Weber
    Alison Weber •
    I think Ms. Holbrook has given some bad advice. ?Her article is advocating being deceitful to get an interview. ?If I were the employer and found out someone essentially lied on their resume by omitting job and education information, that would be the end of the consideration of the candidate. ?The goal of a resume is not just to get you called for an interview. ?It's to provide a realistic picture of a person's job history, educational background and other skills.???ETHICS, honesty, integrity...also important character qualities for a good employee, even in this difficult job market. ?Leaving information OFF your resume strikes me as an unethical.
  • Robert Walsh
    Robert Walsh •
    But in terms of leaving off information on a resume or application, Isn't that perjury, now that these documents are federal documents in a post-911 era, meaning you can be fired and prosecuted if found to be lying on an applicaiton?
  • E. Glen Chenier
    E. Glen Chenier •
    So you advocate dumbing yourself down?
  • Preston Malone
    Preston Malone •
    This is some very powerful information. I had to learn this via trial and error. I have a doctorate, however, I just couldn't get an interview for some reason, I knew I could do the job, I knew I had more education than required, however I just couldn't get a call for interview, So cut may education off,cut work experience off. I began to get interviews and many doors will open for you as well.  I know you worked hard for your degree, and I say great job! Congratulation.But Just Do It! It will work.
  • Harvey Lean
    Harvey Lean •
    This sounds great on a resume, but what happens when it is time to fill out a employment application and the form ask you what is your highest level of education?
  • Renzi Wilson
    Renzi Wilson •
    These are very good suggestions, but I am concerned about the background check and/or credit checks conducted by the company who may be interested in hiring me. ?Will any of the information I omit from my resume surface during their investigation? ?
  • Carol Jordan
    Carol Jordan •
    I am running into the problem of being "overqualified" for many jobs I've applied for. However, since I am an unemployed college instructor, it doesn't make sense to leave out my education. One cannot teach college without a masters degree. Moreover, if I leave out my college teaching experience, people will wonder what I've been doing for the past 13 years.
  • Laurie Salka
    Laurie Salka •
    If you leave a position(s) off your resume, you will have gaps in time. ?In today's market, gaps may not be held against you, but years ago, gaps were red flags. Aren't gaps worse than appearing over-qualified?
  • cherlyema butarbutar
    cherlyema butarbutar •
    This is a good guide. It's help me to have the opportunity to sort out the remaining details and how to make a resume that might be considered.
  • Sharon Johnson
    Sharon Johnson •
    I've been out of work for about 3 year now and wondered whether or not I should leave off my Ph.D., that maybe by adding it to my resume I could be flagged as over qualified. Thanks for the tip. I will adjust my resume depending on the position that I am applying for. ?Dr. Johnson
  • Billy
    Billy •
    If you leave off a significant portion of your resume, you're virtually guaranteed to be asked to explain the gap in your employment history. Having a prolonged period of unemployment is a much bigger red flag than being overqualified for a particular position.
  • David Lovering
    David Lovering •
    While I agree with the sense of the argument made here, as a point of fact, ANY interviewer has a methodology which evaluates (a) your skill set, (b) how contemporary that skill set is, and (c) whether you come to the table with any liabilities. ?I don't know of a single interviewer on planet Earth who could objectively overlook issues of age, family problems, medical difficulties or "out-of-culture" considerations, law or no law. ?Knowing what hot-buttons concern them, it is human nature to drill down on those topics irrespective of whether they've been omitted from your resume or not.
  • Glenroy Carty
    Glenroy Carty •
    While I see the merits of this approach; unfortunately I fall in this category, or so I hear.Isn't omission the same as lying?Employers in some cases, want someone to grow with their company; hence a junior. Others are just plain cheap.In the former case, what will be the likely reaction when they now learn you were a designated Senior Manager, FP&A, when all they wanted is graduate with 2 years experience?
  • Claggett Upton
    Claggett Upton •
    All employees contribute to the company success by making the company money, or, like me, a Mortgage Bankruptcy Specialist, helping the company keep the money thay have already made. To get past pre-concieved perceptions of experience versus cost, I am now offering, in my resume, to allow the potential employer to "Test Drive" my knowledge and abilities for 90 days, before discussing a permanent position. With savings and a working spouse, I can run COBRA medical out to the max, in hopes of proving worthy to be hired before then.

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