Overcome not having a degree

Dear Sam: I read your column often but I have never seen anyone's question that hit this topic… maybe I just missed it. I am 49 years of age and for the past 7 years I was a senior plant manager of a small food processing plant in the area. Recently, I had the pleasure of being replaced, and not because of my inability to do my job (but I won't go into that). My focus now is to find a new job and I haven’t had any success to this point. I think that there are 2 major issues confronting my quest: I am near 50 in age, and what I feel is the biggest drawback, is that I don't possess that coveted trophy called a "degree." Don't take this the wrong way, I am in no way criticizing those that do have degrees, but it frustrates me to no end that so many employers require it with positions that I know I may qualify for. For example: I did all of the hiring for inside operations at our plant. I hired in time, several employees with Associates, a few with Bachelors, and even one with a Masters degree. Let me tell you, just because one might have their degree doesn't always mean that they are the best ones for the job. There wasn't one of those people that I mentioned that had any of the demands that my job called for. I am certain that my replacement pulls his hair out just as I did. Certain positions many times call for specific types of personalities or talents or attitudes, which a degree just will not supply.

I guess I'm rambling getting to my question. When I read over the qualifications in a particular ad thinking to myself while reading, I have experience with all of that, I could qualify for this position, then I read the requirements for the job and the dreaded “degree” word takes the wind out of my sails. What advice can you offer here? Am I wasting my time and those expensive postage stamps sending a résumé anyway? I loved my job. I want to believe that there is someone out there who is in dire need of my unique background and personality. I think surely that there is a need for a strong leader with hands on talents, many years of experience, and I do have approx. 60 credit hours of college work completed. Any advice? - Jim

Dear Jim: Absolutely, there are a number of strategies you can employ to minimize the impact of not having a degree when one is required for a particular opportunity. Let’s touch on a few:

Never mention that you don’t hold a degree: The worst thing you can do is to explain on your résumé or cover letter that you do not hold a degree. There is a possibility that if you present a strong enough image of your past, a hiring manager could qualify you for an interview before even noticing you don’t hold a degree. I always tell my clients not to mention disqualifying factors, particularly in their cover letter, unless of course by not doing so you don’t stand a chance of being brought in for an interview. Only then is highlighting a disqualifying factor worth the risk.

Define unique skills/strengths gained through hands-on experience: You possess a unique background and skill set, and your challenge is to sell that to the hiring manager. Review your background and identify what makes you different from candidates that hold a degree but may have less experience. Use your qualifications summary to promote your value to the hiring manager, never mentioning that you don’t hold a degree. This is really of key importance, as if you are brought in for an interview and are competing against those that have degrees, you will have to sell yourself by articulating how you are more qualified for the job.

Highlight professional development and training: When you don’t have a degree it is imperative that you highlight all of your related training and education. Whether these are classes that you were sent to by your employer, training programs that you pursued personally, or even more informal seminars you attended, highlighting these showcases your continued development in the field, and goes a long way to minimizing the impact of not having a degree.

Highlight the college education you do have: When a degree is required I tell my clients that it is best to highlight the college education they do have versus omitting the education section entirely. The latter strategy is often best when a degree is not required or simply preferred, as by placing an education section on your résumé in this situation, and the incomplete degree, you only highlight the fact that you do not possess that qualification. In your case however, and in most cases where degrees are required, it is advantageous to communicate that you completed some college. Simply present this as such:

Columbus University, Columbus, Ohio

Completed 60 Hours Towards a Bachelor of Science Degree, 1985-1987

If you completed your college further back than the amount of years of experience you are including on your résumé, then consider omitting the dates to avoid unnecessarily aging your candidacy.

Enroll in a degree program: I’m not sure if it is a possibility or not, but if not having a degree is a barrier to entry back into the jobs you want, then enrolling in a degree program might be a good option. As soon as you are enrolled you can place the college name and anticipated degree and graduation date on your résumé. This would appear as such:

Columbus University, Columbus, Ohio

Bachelor of Science, anticipated 2007

You may be lucky enough to get in the door to a company that offers tuition reimbursement, and is willing to fund the remainder of the degree.

Lastly, in response to your question of whether to apply for these positions when you lack the degree required, I’d answer yes every time! Most of the time you will be able to apply via email which costs just a few minutes of your time. While I always recommend sending a hard copy of your résumé too, if you want to save the price of a stamp then at least you have applied and have the prospect of an interview. It is always better to have more possibilities rather than less, so I’d take any opportunity to apply for a role you feel qualified for, regardless of not having the required degree. After all, you’ll likely also be competing with candidates who lack other qualifications, so the playing field may be more even than your think. I hope these strategies help get your résumé and your job search on the right path. All the best!

Dear Sam: I have over 10 years experience working in IT as a programmer, and also recently graduated from college. My career goal is to obtain an IS Management position and was wondering how I could, or if I should, put my experience as Trustee Chairman at my local church on my résumé to highlight experience with budgeting and management? If so where on the résumé? – Anonymous

Dear Anonymous: Great question. There is often confusion over whether engagements more on a personal level should be included on a résumé. The rule I use to evaluate whether these types of positions make it on a résumé is to review whether they add “value” to your candidacy. For example, if you are a sales person and have extensive involvement in your local community, the same community to which you will be selling, then your personal engagements will reinforce your likeliness to succeed based on your extensive network. In your situation, as you are trying to break into management, then yes, this position will likely add validity to your general and financial management capabilities. To incorporate this into your résumé I would be sure to make a note of the skills you possess due to this engagement within the qualifications summary on page one. Then, add a section at the end of your résumé titled, “Professional Involvement” or something similar, and detail this position as you have those appearing within the professional experience section. Remember that if you give this section some weight, then the hiring manager is also more likely to do so; hence it is key that you showcase the value of this opportunity and the skills if has allowed you to develop. All the best!