Career Communiqué x-Press

A personal note from Annemarie...

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Friday 23, February 2007

Hi,

Welcome to another edition of Career Communiqué x-Press.

We have an exciting announcement to make regarding the establishment of our alliance partnership with Adage Pty Ltd, Australia's leading careers centre and job board for mature age professionals.

If you are a mature age worker looking at different career opportunities, or an organisation that [using Adage's words] 'values maturity, experience and wisdom', then I highly recommend you visit their site.

To celebrate our new alliance partnership, our Coach's Corner article and interviewing tips section is specifically for mature age job seekers.

Remember, we always welcome contact and feedback from our subscribers and visitors, so pop across to our Ask Annemarie site and submit your topic of interest, question or comment. We'd love to hear from you!

Mature Age Job Seekers: Strategies to avoid being labelled 'Overqualified'.

Are you a mature age job seeker currently in the job market and have put what seems to be blood, sweat and tears into your resume, however don't seem to be getting any interview call backs? Perhaps you are positioning yourself in a way that deems you as being overqualified in the eyes of the interviewer? Don't send your resume out before reading this edition's article in Coach's Corner, as it may very well be screened out of the running.

Until next time,

To your success!

Annemarie Cross
Career & Master NLP Coach

In this issue...

Coach's Corner: Mature Age Job Seekers: Strategies to avoid being labelled "Overqualified".

Ace that Interview: Tips for mature age job seekers.

Resources & Tools to Catapult Your Career

Coach's Corner

Mature Age Job Seekers: Strategies to avoid being labelled "Overqualified".

Just as limited knowledge and skills may obstruct a candidate’s job search, being overqualified can also be just as unfavorable - particularly if you have you recently stepped down from a senior position due to circumstances beyond your control, and are now forced to target lower level positions due to non-availability of higher level roles, or because you no longer want to assume as much responsibility.

While having diverse experience, exceptional education and impressive accomplishments at senior level should be an asset for prospective employers, the sad reality is that you can be perceived as being overqualified, thus sounding alarm bells for a recruiter/potential employer. This perception arises due to a number of reasons including that you will soon:

§	become uninterested with the position and leave;
§	have salary demands in excess of what is being offered;
§	jump ship as soon as a better offer/position presents itself;
§	set your sights on their management role.
So how can you script your resume in such a way that prevents you from being eliminated due to any of the reasons mentioned above? To begin with, avoid lying on your resume as you are destined to be caught out either during the interview process or when the interviewer commences the reference checking process. Establishing a relationship that is founded on mistruths is certain to eventually turn sour so below are various strategies on how to repackage and sell your skills (without resorting to lying) to prevent you from being screened out.
§	Focus on the skills that are pertinent to the role rather than showcasing your management level responsibilities. Formatting your resume in a combination style (also referred to as the hybrid resume) will permit you to position relevant skills at the forefront of the document without stating job titles or status within the organization. This format will also allow you to condense many years of experience without having to list dates and companies for which you worked, which is another initiative for veteran workers. To recap, a combination resume format combines the best elements from both the Functional and Reverse Chronological layouts, hence the aptly named title – Combination. This format contains a powerfully written qualifications/professional profile, and other relevant sections including selected and relevant skills and/or accomplishments, followed by an employment history that is detailed in reverse chronological order.
§	Ensure you de-emphasize senior management capabilities, and portray enthusiasm and competency in the tasks pertinent to the role in your qualifications/professional profile
§	Incorporate a section beneath your qualifications profile to emphasize achievements and contributions that show sought-after skills and experience important to the role.
§	Within your employment history section downplay a 30+ year career by listing only the last 10-15 years of employment.
§	In your job scope, highlight the skills and aptitudes that you used within your role, rather than portraying your senior level leadership.
§	Address the reason why you are seeking this new position, remembering to portray your enthusiasm for this new challenge, as well as your commitment to their organization. Reasons for seeking a less senior role could include: you want a more fulfilling and ‘hands-on’ role or you don’t want as much high pressure or responsibility any more.
§	Show how your background and experience can save their organization training time and costs and that you would assimilate far more quickly and produce results much faster than someone who is less skilled or experienced.

To review a number of strategies on how you can maximize your interview performance if you are a mature age job seeker, scroll down to the Ace that Interview section below. All the very best with your job search! Please feel free to drop me an email to let me know how you got on!

If you'd like any additional hints and tips on how not to screen yourself out of the running by positioning yourself as 'overqualified' please do not hesitate to email me. My direct email is: annemarie@annemariecross.com or visit our Resume Division www.aresumewriter.net.

To your success!

Annemarie

Ace that Interview!

If you are a mature age job seeker and want to minimize the interviewer's perception that you are 'overqualified', when attending the interview it is best that you address this issue directly rather than letting the interviewer bring it up.

Ensure you give good reasons why you are changing industry or seeking a less senior role. Re-state your eagerness and dedication to their organization and the fact that they will not be required to put a lot of time and cost into training you due to your impressive credentials and experience.

Want to learn more about how to optimize your interview performance and fast-track that job offer? You can!! Send me Ace that Interview today!

Resources & Tools to Catapult Your Career

ATTENTION JOB SEEKERS! Want to seize control of your job search and ensure you maximise your chances of snaring that interview by making yourself irresistible to a potential employer?
Did you know that:
in today’s fast paced and competitive job market your resume will only receive about 15-20 seconds to make an impression, and
thousands of job seekers are loosing out on job opportunities due to a dull and uninspiring resume? So what lasting impact is your resume making? Powerful Resumes!: EXPOSED - 6 crucial writing strategies to Secure that Interview! e-Course shows you how to create a powerful marketing tool that will allow you to outshine your competitors and catapult your application to the top of the pile. [Fast-track your application to the top of the pile today!]

Want to use this article in your ezine or website?

You can as long as you include this complete copy with it:

Career & Master NLP Coach and author Annemarie Cross provides specialised services for people striving for success and fulfilment in their careers. With an inquisitive, inspiring and influential approach, Annemarie has supported and empowered clients from diverse backgrounds across Australia and the globe in their journey to regain clarity, confidence, contentment and balance within their lives and careers. To learn more about her book, 10 Key Steps to Ace that Interview!, and sign up for more FREE tips and solutions like these, visit her site at http://www.annemariecross.com

Have a question you'd like answered in this ezine? Submit your question to: info@annemariecross.com

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