7 essential tips for choosing a WordPress theme and template

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Choosing a WordPress theme when you are building a WordPress hosting website can be tricky. Not because of a scarcity of themes but because finding a theme or a template that fits your business is challenging. So, what is it that goes into selecting a great WordPress theme? What parameters should one take into account?

This article is an extensive guideline that will answer such queries. So, without further delay let’s take a look at some key pointers that should go into your research while choosing a WordPress theme or template.

  1. Aesthetically sound

Users decide whether they want to do business with you or not in the first thirty seconds of scrolling through your webpage. A good looking website is like giving your customers a peek into what your product or service can offer them. Which is why ensuring that your website has a clean layout, great colour combination and splendid typography is extremely important. When all these elements come together on a canvas that your website is, no person has the audacity to take their eyes off it. While narrowing down on the theme you choose, make sure that the entire website maintains consistency of its theme with blogs, posts etc.

choosing-a-wordpress-theme-customization

  1. Relevant to the business / industry

We might have started off with the ‘looks should be better than the engine’ argument but hold your horses. We feel that aligning your theme with your category of business is a must. There is no compromise here because if a user can’t make out what business you are into, how will he or she be intrigued enough to go through the rest of your website? Make sure you sync your theme to your industry.

  1. Compatible with the browser

You don’t know what your users prefer when it comes to browsing through websites. Some prefer Chrome, some prefer Internet Explorer, or Firefox or even Safari for that matter. Make sure before you launch your WordPress website, you have made your website compatible with every browser under the sun.

  1. Ensures protection to the website

In order to select a good WordPress theme, ensure that the theme supports security. A sound way to develop a safety mindset would be to avoid trusting user input or any third party APIs. Or even any kind of data inside your database without verifying it. Instead, make sure that you trust the functions provided by WordPress. One more way ensuring you choose a safe theme or template is by going through reviews to gauge how safe that theme is.

  1. Allows plugin integration

Getting a WordPress theme for the website is one part. But extending its functionality is an equally important aspect. Some concerns of a website like seo, social media, page load time etc. are universal in nature. In order to reduce a good amount of workload, WordPress allows for installing plugins and extensions. While choosing your WordPress theme, make sure what plugins are allowed for those themes keeping your requirements in mind. Some freemium extensions include Yoast for SEO, Schema for rich snippets, W3 total cache to enable caching in WordPress and Jetpack for overall performance of your WordPress website.

  1. Multilingual Ability

If you as a business are catering to markets worldwide, especially to non-english speaking countries, make sure your wordpress theme supports other languages as well. If you as a business are willing to enter into a market and adapt yourselves to the environment and the culture of that country, so should your website by being able to switch languages.

  1. Responsiveness across platforms

Responsiveness across mobile, tablets and desktop is the order of the day. Make sure your WordPress website supports all platforms and maintains a great user experience throughout all the platforms.

Apart from these pointers, also put other parameters such as support tools, page builders, simplicity of website (which you should consider while keeping the aesthetics in mind) in your list.These parameters will leave no stone unturned while you are choosing a WordPress theme for your website. In case you feel that there is a particular theme that does not go well with your business needs, trust your judgement. In the end your website powered by WordPress hosting should do justice to the business. Someone who can help you host your website on WordPress and also provide outstanding themes is ResellerClub, a trusted name in the domain and hosting industry. We strongly suggest you to take their offering into account.

 

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Hostinger VPS review

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Hostinger is known all over the world to have a strong office which is localized, and one can start his or her website with free hosting. Hostinger has all such things in it which can make risk free option for the beginners and also can be an advanced option for the experts. One can start the online experience on Hostinger so that the experience is the best one. The services of Hostinger range from the advanced VPS cloud hosting plans to the fresh beginners who want to get started with their online experience in the safest form.

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Few things about Hostinger

This company set in first as a personal company back in the year 2004. Later on, the company decided to change the name and launched 000webhost.com which grew very popular web hosting service which offered the services for free. The first milestone that came their way was when they were able to get 1 million users in just six years from the very day they set in their feet in this field.

These days the company has managed to get around 29 million users all over the world. Moreover, the company has been successful in establishing localized offices around 39 countries all over the world with 150 employees in each office. This company offers a set of web hosting service to name few; they would be shared hosting plans, website builder, VPS hosting plans, etc.

Pros:

The service of Hostinger is accepted by people all over the world due to the pros it has. Some of them are enlisted as follows:

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The price structure formulated for the premium features it provides is something that makes Hostinger the best option to set and experience the online presence. It does provide with a large variety of services at a very affordable cost. Some of the features of the Hostinger services are: They provide the SSD disk space which gives better performance for the website, Optimized WordPress speed that boosts the website to four times that of the normal speed. It also provides with the doubled crucial resources which simply doubles the processing power as well as the memory. There are many more to the features of the service of the Hostinger.

The site has ensured the security as it is protected by Bitninja. Thus, this lessens the risk for the beginners as well as makes it a better choice for the people to rely on.  The key concern is the security of the website and the BitNinja’s DDOS protection helps to avoid any cyber threat or cybercrime to the fullest. How far the security of the websites are concerned this is the best VPS hosting service.

  • Hostinger Service Uptime record:

In accordance to some reports which came in the year 2018 in the later June, they tracked Hostinger for a month and they found that the server was never down for a moment. When there was a maintenance which was pre-scheduled, there was no problem in the server and its speed. Thus it is the best VPS hosting service that one can available at an affordable price
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If it is the matter of performance then their service can be put to no doubts as they manage to lead in the speed as the response time is impressive. And this way it is the best VPS hosting service provider.

  • Friendly for the beginners:

This can be a great option for the small business set up as well as the startup businesses. Moreover, the services provided by the Hostinger is especially helpful for people with no technical knowledge or less technical knowledge. It is the best VPS hosting service provider. It helps them to create a better website. The Hostinger also offers people with a large library which consists of well-designed templates which can help for the search engine optimization. You are exposed to large varieties of templates where you can make the choice of the one that goes well with the outlook of your website.

  • Opportunities to grow the website:

Hostinger service offers people with different hosting plans. There are services to handle a website at a time while on the other hand there are premium services provided by the Hostingers which offers more additional features which largely focus on the eCommerce. If you have a bigger website than you must seek the Hostingers assistance as they are the best VPS hosting service which can provide you with amazing speed and resources as well.

  • Business-friendly services:

Hostinger is renowned to provide best hosting service which is also appropriate in the business aspect as well. They essentially include some features which make them the appropriate choice for the business owners. Some of the features of the offers for the business are:

  1. A daily backup for the website.
  2. A domain nameHostinger VPS review.

Hostinger is known all over the world to have a strong office which is localized and one can start his or her website with a free hosting. Hostinger has all such things in it which can make risk free option for the beginners and also can be an advanced option for the experts. One can start the online experience on Hostinger so that the experience is the best one. The services of Hostinger range from the advanced VPS cloud hosting plans to the fresh beginners who want to get started with their online experience in the safest form.

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Hostinger offers an affordable package for the registration of Domain.

The Hostinger hosting services come with a whole lot of things which is quite easier for the beginners of the field. Some beginners are technically not sound, and the services provided by the Hostinger is just like an all-time support system so that they can end up managing their website efficiently.

The Hostinger hosting services come with a whole lot of things which is quite easier for the beginners of the field. Some beginners are technically not sound, and the services provided by the Hostinger is just like an all-time support system so that they can end up managing their website efficiently. They can also have access to the essential system function as the entire layout of the Control Panel Dashboard is easy for the beginner as especially the people who are technically not so sound. Moreover, the payment option in Hostinger is easier which allow people to have access to the service provided by the Hostinger.

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What to Do After Being Laid Off – 7 Steps for 7 Days

how to find a job after being laid off - things to do

Whether you see it coming from a mile away, or it comes as a complete shock, losing your job in a layoff can rock your world.

To help you find a job after being laid off, we created a step-by-step list of 7 things to do the first week after being laid off.

Follow the simple steps and you’ll be organized, calmer, and on the path towards finding a new job, even if you still feel like you don’t know which end is up. Let’s get started.

7 Things to Do After Being Laid Off:

Day 1: Take a break

Layoffs, as we’ve mentioned, are often unexpected and can leave you feeling vulnerable. Immediately after it happens, do something kind for yourself.

Call a friend and grab a drink or two (or three). Get a massage. Take a hike in a beautiful place. Make an appointment with your therapist.

This is one of the most important things to do after being laid off, because it’ll help you relax, come to terms with what happened, and prepare mentally for the next steps…

Losing your job can feel like rejection, and it’s important to process the emotions associated with that loss. Let yourself feel all your feelings; they are valid and taking at least a day to process them will give you the strength to take the next steps.

Day 2: Get the paperwork out of the way

Unfortunately, there is a lot of paperwork associated with a layoff.

First things first: get your unemployment paperwork and your health insurance paperwork filled out and squared away. You’ll feel better immediately without these administrative tasks hanging over your head.

The health insurance piece will look different depending on your situation. Depending on your severance package, some employers might extend your health coverage for a period, while others will offer you COBRA. Some people might choose to explore other options.

However you decide to handle it, sorting out health coverage right away is important. After all, you never know when you are going to need it.

Your employer should provide you with information about how to apply for unemployment in your state if you qualify.

Even if you’ve received a severance package, it’s a good idea to get this piece of the puzzle figured out right away since it can often take several weeks for unemployment checks to begin rolling in.

Day 3: Rework your resume

Whether you hope to jump back into the same role as before, or if you plan to make a career change, every job search requires a resume refresh.

After a layoff, spend a day creating an updated resume that reflects the skills and experience you gleaned in your most recent role. If you don’t know where to start, consider putting a resume builder to use.

Wherever possible, include data and numbers to show off your accomplishments. This step is never more important that after a layoff, when you are eager to prove your value to a new employer.

There are many ways to quantify your achievements on a resume, regardless of your field or job title. Do some research to uncover the best way to articulate achievements in your field.

Day 4: Write a cover letter

While many job seekers erroneously believe that employers don’t read cover letters, they are a powerful tool in any job seeker’s tool box.

When faced with candidates who possess similar qualifications, recruiters and hiring managers often turn to cover letters to help them decide which candidate to interview.

For that reason, a well-written cover letter can be the tiebreaker between two similarly qualified candidates.

Take the time on Day 4 to write a fresh cover letter that highlights and expands upon the skills and experience in your resume.

A cover letter shouldn’t rehash your resume; it should illuminate those resume qualifications and paint a picture of who you are as a person and as a candidate.

For those who have recently been laid off, a cover letter is also a chance to offer an explanation of why you are no longer in your most recent role.

No long account of the layoff is required. Rather, just a line or two will suffice.

Here is an example of what you might write:

“Although I was a top sales person for my company, my position was eliminated during a restructuring after the company was acquired. I am now looking forward to applying my sales skills in another role.”

Day 5: Start spreading the news

This is one of the most important things to do after getting laid off.

Even though you may feel a sense of embarrassment about losing your job, the truth is that layoffs are a fact of life. These things happen and it doesn’t necessarily reflect what kind of employee you were.

Once you’ve had a few days to process and take care of the administrative tasks, start reaching out to your contacts and networking to let them know you are looking for work.

Spreading the word in your professional circles is a great way to start the ball rolling on a job search. Some studies indicate that up to 85 percent of all jobs are filled through networking.

Day 6: Account for your availability

Regardless of the reason for your layoff, during the networking and interview process, you are going to have to explain to contacts, colleagues, and recruiters why you are back on the job market.

Take the time to decide how you plan to articulate your layoff. Write a short, simple explanation of why you lost your job (“Thanks to budget cuts, ten percent of the company lost their jobs. Unfortunately, I was one of them.”) and what you hope to do next.

Keep it brief and positive. Never share negative details about your former employer.

Do your best to be upbeat about the possibilities this turn of events has opened in your professional life. For example, you might say something like:

“I had such a great learning experience in my last role but now I have the opportunity to apply my skills to another area of the business and expand my skill set.”

Day 7: Use your freedom wisely

It’s often hard to relax and enjoy yourself during a layoff. Money might be tight, or the stress of the job search could be weighing on you.

However, it’s wise to do your best to enjoy this time away from the daily grind. If you have the money to travel, do it now.

Take advantage of this break to get back in shape. Or, use your free time to take an online course to learn a new skill!

Remember, staying positive and productive during a layoff is critical to performing well in job interviews. You will get a new job; in fact, most job seekers find a new role within six weeks of launching a job search.

Follow these tips for how to find a job after being laid off, and you’ll have the best chance of getting hired quickly while staying sane in the process.

About this guest author:

Since 2005, LiveCareer has been developing tools that have helped over 10 million users build stronger resumes, write persuasive cover letters, and develop better interview skills. Land the job you want faster using our free resume examples and resume templates, writing guides, and easy-to-use resume builder.

 

What to Put on a Resume – Best Structure and Order

what to put on a resume

One of the most common questions I get: “what do I need to put on my resume? And what order should I put it?”

There’s a lot of conflicting info out there about what goes on a resume and how to structure it.

So I’m going to share exactly what to put on a resume, based on my experience as a recruiter.

Let’s get started…

What to Put on a Resume:

These are the key pieces you should put on your resume:

  • Name and Contact Info
  • Career Summary Paragraph
  • Employment History
  • Skills
  • Education
  • Community Involvement (Optional)
  • Awards/Achievements You’ve Received (Optional – Can be combined with other sections)

Now that you know what goes on a resume in general, let’s look at these sections step-by-step so you’ll know how to write each one…

1. Name and Contact Info

At the top of your resume, put your full name and a professional-looking email address.

Your phone number and street address are optional, but for most people, I’d recommend putting it.

If you’re applying for jobs out-of-state, it might make sense to leave your address off.

Now, for formatting and design…

I’d keep it simple and “clean”-looking. No distractions. Not too many fonts and colors. In fact, this is good advice for how to format your whole resume.

Here’s a screenshot of what a simple resume header with your name and contact info might look like:

resume header - the first thing you should put on resume

You can add a bit more in terms of design, but don’t go overboard.

2. Summary Paragraph

This is the next section of your resume, and should go right after your name and contact info in most cases.

This is a two or three sentence summary of your qualifications and accomplishments throughout your career (or throughout your education if you just graduated).

Note: this is not an “objective”. I’d advise against putting an objective on your resume. Hiring managers know your objective is to land a job in their industry that will utilize your skills, etc.

So put a summary paragraph instead.

If you need help writing this paragraph, here’s an article filled with great resume summary examples.

3. Employment History

If you have held any previous jobs (including internships!), this is where to put it. And it’s one of the first things a hiring manager wants to see on your resume…

So it should be on the top half of the first page – visible without scrolling down.

Overall, you should put it in chronological order (most recent first), and list job titles, company names, dates (you can choose to put just years, or month and year you started and ended each job – just stay consistent).

And then of course, put bullets highlighting what you did in each job. I’d suggest 4-8 bullet points per job.

In these bullet points, don’t just talk about job duties; talk about what you actually accomplished. There’s a big difference.

Here’s an example…

Rather than saying, “responsible for managing 5 sales associates”… try to say something like, “successfully led 5 sales associates to achieve 139% of team sales goals for Fiscal Year 2017.”

sample resume work history

The image above is an example of a resume Employment History section with accomplishment-driven bullets.

If you want more help, here’s an article with more resume employment history examples.

4. Skills

This is the next big section to put on your resume.

You might be tempted to put it before your Employment History… and people might have even told you to do this. But the only time I think it makes sense to list Skills first is if you have absolutely no work experience.

Here’s why… Hiring managers don’t want to see a long list of skills without being able to see WHERE you learned/used each skill (and how recently you used them).

This is why they’re much more likely to scan your resume for your Employment History section. And that’s why we put it higher up!

Skills should come after that.

In your Skills section, you can put a list of your top skills that are relevant to the job you’re applying for, and you can even put them under a few headers/categories if you think it makes sense for your job and industry.

There’s no “magic” number of skills to put. Some people might only need 3-10; others might put 20. It really depends on how long you’ve been working and what field of work you’re in.

Make sure you think about what’s relevant for the job though; don’t just list a bunch of skills that won’t help you in their job.

And think about keywords too – this is a great place to put keywords on your resume so you can get past online job application systems.

5. Education

Put the name of your school(s), your field of study, and graduation date – unless you feel your graduation date will leave you open to age discrimination on your resume. If you graduated a long time ago, feel free to leave the dates off.

You can also put your GPA in this section. I’d only recommend doing that if it was above 3.0/4. Otherwise, leave it off.

You might be asked about your GPA in the first few years of your career, but you’re very unlikely to be asked about it again after that, so don’t worry if your GPA is below 3.0/4. Just exclude it from your resume.

6. Community Involvement (Optional)

If you’ve done any volunteer work or helped in your community in other ways, this is where to put it.

You can list the location, dates, and your contribution/work.

If you haven’t done any volunteering or community-related work, don’t worry – just don’t put this section on your resume.

7. Awards/Achievements (Optional – Can be combined with other sections)

Any time you’ve received awards or other recognition for your accomplishments, you should put it on your resume.

However, you don’t always need a separate section for it. That’s up to you…

If you got an academic award, you can list it under your Education section (beneath your degree, GPA, etc.)

If you received an award or recognition for outstanding performance at a previous job, you can list it as a bullet point or a note underneath that specific job in your Employment History section.

So while awards and achievements are a great way to boost your resume overall, they don’t always need their own section.

What Should Go on Your Resume if You Have No Work Experience?

Now, if you just graduated and have absolutely no work experience, here’s what I recommend…

(Note that if you even have an internship, or a part-time job that you’ve worked while going to school, you should use the steps above! Any work experience at all is worth showing on your resume).

However, if you have absolutely ZERO work experience, here’s what to put on your resume…

We’re going to follow the sections outlined above, but move #5 (Education) up to #3… so it will be right below your Summary section.

So it will look like this…

1. Name and Contact Info

As mentioned earlier, you should put your full name and professional-looking email address.

Your street address and phone number are optional, but for most people, it makes sense to include those too.

The big exception: If you’re trying to get a job in another state. If so, consider leaving the address off.

2. Summary Section

Even if you have no work experience, you can say something like, “Recent Finance graduate with training in ____ and ____ seeking an opportunity to do ____.”

3. Education

If you have no work experience, put more information in your Education section.

Were you involved in any clubs/activities at school?

What were some key projects you completed or coursework you did? (Specifically, key projects that related to the jobs you’re applying for now).

Your resume should take up one full page, even if you have no work experience, and your Education section is a place where you want to provide additional detail to fill out the page.

4. Skills

You can list skills that you learned in your studies, or skills you’ve developed on your own.

Only put skills you’re really comfortable talking about and using, because it’s very likely they’ll ask about this in an interview.

If done right, the Skills section can be a powerful tool to help you get more interviews though, for two reasons:

First, it’s a great way to put a lot of relevant keywords onto your resume, so that you get past computerized job application systems.

Second, it’s an easy way to show employers what you know that’s going to help you succeed in their job. Always re-order and re-adjust your Skills section to fit what you think this specific employer wants!

More info on how to do that is coming up, but let’s finish the list first…

5. Community Involvement (Optional)

Any volunteer work or community service you’ve done. This shows employers that you’re enthusiastic and involved in the community, which can help set you apart (while also filling up your resume).

6. Awards/Achievements (Optional – Can be combined with other sections)

If you have no work experience, these would likely be academic achievements. Go ahead and list them underneath your Education section.

So don’t put this as a separate section, but do include awards, achievements and any recognition you received when you write your Education section in Step 3 above.

What NOT to Put on Your Resume:

Now that you know what to put on your resume, let’s at a few things you should leave off if you want to get interviews.

Irrelevant jobs

If you have a long work history, considering removing some jobs that aren’t relevant, or were at the very beginning of your career (especially if you’ve been working 15-20 years or more).

Note that you shouldn’t remove an irrelevant job if it’s going to leave your employment history empty. For example if you’ve only held one job but it’s not relevant to what you want to do next, you should still keep it.

Why? It’s better to put a job that don’t seem closely related to your current job search, than to put nothing for your “Employment History”.

And you can always show traits like leadership, accountability, hard work, problem-solving, etc., in your past work history, no matter what job you had! So hiring managers might still find it relevant and impressive.

An “Objective” section

Use a Career Summary section instead, as mentioned earlier in the article.

Anything that makes it more than 2 pages

Unless you have a Ph.D. and are writing an academic CV… or unless you’ve been working for 10-15+ years… your resume should not be more than two pages.

For 75-80% of people, it should really only be one page.

So focus on what’s most important and keep the length short.

As a recruiter, I’d rather see 8 specific skills that are relevant to the job I’m hiring for, rather than a list of 30 general skills that you’ve used throughout your career but might not be relevant to the job. So make your resume laser-focused and target their needs!

Spelling or grammar mistakes

Proofread and spellcheck everything.

You are very unlikely to get called for an interview if you have a spelling or grammar mistake on your resume – and nobody’s going to tell you either.

So you need to find it yourself, or have a friend proofread it carefully for you!

Here’s a little trick if you proofread it yourself: temporarily change your resume to an unusual font before proofreading. It will help you spot errors (sounds crazy, I know. But it works).

Final Step: “Tailor” Your Resume to the Job Description

I’d recommend “Tailoring” your resume to match the job description before sending it out for each job.

It’ll take you a bit longer per job application, but you’ll get far more responses.

Would you rather apply for 50 jobs and hear back from 1? Or apply for 25 jobs and hear back from 4?

That’s the type of difference tailoring your resume can make. Here’s a full article on how to easily tailor your resume for each job. (This method will save you a ton of time).

Now you know what goes on a resume and how to make each section attractive to employers.

If you follow the steps above you’re going to have a great resume that grabs attention and shows recruiters and hiring managers why they should interview you immediately.

 

Finding a Job After Self Employment – Tips for Resumes, Interviews and More

Finding a Job After Self Employment

When running your own business or launching a startup doesn’t pan out, many people choose to return to a corporate job for more stability and a steady paycheck.

But making the transition and finding a job after self employment isn’t always easy…

In this article, I’m going to share some of the best strategies for how to find a job after being self employed. These tips will help with your resume, LinkedIn, interviews and more.

How to Find a Job After Self Employment

Articulating Lessons Learned

For most people, a failed business venture is a tough pill to swallow.

However, it’s not unusual at all. In a Startup Business Failure Rate by Industry study conducted by Statistic Brain, the 5-year failure rate of all U.S. companies is >50%, and >70% after 10 years.

There are many reasons why startups fail, from breakups with co-founders to a lack of funding.

And there are plenty of reasons why you might choose to leave your small business or startup behind even if you’ve been operating for a couple years or more.

Whatever the case may be, when hunting for a new role, the important thing is to be able to showcase the role you played in getting the company off the ground, growing the business, and how you’ll use those lessons learned to be valuable to employers now.

Many Hats, Many Roles

When it comes to staffing or hiring, no company operates more leanly than a startup. As a result, most employees end up wearing many hats – and the founder(s) do as well.

From sales to marketing, finance to HR, deal-making to operations – the early employees/founders at startups do it all.

This is a value-add! I recommend calling out the skills that you possess and highlight examples of where you used them. By positioning yourself as a jack-of-all-trades integral to running all aspects of a company, you appear to the reader as someone with skills diversity.

Transforming Chaos into Order

Those who establish startups or small businesses often describe a “Wild West” environment lacking process, structure and continuity… at least in the beginning.

By laying the groundwork and instituting policies, controls and standard operating procedures (SOPs), you have created a viable infrastructure and effectively created order from chaos.

Highlight this talent by noting your efforts at creating operations, sales, marketing, communications or finance frameworks from the ground up.

A Vast and Deep Network

Regardless of the role they’ve been hired to do, in my experience people who come from startups (especially early stage ones) are more often than not involved in some phase of business development – from creating sales and marketing collateral to actually delivering the pitch.

When the startup fails for whatever reason, they are often left with a respectable list of contacts. This network is often a value add for your next employer, as is the fact that you built it from the ground up. If you can claim a vast, deep and perhaps even loyal network, be sure to spell this out!

By the Seat of Your Pants Flexibility

Many entrepreneurs note that every day brings something new and unexpected.

The ability to succeed in a “by the seat of your pants” atmosphere can translate on your resume, LinkedIn profile, and interviews.

Show that you’re someone who can stay flexible and productive in an ambiguous work environment.

This is a highly-desirable job trait often seen on job postings!

You’ll notice many job postings make note that they’d like to hire someone who is able to adapt quickly, work in a fast-paced environment, etc. Running your own business goes a long way toward proving you are ready to for this type of challenge.

Influencing, Buy-in and Funding

More often than not, a small business or startup’s ability to get off the ground and continue to the next level is dependent on funding.

The skills and expertise critical to securing large sums from investors and obtaining financial support are the same as those essential to succeed in sales, business development and even project management.

In all of these roles, one must be able to develop powerful business cases, present them before senior leadership and gain buy-in from decision makers.

If during your startup tenure, you created compelling presentations, pitched persuasive cases and succeeded in securing some much-needed cash, be sure to note this success.

Applying Lessons Learned

People who leave startups or small businesses often have had the time to reflect on what worked, and what didn’t – from improper user testing to mismanaged funds to improper planning.

Whatever the case, you can now go into a conversation with potential new employers and talk about bringing this experience to the table.

Highlight how you can help your next boss or company to avoid these same mistakes.

“Tailor” Everything to the Employer’s Needs

Now, you might be thinking, “I did so much while self-employed that I’m really not sure what to mention, and what not to mention.”

Here’s an easy way to decide… think about what’s most relevant to the employers you’re sending your resume to.

For example, if a role you’ve applied for involves direct management, you’d be wise to highlight any leadership and people-management early and often on your resume.

On the other hand, let’s say you’ve applied for an individual contributor role with no management involved.

In this case, you’d want to spend much more space on your resume and LinkedIn (and more time in your interviews) talking about the technical skills that will help you succeed in this job.

So instead of thinking of your resume and interview answers as a summary of everything you’ve done, think of them as an opportunity to showcase *specific* things you’ve done that’ll help this particular employer.

Need more ideas of what to talk about?

If you need more help brainstorming what to talk about from your time being self employed, here are more ideas of skills where you might have more experience than the typical job seeker:

  • Productivity/time management
  • Business strategy
  • Negotiation/selling
  • Lean operations/managing costs
  • People management
  • Vendor management
  • Hiring/recruiting
  • Growth hacking/rapid growth strategies
  • Customer acquisition
  • Customer service
  • Networking/relationship-building

These are just a few ideas. They might not all apply to you – it totally depends on what type of business you were involved in – but hopefully this gives you some idea of where to start!

Turning Self Employment Experience into Job Search Success

Startup and entrepreneurial endeavors don’t always work out – often for reasons beyond our control.

However, even a failed venture can be used to show others how you’ll help them succeed if they hire you.

Identify what skills will be most beneficial to the employer in their job, and then show them how you’ll use your experience to help them.

Do this on your resume and LinkedIn, and throughout the interview process.

If you do this, you’ll give yourself the best chance of finding a job after self employment.

About this guest author:

virginia franco headshot

In need of some career advice, a refreshed resume or rebranded LinkedIn? As the founder and chief writer at Virginia Franco Resumes, I offer customized executive resume and LinkedIn profile writing services for the 21st century job seeker. I would be happy to chat!

 

 

“Why Are You Looking to Leave Your Current Job?” Best Answers

Why Are You Looking to Leave Your Current Job

Job hunting while you’re employed is a great way to advance your career and explore new opportunities.

But your answer to, “why are you looking to leave your current job?” can make or break your job interview, and be the difference between getting a job offer and not hearing back from the employer.

So I’m going to share my favorite method to explain why you want to leave your current job and take a new position, based on what I’ve seen works best during my time as a Recruiter.

Let’s get started…

How to Answer “Why Do You Want to Leave Your Job?”

First- Mistakes to Avoid!

Now… it might sound like they’re inviting you to bad-mouth and talk about the negative aspects of your current job when they ask something like, “Tell me why you want to leave your current position.”

But don’t do it.

Hiring managers do not want to hire someone who does this, and you don’t want to sound like you’re too eager to leave your current job anyway.

You have a big advantage if you’re job hunting while employed. Companies will want you more, and they know they need to put in more effort to attract you (since you already have a job that you’re safe/secure in).

So use this to your advantage when answering questions about why you want to leave your job right now, and don’t badmouth or make it sound like you dislike your job right now.

Here’s what to do instead…

Instead of Bad Mouthing or Complaining, Talk About What You Want Gain

What do you hope to gain or get MORE of in this job transition?

It could be a certain work environment you’d like to be a part of. A certain challenge you’d like to tackle (like leading a team, leading project, working more hands-on, etc.)

It could be a variety of things. But pick one or two things that you really want to do more of… and make sure they’re things that this job offers.

(You don’t want to say you’re looking for an opportunity to lead people if the job is an individual contributor role. Why would they hire you for a job that doesn’t fit what you say you want to be doing?)

But if you do this correctly, it will show them that you’re not desperate and that you’re looking for the RIGHT fit, not just for any job that’ll take you.

That’s a GREAT way to position yourself as a top candidate and someone they should hire.

There’s also one more thing you should do when answering, “why are you looking to leave your job?”… at the very start of your answer…

Also Talk About What You’ve Enjoyed in Your Current Job

If you feel it’s appropriate, you can also talk about how you’re grateful for what you’ve learned in your current job. Or talk about how you’ve built great skills there, but it’s simply time for something new.

Here’s what this might sound like:

“I’ve learned a lot here and it’s been great. I just feel it’s time for a move because I want more of an opportunity to do ____”.

That’s one way to begin an answer to the question of why you want to leave your current job.

A few other examples/phrases you could use to start your answer:

“I’ve learned a lot in this role, but after 2 years, I feel I’m ready for ____”.

“I’ve enjoyed this position a lot over the past 3 years. I just feel that in order to grow my career further, I need to expose myself to new challenges, and your company caught my attention because ____”.

One word of warning: Be aware that if you say you want more of an opportunity to do something, the interviewer will ask if you’ve tried to get that in your current job.

Example: If you say you want to be more involved in working with customers or clients, the hiring manager will probably say, “have you tried to see if there’s an opportunity to do this in your current company?”

So, be ready for that.

Now let’s look at some full example interview answers…

Example Answers for Why You Want to Leave Your Current Job

Sample Answer #1:

Let’s say your boss won’t let you manage any projects right now. Instead of badmouthing, you could say this:

“I’ve enjoyed my role a lot, but I’ve been here for two years and think it’s time to challenge myself further. One thing I’d love to do is manage projects, and I noticed that’s mentioned on the job description for this role. I’ve asked my current boss about this and it’s just not a responsibility that I can take on in my current role or my current team, and they don’t have room to promote me right now, so that’s why I’m willing to leave my current job.”

Sample Answer #2:

Maybe your job bores you to death. There’s no human interaction, and you just sit in front of a computer entering data into spreadsheets. Not fun, right? So you want a more exciting job.

But instead of badmouthing and saying the job is too easy, boring, etc., you could give an answer like this:

“I’ve gotten a lot out of my current position in the year I’ve been there. However, I think to continue challenging myself and growing in my career, it’s time for a change. Right now my role doesn’t involve a lot of human interaction, and that’s a skill I want to build more of. I love that this job seems to offer a mix of data entry like I’m doing now, but also some customer service work. I love interacting with customers and it’s something I did a lot of in my job I held three years ago, so I’d love to get back to doing some of that. Can you tell me more about how I’d help in your customer service efforts in this role?”

These two example interview answers assume you’re actively searching for jobs and really trying to get out of your current job (even though you’re not going to say that).

So, to recap, it’s okay to say you’re actively searching. It’s great to name a few things that you’d like more of in your next job – especially if you’re sure that this new job would offer those things!

But never sound like you’re miserable in your current job. It’s not going to help you get job offers, plain and simple.

Let’s look at one more example now. What if you’re not actively job searching AT ALL. Maybe a Recruiter called you, etc. Here’s a good example for that scenario.

Answering “Why Do You Want to Leave Your Job?” if You’re not Actively Job-Searching

If you weren’t searching, but you got on the phone with a recruiter and they convinced you to take an interview with the hiring manager, the hiring manager still might ask why you want to leave your current job.

So you need to be ready with great answers for the phone interview when they ask questions about this topic.

You can be direct and explain you’re not actively searching. But don’t stop there…

If you just say that and stop, they’ll be worried you’re not serious about considering their job, and then they will NOT offer you the position.

It’s okay if you’re on the fence and not sure you’d accept their job anyway, but you want to get the job offer, right? There’s no point on getting on the phone and immediately eliminating yourself from contention.

So you want to make it clear that you’re not in an active search, but then name one or two things that might attract you to a new position and make it worthwhile to leave your current job.

Here’s an example of how this might sound…

Example Answer if You’re NOT Actively Job Hunting:

“I’m actually not in an active job search, however when your recruiter contacted me about the position, it seemed interesting. I’ve been managing people for two years in my current job and would love to take on more leadership as I advance in my career. The recruiter I spoke with, Josh, mentioned there was an opportunity to build and lead a team of 5 in this role. Can you tell me more about that?”

This is a great answer because you’re explaining your situation clearly and directly, while also showing them why you want their job or what might convince you to take it.

You’re also ending your answer by asking a question of your own. Great tactic to set yourself apart in the interview!

Answering “Why You Are Looking to Leave Your Job?” – Quick Instructions

  1. Talk about what you’ve learned and gained in your current job, and how you appreciate that (even though you may be ready to move on)
  2. Then highlight what you hope to gain in the next opportunity
  3. Always sound positive and talk about what you want to do next, instead of badmouthing or talking about what you want to “escape” in your current job
  4. Never badmouth or complain
  5. Don’t talk about performance-related issues, or an inability to handle the work in your current job
  6. If you’re actively looking for jobs, be honest and say so
  7. If you’re not an active job seeker, be clear about that too, but give a reason why you might consider their job

The times when you have a job can be the best times to look for jobs, because you’ll be more confident and have more bargaining-power/leverage.

Now you know how to answer questions like, “why are you looking to leave your current job?” or, “why do you want to leave your job?”.

If you follow these steps, you’ll impress the interviewer and boost your chances of getting the job offer.

 

Three Key Things to Change on Your Website to Impact Sales

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Sales are what run a business, and businesses run the world economy. Making money is the whole reason businesses are started. Whether they start off as a single-location shop or a mom-and-pop online provider of services, they all begin with the intent of earning income. To make that money, companies use a variety of tactics and technologies to bring in more customers and clients.

One such use of technology would be the Internet. By reaching out across the World Wide Web, companies can attract a wider customer base to their business; they are no longer restricted to a specific geographical region. By maintaining a company website, these businesses are bringing in more money than in decades past.

But what happens when the money stops flowing? Sales eventually become stagnant, and the source is discovered to be an issue stemming from Internet sales. What do you when your website is not drawing in clients anymore? There are a number of options you can look at when trying to update your website. The ones discussed below are probably the key aspects to focus on, however; the ones that will show a return on the time you invest in the effort. 

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Design

The overall appearance could be speaking to your customers in an unintended way. A sleek, streamlined website that is well-organized free of clutter is the best template to use. If you have too much going on, your content is too close together, or your fonts are over or undersized, then you may be steering clients away from your site. Clean it up, make it simple yet attractive.

Keep your global customer base in mind when redesigning your website. Professional designers understand that color use in a website has to be carefully considered. While the region of the world where the business is based may find a particular color attractive, in other areas may view it differently. White represents death in some Asian countries. Because of this, if your website has too much use of white, it could turn away your Asian customers.

And because you are (assumingly) targeting clients from the Far East, you will want to have your site available in the major languages of the area. Any country you want to extend your services to, you need to ensure they can read what those services are. As widespread as the English language is, not everyone speaks it. Keep that in mind and hire a translator to help with this design aspect. 

Content

The content of your website may not be relevant anymore. Trends change, and quite frequently in the digital age. Your business will have to keep up with those trends. For ecommerce sites, your products could no longer be the latest craze. You will need to update your assortment and advertise them prominently on your home page. You may also have products available that are not being found. Improve their sales by switching them out with the older ones you have been displaying in key positions on your website.

If you are more of a services-based website, you may need to adjust your strategy. If you are offering a service that the need for is dying out, then you will need to add a new service to your site. While the original service will still need to be advertised, you will need to refocus your efforts on this new one in order to stay in business.

If your business is blogging, then you need to make sure you keep fresh content coming. Do not allow your site to go for too long without an update otherwise you will lose readers, and advertising dollars along with them. For many, this has become a primary source of income. Losing their advertising sales could be detrimental to their survival.

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Navigation

The layout of your website may be too difficult to maneuver through, and your page tabs may be hard to locate or positioned awkwardly. You may not have considered the page tabs being a significant part of the website design, but if a user cannot find them or use them in the way they are intended, potential customers will go to another site where it is more customer-friendly.

 You want to have as many tabs as necessary to provide a great customer experience. You need to position them in a spot where guests will see it quickly. This is typically up at the top of the screen but does not necessarily have to be. They do need to be labeled clearly. Tabs with cute descriptions rather than a one-word identifier can make it confusing to your visitors. The easier you can make it, the better.

 You also need your website to be mobile friendly. With so much business being done through cell phones and tablets, approximately 50% of all transactions, ecommerce sites can only benefit from a conversion.

 Service websites can make use of this formatting as well . It allows people to not only find your site on the go, but will allow them to make the decision to use your service right then; if you are not mobile friendly and the potential client wanted to use you, unfortunately you just missed out on a job. A tow truck company or mobile car mechanic with a website that does not have the ability to be used on the road can lose a lot of potential business.

If you notice a decline in recent sales, then your website could be to blame. The colors you use or the fonting sizes may be wrong for the demographic you are trying to reach. The content you are hosting on your site may not be as current as you would like to think. Your website may be too difficult to navigate, or it may not be negotiable at all for customers using their mobile devices. Take a close look at your website and see if any of these things are deterring clients from converting their visit into a sale.

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Answers for “Tell Me a Time When You Failed” – Interview Question

Tell Me a Time When You Failed interview question

Any time you have a job interview, you’re very likely to hear interview questions like, “tell me a time when you failed.”

I’m going to walk you through the best way to answer questions about times when you failed, and how to avoid the traps and mistakes that can cost you the job offer.

There are three key things employers look for in your answer, and some things they definitely do *not* want to hear, so we’ll cover everything.

Let’s get started…

How to Answer “Tell Me About a Time When You Failed”

There are three key things employers are looking for when they ask this.

1. They want to see that you’re accountable and upfront, instead of making excuses.

Show them you take responsibility for past mistakes instead of putting the blame on others.

2. Next, they want to see that you can learn from your mistakes and use the experience to get better.

Everyone makes mistakes, but no hiring manager wants to hire somebody who’s going to keep repeating the same errors over and over. That drives them CRAZY.

So make sure you show them what you learned from the experience and how you used it to improve.

There’s one more key thing they might be looking for too…

3. Stay on track with your answer and make sure to tell a clear, concise story.

Any time they ask a question that requires a story (which definitely includes a question like, “tell me about a time when you failed”), they’re looking to see whether you can tell a clear story and get from point A to point B without getting sidetracked.

So don’t let your interview answers ramble on for 5 minutes or go in a bunch of different directions.

Keep it on-track and brief.

Describe the situation you were in, the choice you made, and how it turned out in 1-2 minutes. Then you can spend 30 more seconds talking about how you used the experience to improve in the future.

One more thing – you’ll always get bonus points from a hiring manager if you sound humble, so try to do that as well.

Do this by sounding like you appreciate the lesson you learned and are happy to have learned it (even though experiencing a failure is NOT fun at the time…)

If you do those things, you’ll have a great answer that will impress the interviewer when they ask you to describe a time you failed.

Now let’s look at some of the traps, mistakes, and errors that can get you rejected in an interview when answering this question.

Mistakes to Avoid When Talking About a Time You Failed

First, don’t let your answer get disorganized or go on for 3-4 minutes. Remember to be concise and brief!

Also, don’t make it sound like you learned nothing from the experience, and don’t blame others. Always be accountable for what you could have done differently in the failure.

Another big mistake: Not having an answer prepared and ready to go. Everyone fails, so don’t try to hide it or act like you have no failures. Prepare an example and be ready to talk about it.

Also, avoid giving a story that makes you sound careless, or like someone who rushes through things and makes many mistakes in general.

Hiring managers aren’t going to want to hire someone who seems like they rush and make mistakes frequently.

It’s better to tell a story that shows a one-time mistake or error, rather than a pattern or repeating problem.

Finally, one other mistake you want to avoid:

I wouldn’t recommend talking about a huge disaster. If you made a massive mistake that cost a past company $2 million, I’d keep quiet and find a “less scary” story.

So it’s a bit of a “balancing act”… Pick a real failure but don’t talk about a disaster that severely hurt your company.

Those are the mistakes to avoid when answering, “tell me about a time when you failed.”

Next, let’s look at some sample answers so you can build confidence and practice.

Example Answers for “Tell Me a Time When You Failed”

Sample Answer #1:

“I was managing a project for one of our biggest clients in my previous company, and I was so eager to please them that I told them we could finish the project within 2 weeks. I thought this was doable, but it ended up taking 3 weeks and they were not happy. Looking back, I realized I should have been more conservative in my estimate to the client. I realized that a client isn’t going to be upset if you’re clear about the timeline in advance, but they are going to be disappointed if you promise something and then don’t deliver. So I took this experience and used it to become much better at managing expectations of clients during projects I oversee. For example, on the next project with a different client, I told them it’d take 4 weeks and we finished in 3. They were very happy about this.” 

This example answer does a lot of the things we talked about earlier in the article.

It tells a clear, concise story.

It shows what you learned from the experience, and even ends with an example of exactly how you used this lesson to improve your abilities.

Let’s look at one more example answer now…

Sample Answer #2:

“In my last job, our CEO gave me a chance to interview and hire entry-level people for our team. I chose to hire someone who seemed to have a lot of potential but also had some “red flags” or things that worried me. It ended up being a big mistake. They had a poor attitude and dragged the team down until my CEO had to fire them. I learned to be more careful and not rush my decisions and to speak with others on my team who have more experience if I’m unsure of something. I also realized how important each hiring decision is, which made me a better manager in the last couple years of my career. Since then, I’ve hired 8 other people and never had a bad experience like this again. But it was a great lesson to learn early in my career.”

The Best Way to “Wow” the Interviewer at the End of Your Answer

When you finish telling them about a time you failed… don’t just talk about what you learned from it… show them with a real example.

Notice both sample interview answers we just covered do this.

In the first example, the story is that you told the next client their project would take 4 weeks and you finished in 3.

In the second example answer, the story is that you’ve hired 8 more people since that failure, and each one has been a success.

It’s one thing to say you learned a lot from a failure, but an example or story is more powerful. 

Answering “Tell Me About a Time You Failed” – Quick Instructions

  1. Talk about a real failure you’ve had, starting by describing the situation.
  2. Explain what happened clearly and quickly.
  3. Take responsibility and don’t make excuses for the failure.
  4. Show what you learned from the experience.
  5. Talk about how you’ve used the experience to become better at your job and to avoid similar mistakes.
  6. Don’t talk about anything that was a disaster for your employer. Pick a real failure but not anything too costly.
  7. Don’t share any story that makes you sound careless in general. It’s better to share a one-time failure that you quickly learned from and moved past.
  8. Be brief and concise. Keep your answer to 2-3 minutes.

If you use these steps to answer “tell me about a time when you failed,” you’ll have an impressive interview answer that makes employers want to hire you.

 

6 Tips for Getting Back in the Game After Long-Term Unemployment

starting work after unemployment

With the unemployment rate at a super low 4 percent, many people who haven’t been able to find jobs are going back to work. If you’ve been unemployed for a long stretch of time, you too may be headed back into the workforce. And, if you’ve been out of work for a significant amount of time, you may be feeling a mix of emotions about this next step.

It’s normal to feel a heady mix of relief and anxiety (as well as excitement and fear) when you’re heading back into a job after an extended period of unemployment. To soothe your nerves and allay your fears, we’ve come up with a list of 6 tips for easing your way back into a job.

1. Adopt work-friendly habits in advance

One of the perks of being unemployed is the ability to eat, sleep, and socialize whenever you feel like it. Once you have a job, however, you’ll have to adhere to a schedule, which can be a major shock to the system.

To soften the blow, once you get your job offer, do your best to start getting back into a schedule that lines up with what your work schedule will be.

Start eating regular meals, adjust your workout schedule, and start going to sleep and waking up at times that will line up with your new work schedule.

2. Pare down your outside obligations

If you’ve been unemployed for a really long time, your mind might be slightly blown by how tired you are in the first few weeks of your new job. Your body will be adjusting to a new schedule and your mind will be spinning with all of the new things you are learning.

So, at least for a little while, take it easy on making plans during your workweek. Whenever possible, plan to pare down your weekday social activities to the bare minimum. Don’t underestimate how tiring it can be to get back into a routine. Remember it’s only temporary. Within a few weeks you’ll be on solid ground at work and will have more stamina for socializing.

3. Be humble

Once you begin your new job, remember that it’s okay to be the rookie. Ease into your role in the beginning.

Set realistic goals for yourself and don’t try to do it all or learn it all in your first week. Enthusiasm is a great quality at work but give yourself some time to be an observer of your colleagues and your environment so that you can learn the flow of things.

4. Don’t be a know-it-all

Long periods of unemployment can create insecurity in people and light a fire under them to burst through the door of a new job ready to prove themselves. But taking the place by storm might not be the best approach.

Remember, you were hired because you have the right skill set. So instead of walking through the door, ready to start taking names and kicking butt, take a deep breath and give yourself permission to start slowly. Ask a lot of questions, and admit that you have a lot of learning to do. This will not only take some pressure off of you but being humble about your knowledge will put your coworkers at ease.

5. Get to know your coworkers

Making a friend at work is a great way to begin to settle into a new job. For one, having someone who is available to answer questions large and small will help you feel a little less lost.

From simple things like, “Where is the printer?” to more complicated questions like, “Which health plan did you choose?” a coworker will help you get oriented far faster than trying to muddle through alone.

Also, if you’ve been out of the workforce for a while, you may already feel slightly out of place in your new job. Making friends with your teammates or colleagues will ensure you’ll have someone to have coffee or lunch with, which will alleviate the anxiety of being the new kid in the cafeteria with no one to sit with.

6. Let your boss be the boss

If you have gone back to work in a different field, or have taken a less-senior role in your industry, you’ll have to adjust to your new circumstances. So, while you may have been at the top of the totem pole in your last job, someone else is chief now. It’s okay to share your experience but remember that you aren’t the boss anymore. Let your supervisor do his or her job without having a chip on your shoulder about your current job title.

About this guest author:

Since 2005, LiveCareer has been developing tools that have helped over 10 million users build stronger resumes, write persuasive cover letters, and develop better interview skills. Land the job you want faster using our free resume examples and resume templates, writing guides, and easy-to-use resume builder.

 

How to Get a Job While Being Overqualified

How to Get the Job While Being Overqualified

One of the toughest obstacles to getting hired: Being overqualified, or being told you’re overqualified by employers.

You might hear it in rejection emails after applying for a job, in an interview question, or when you get feedback after your interview.

No matter what, it’s frustrating, demoralizing and difficult to overcome!

Don’t worry though, in this article, I’m going to walk you through:

  • What it means to be overqualified
  • Why employers think being overqualified is bad
  • How to overcome being overqualified in cover letters, resumes, interviews and more

Let’s get started!

What Does Being Overqualified Mean?

Before discussing how to get hired while being overqualified, we need to define what “overqualified” really means…

Employers have a few big fears and concerns when hiring someone.

One of the biggest is the fear that you’ll leave within the first year. You see, it costs a lot of time, energy and resources to hire you, train you, etc.

It’s often weeks or months before you really start producing results for the employer, yet they’re paying your salary starting from day one. They’re also paying people to train you, supervise you, set up benefits/payroll with you, etc.

It’s a big process and when they hire a full-time, permanent employee, they don’t want to have to repeat that process again soon.

So often times, when they ask “aren’t you overqualified?” they’re just concerned you don’t really want this job for the right reasons, and you’re unlikely to stay for long.

Along with that, they may worry your salary expectations are too high for what they’re willing to pay.

When employers say you’re overqualified, they usually mean one of the following:

  • They’re concerned you don’t really want this specific job, and you just need something for the short-term while you look for something better
  • They are concerned you won’t be satisfied in this job and will leave soon after joining
  • They’re afraid you’re going to want too high of a salary
  • They want to hire somebody younger (yes, age discrimination happens, unfortunately)

Now, we can’t do a lot about that last one unfortunately… the only solution is apply to many companies, like any job seeker should do, and accept that a few might not want to hire somebody your age if you’re job hunting at age 50+.

That’s okay! You only need to find one job, right?

For all the other obstacles listed above, there are simple ways to put an employer’s mind at ease and quickly answer any questions about you being overqualified.

How to Get Hired While Being Overqualified for a Job

The best way to get hired even if you seem overqualified is to address these issues upfront.

If you think salary might be their concern, tell them that you understand that this position might not pay as well as some of the positions you’ve held in the past, and you’re okay with that.

If you think they’d look at your resume employment history and be concerned about why you want this job, explain it in a cover letter and be ready to answer questions in your interview about this.

For example, here’s one common scenario I see a lot as a Recruiter:

Any time you’ve been a Manager or Supervisor in the past, and then you apply for an individual-contributor position where you won’t manage anyone, employers are going to be concerned about why you seem to want to take a step back in your career.

You’ll often hear questions like, “aren’t you overqualified?” in scenarios like this.

The key is to show them this is what you want to be doing, and you’ve put a lot of thought into this. Explain WHY you’ve made the decision to move into an individual contributor role.

If you explain yourself well, they’ll be thrilled to have someone with your experience in that type of role! But you have to explain yourself.

One great way to put their mind that you want their job at ease is show them you’re applying for multiple jobs of this type.

You might end your explanation by saying, “… in fact, all of the positions I’m applying for now are individual-contributor roles. This is the exact type of role I want, after putting a lot of thought into it.”

Writing a Cover Letter if You’re Overqualified

Once you’ve decided to apply, it’s a good idea to address the fact you’re overqualified in your cover letter.

Explain what you’re looking for, why their position caught your attention, and how you’d help their organization succeed. Make sure to spend extra time/effort showing them you’ve thought a lot about your job search, and why this job is the exact type of job you’re looking for.

Here’s an article on how to write a great cover letter.

Writing a Resume if You’re Overqualified

Next, you’ll need a great resume. If you’re overqualified, you’re probably wondering, “should I remove some experience from my resume?”

You don’t always need to, but if you’ve been working for 20+ years, it can help curb age discrimination and get you more interviews.

However, the most important thing is to tailor your recent resume experience to be as relevant as possible for the jobs you’re applying for.

For example, if you’re a former manager looking to move into an individual-contributor role, you really want to emphasize the hands-on, direct work you’ve done recently, if any.

Don’t emphasize management, leadership, and delegation because you won’t be doing any of that in your next job.

You need to show employers what’s most relevant to THEM. And you figure this out by studying their job posting.

If you want help writing a great resume, here are some resources to get you started:

Answering Interview Questions About Being Overqualified

Next up is the interview. If you’ve written a great resume and cover letter, you should start getting interviews even if you seem overqualified for the position you applied for.

But the employer is still going to ask you about it in the interview, so be ready to answer questions about being overqualified.

Here’s how to answer interview questions about being overqualified:

  • Explain exactly why you want this job
  • If possible, tell them you’re applying for many jobs similar to theirs
  • Show them you’ve put a lot of thought into your career and job search so they don’t worry you’ll change your mind and leave
  • Tell them salary isn’t the most important factor to you, and you’re willing to discuss and negotiate to make it work
  • If you’re taking a “step back” in your career (e.g. moving from Manager to individual-contributor), be ready to explain why

Here are a few very common interview questions you should be ready for:

Being Overqualified – You Can’t Win ‘Em All

The tips and resources above will give you the best chance at getting a job while being overqualified.

But nothing works 100% of the time. Some employers out there just will not want to hire you for their job, no matter how persuasive you are.

They have a certain type of person in mind, and your background doesn’t quite fit that.

But that’s okay. There are so many employers, and you only need one job, right?

So don’t get discouraged.

If you follow these steps, focus on doing things the right way, and keep repeating… you will find a job.

So… Should You Apply for a Job Even if You’re Overqualified?

Yes, absolutely. As long as it’s a job you want! Never let someone discourage you from applying for a position you think you’d perform well in.

This is true whether you’re overqualified, or a tiny bit underqualified (missing one or two specific areas of experience, but qualified otherwise).

You never know unless you apply. The only sure-fire way to NOT get the job is to not apply.

Getting a Job While Being Overqualified – Quick Instructions

  1. Use your cover letter to explain why you want their specific job, and why you want this type of job in general
  2. Tailor your resume to highlight the most relevant pieces of your recent work for their job duties (using the job description)
  3. In the interview, be ready to explain why this is the specific type of job you want (just like on your cover letter)
  4. If possible, tell them you’re applying for many jobs similar to theirs. This will make them feel more “safe” in hiring you
  5. If you’re taking a “step back” in your career (e.g. moving from Manager to individual-contributor), be ready to explain why you’ve chosen to make this move
  6. If you think salary is a concern of theirs, consider telling them salary is negotiable and you understand this job might not pay as much as some jobs you’ve held in the past
  7. Apply to a lot of jobs. Not every employer will hire someone who’s overqualified, but some will
  8. Don’t get discouraged, and don’t let anyone convince you not to apply for a job just because you’re a bit overqualified. You CAN get hired if you follow these steps