High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 10 Unmistakable Signs You've Stayed at Your Job Too Long

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 10 Unmistakable Signs You've Stayed at Your Job Too Long: "People in your workplace have put you into a box because they think they know everything about you."

• 3 Ways to Build Trust With Your Body Language: "Make good “web-to-web contact” and hold the other person’s hand firmly but not bone crushingly. Don’t stuff your other hand in a pocket."

• 8 Ways to Build a Life You Love: "We must crave what is new and unexplored, and fearlessly pursue those areas. We must be willing to risk."

• Need a Job? Apple and Disney Are Looking for People Who Want to Work From Home: "It will be interesting to see how the work-from-home trend continues in the coming years. But it appears both Apple and Disney have had a major realization."
• What Hiring Managers Really Mean When They Say "You're Overqualified": "Show a little of your true self, make a genuine connection with a reader, and fixing you with labels like 'overqualified' will become much harder to do."

The Fear Behind Common Job Search Discrimination

Whether we like to admit or not, discrimination is a factor that we will all face at some point in our lives. Discrimination is born from ignorance or fear. When you face discrimination in your job search, you must make it your mission to educate your discriminator (your potential employer) and help them overcome their fears. Let's look at three of the most common causes of discrimination and examine how we can overcome them.

Age Discrimination
Age discrimination is based on the fear that the potential employee is lacking in several key areas. The employer may feel that you lack the energy to do the job. They may fear that you are not flexible and open to changes in the industry or technology. They also may fear that they can't afford you.

Most of these fears can be dealt with in an interview. Therefore, the first step to overcoming these fears is to ensure that an employer has no idea of your age from your resume. Don't go back farther than 10 years - 15 years maximum - on your resume. Don't list dates of education, especially if those dates are before the last 10 years. Second, make sure you keep updated on changing industry standards and trends a well as emerging technology. Last, be sure to express energy, enthusiasm, and vitality in the interview.


Overqualified
In a job market where many people are "underemployed" this is a common problem. The overqualified stigma is based on the fear that you will just leave when something better comes along and the fear that they can not afford your salary.

To overcome this fear, be sure to clarify that you are looking to work for their specific company, cite some reasons why you chose their company based on your research, and finally express your interest in tenure and your focus toward long-term employment. In terms of salary, make every effort not to discuss how much you want to make until they make you a job offer.


Sexual Discrimination
Believe it or not, discrimination based on whether you are male or female is still prevalent in the job market. Often employers will discriminate against a woman because she has family and children at home that will take her focus away from work. Often this form of discrimination is based on ignorance of your capabilities.

No matter whether you are male or female, I recommend leaving your personal life (marital status, kids/no kids, ages of kids) out of the interview. Instead focus on what value you can bring to the company. Showing hands-on experience performing the tasks for which you are applying should help to overcome much of these fears.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

1. Career Change--Tips for Successful Transition

"Leverage your strongest skills that transfer across any business or industry."

2. How to Land a Job when You are Overqualified

" ... when you continue to send out applications and resumes with no response to positions for which you are overqualified but under-experienced, how do you work around that issue to land employment?"

3. Interview Beyond Your Reach to Achieve Your Best

"You know in your heart that special job you want for your own to advance your career, but it is seemingly out of your league.  Stop. Think again."

4. Ways to Stay Organized on the Job Hunt

"The more organized you are, the easier you'll find the job search and managing the appropriate next steps."

5. How to Quit Your job with Grace

"Recently I made a job change that required me to reevaluate my career goals, step out of my comfort zone, and resign from my first professional position."

How to Overcome the “Overqualified” Stigma in the Job Search

As the job market gets more competitive and finding a job gets tougher, more workers find themselves in a position of needing to accept a job that is well below their level of pay or experience. These candidates may find themselves in a phone screening or an interview only to be told they are overqualified. This term is usually another way for the employer to express one of the following fears:

• The candidate is going to cost too much in salary

• The candidate is just looking for a temporary position until something better comes along

• The candidate will be bored at work and have a poor attitude

• The hiring manager is intimidated by the candidate and fears the candidate will threaten their own job security

If you find yourself forced to apply for positions that are below your pay or experience levels, how do you combat and overcome these obstacles? Here are some strategies you can use to ensure a successful job search – even when you are overqualified.

• Tailoring your resume and cover letter to the job for which you are applying becomes more important than ever in this situation. Remove the information from the resume that is irrelevant to the position or company for which you are applying.

• Try to avoid the temptation to “dumb down” your experience on the resume. Instead of omitting experience – which may feel like you are being untruthful – instead face the problem head-on.

• Use the cover letter to address your situation. Express your enthusiasm for working for their particular company and your willingness to start at a lower level in order to accept the opportunity to work for their company. Talk about your interest in a job and company that offers long-term growth potential.

• In the interview, be as direct as possible. Before salary is even discussed, you can mention that your current salary expectations and needs are very different that they were in previous positions.

• Focus on the positive aspects of your experience. The knowledge, skills, and abilities you bring to the team can help make everyone around you better and more productive. However, be very diplomatic about how you present this type of an idea so you don’t look like someone who will step on the boss’ toes.

Ease the “Overqualified” Concern

As a job seeker, you would think abundant experience and knowledge would be viewed positively by potential employers. Instead, some job seekers are finding their knowledge and experience has employers viewing them as overqualified.

Employers are concerned that, once the market turns around, overqualified candidates will jump ship for a higher salary and more prestigious title. Some doubt an overqualified job candidate can be a team player able to work with those in less senior positions, and others are concerned that overqualified candidates will not find their positions challenging. An overqualified job candidate can also pose a threat to a hiring manager who is not secure in his/her role and is intimidated by a more knowledgeable candidate.

Understanding these concerns and using the tips below can help a job candidate tackle the “overqualified” objection:

• Point out longevity: For those who have a track record of working for recent employers for five or more years or a single employer for 10 plus years, it's wise to point this out as a sign of your loyalty to employers.
• Sell your value: Prospective employers might think you’ll require a higher salary than they’re comfortable paying. Therefore, it's extremely important to sell your value—with tangible examples where possible. For example, a candidate who mentions being responsible for saving $15k on a past project by negotiating lower vendor fees is providing a positive incentive for measuring his/her value.
• Talk up team contributions: Share examples of how you’ve worked successfully on cross-functional teams, including individuals from management through administrative roles.
• Share how you help your superiors shine: Articulate your interest in understanding and supporting your manager’s goals with an eye toward helping him/her shine in front of superiors.
• Be specific about your interest in the company: Provide a few specific reasons about why the company interests you, such as its progressive history, nimble product launch ability, outstanding quality record, etc.
• Align your resume to the position: Highlight the parts of your resume that resonate with the job requirements and consider leaving off those things that magnify you being overqualified, like a master’s degree.