As I continue my job-hunt, I am finding that many of the jobs/employers seek those with considerably less experience eg. 2 years vs. 8 years.

The point then is that I am over-qualified.

So, the issue then is to not ignore these jobs, but this: how do I indicate that despite my greater years of experience, I am interested in applying for a job for which I am clearly over-qualified?

Any members here have suggestions? Have any here had to deal with such a situation, and how did you tackle it? How did you explain or justify this?

Thanks.

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ATP wrote:As I continue my job-hunt, I am finding that many of the jobs/employers seek those with considerably less experience eg. 2 years vs. 8 years.

The point then is that I am over-qualified.

So, the issue then is to not ignore these jobs, but this: how do I indicate that despite my greater years of experience, I am interested in applying for a job for which I am clearly over-qualified?

Any members here have suggestions? Have any here had to deal with such a situation, and how did you tackle it? How did you explain or justify this?

Thanks.

Short cut..then tweek your CV to show you have 2-3 years experience...

What JT wrote.

You need to scrub your CV so that you have less experience. Remove dates and ranges, get rid of when you finished High School and Uni, lie about your age.

You dont have to lie about your age...
If there is a 4-5 year black hole in your CV, and they ask you what you did.
Tell them you took care of your aging parents who has dementia. You will probably get sympathy points for that

OP, also from your previous posts - You were working for yourself for long time, right? as a freelancer or some sh1te like that.
As JT said, you can say that you were unemployed, cause it's kind of true - you were not employed by anyone, but yourself.

A lot of the time, experience means expensive. In some cases, I would not doubt that they are looking for someone who they will pay less than what they think they need to pay you. .

Michael wrote:A lot of the time, experience means expensive. In some cases, I would not doubt that they are looking for someone who they will pay less than what they think they need to pay you. .

To add to what M said.

if you are looking at jobs that require only 2 years of experience - you do realize that 2 years is nothing. It's almost fresh grad jobs. And fresh grads dont make a lot. really really not a lot.

So it comes down to even if you get the gig (for which you are overqualified), the salary might be so low, that you not going to take it.

minyanville wrote:OP, also from your previous posts - You were working for yourself for long time, right? as a freelancer or some sh1te like that.
As JT said, you can say that you were unemployed, cause it's kind of true - you were not employed by anyone, but yourself.

No, JT didn't state to indicate that. He said to modify the amount of experience
from 8 to 2-3 years of experience, in keeping with the job requirements.

agree with all the above replies. no one will reject you for being overqualified, they will reject you for wanting too much money for the position or being too senior but not having the "right" experience. having 8 yrs of experience may not mean 8 yrs of right experience they are looking for and add on top of that, u're an expat. all points to the direction of someone who they have to pay a lot of money for. If you clearly have the right experience in the right niches, and are an industry expert, the companies will be fighting to hire you in that field (assuming they need ur expertise here in china). in general, I find expats are slowly losing their value propositions (generalization, and may not apply in specific niche markets)....alot of top level chinese graduate from good universities from the west and may even have good work experience overseas. a lot of companies are cutting back their expat offers and moving towards half-pat or completely just local packages. alot of companies are cutting back their expat managers and opting for cheaper local managers....

ATP wrote:

minyanville wrote:OP, also from your previous posts - You were working for yourself for long time, right? as a freelancer or some sh1te like that.
As JT said, you can say that you were unemployed, cause it's kind of true - you were not employed by anyone, but yourself.

No, JT didn't state to indicate that. He said to modify the amount of experience
from 8 to 2-3 years of experience, in keeping with the job requirements.

You misunderstood me. I am saying that you will not really "lie" if you say you were employed for let's day 4 years instead of 8, since you were "self-employed"
Ex. If I worked for JPMorgan for 8 years trading securities, and then I put 4 years of work experience on my CV - I'm lying about my past.
If I traded securities/stocks on my personal portfolio for 8 years (and made some profits), I can put 4 years or 5 years or whatever I like - I am not really lying. I mean, it might be unethical, but not anything beyond that.

hc_vodka wrote:agree with all the above replies. no one will reject you for being overqualified, they will reject you for wanting too much money for the position

Or they think

hc_vodka wrote:or being too senior but not having the "right" experience.

meaning, basically, they think one is too old? If so, then this is a case of age discrimination. The come-back? --"age proof" your CV.

There is some really twisted attitudes amongst the HR community. Given the nature of the changing demographics of a significant part of the workforce throughout the developed world (and in some cases here), they are like ostriches, and want to hide their head in the sand. It has nothing to do with ability--it is that they simply are prejudiced. We are not talking about hiring people in their 90s, or jobs that require "rocket science" knowledge and ability--quite the contrary.

hc_vodka wrote:and add on top of that, you’re an expat.

No, I believe that what I am termed is a “half-pat”

hc_vodka wrote:all points to the direction of someone who they have to pay a lot of money for. If you clearly have the right experience in the right niches, and are an industry expert, the companies will be fighting to hire you in that field (assuming they need ur expertise here in china).

I think that some perceive this as a case of someone requiring a lot of money. And, as I have indicated from the general requirements, they don’t see me as, or need, an “industry expert”.

hc_vodka wrote:a lot of companies are cutting back their expat offers and moving towards half-pats...

in this instance, this is what is sought, given that the requirements are generally pretty low eg. 2 years experience. This even extends into part-time work.

ATP wrote:

hc_vodka wrote:agree with all the above replies. no one will reject you for being overqualified, they will reject you for wanting too much money for the position

Or they think

hc_vodka wrote:or being too senior but not having the "right" experience.

meaning, basically, they think one is too old? If so, then this is a case of age discrimination. The come-back? --"age proof" your CV.

There is some really twisted attitudes amongst the HR community. Given the nature of the changing demographics of a significant part of the workforce throughout the developed world (and in some cases here), they are like ostriches, and want to hide their head in the sand. It has nothing to do with ability--it is that they simply are prejudiced. We are not talking about hiring people in their 90s, or jobs that require "rocket science" knowledge and ability--quite the contrary.

hc_vodka wrote:and add on top of that, you’re an expat.

No, I believe that what I am termed is a “half-pat”

hc_vodka wrote:all points to the direction of someone who they have to pay a lot of money for. If you clearly have the right experience in the right niches, and are an industry expert, the companies will be fighting to hire you in that field (assuming they need ur expertise here in china).

I think that some perceive this as a case of someone requiring a lot of money. And, as I have indicated from the general requirements, they don’t see me as, or need, an “industry expert”.

hc_vodka wrote:a lot of companies are cutting back their expat offers and moving towards half-pats...

in this instance, this is what is sought, given that the requirements are generally pretty low eg. 2 years experience. This even extends into part-time work.

are you getting rejected after interviews? or are you not even getting interviewed?

bottom line is...if I'm looking for a dude right out of school (2 years or less of experience) i'm looking for a guy that has an open mind, that is malleable, and is young and innocent and is still high on life...not to mention cheap. I want a guy that I can shape and make him do alot of grunt work for dirt cheap and who doesn't have enuf guts and experience to bitch and create trouble. And generally speaking a dude with 8 years of experience who is in his early to mid 30's isn't perceived to be that guy. So if you want to put it that way, then yes it is age-discrimination.

If I want an experienced manager who has relevant work experience and can lead a team and take on more responsibilities, then yes, that guy with 8 years of relevant experience will be a good candidate. but i'm not looking for a manager, i'm looking for a grunt....u see my point?

Stand in a hiring managers shoes man....its hard for me to even want to interview a dude who doesn't fit the bill of the guy I'm looking for....not to mention...if ur applying to MNC's....the process filters you out at the get-go:

1. hiring manager tell HR grunt "I want a guy with 2 yrs or less of experience"

2. hr grunt goes through a pool of thousands of resumes and sort by 2 yrs of experience or less

3. hr grunt gives contacts to hiring managers to interview....

u strike out at 2nd step! you won't even be in the list to be interview...thats my point with my first line...i won't be surprised if u don't get interviews at all.

I'm assuming u are changing industries, therefore applying for a fresh grad job with 8 yrs of experience. I say you change up ur resume so it is more relevant to the industry and start networking. Applying through the usual routes of online apps, cold emailing, answering ad's will just get ur resume into that pool for those HR grunts to reject.....

not dissing, offering my 2 cents. I've interview tons of applicants and work with my HR grunts to hire newbies outa school all the time...you have extremely bad odds applying through the usual routes dude....go network man! u have to by-pass the usual HR bs....thats the only way!

good luck!

Probably the OP has more years of experience than the CEO's, or at least 90% of upper management do, at companies here. My advice, apply for upper management positions. Tweak your resume so some of those 8years will reflect a year or two at an upper management level.

Oddly i had a interview yesterday with a top HR guy in my field in the orient, and as we reviewed my background, from the beginning, it was 1 hour later and he was still asking questions, then tells me I am between under qualified for moving up, and over qualified for most everything he has.

He then to my astonishment, after we kind of hit it off, had mutual friends in NYC/London and HK we found out, he spent another hour reworking my CV with his pencil, suggesting some possible actions to increase my attractiveness to the next level, and with that I walked out with a great new action plan, a far more focused CV, and a new friend.

He wanted to see me succeed in the Shanghai/Asia market, but I have a odd mix of executive positions that apply more to the west, then in Asia business arenas in my industry. He was very candid, but very smart in his reasons for his comments, which I greatly appreciated.

What a nice guy, he is super busy, and when you drop his name, its like gold in my industry, and I contacted him thru Linkedin.

8 years is an average amount.

I understand your issue. When we were employing journalists we thought over-qualified meant 'trouble' rather than 'expensive'. A company is unsure if you're maleable enough to do the grunt work if you've got more than the base level under your belt.

My advice is o address it directly, from your cover letter and through your initial interview. Tell them you understand the role will be basic for you, but that the next step for you is applying your skills to the Chinese market and you are willing to be flexible about your responsibilities as long as you are in a position to help their company grow.

Some sh*t like that.

In other words - be clear that you're not some w*nker who will be dissatisfied after two months in the job.

KopyKatKiller wrote:Probably the OP has more years of experience than the CEO's, or at least 90% of upper management do, at companies here. My advice, apply for upper management positions. Tweak your resume so some of those 8years will reflect a year or two at an upper management level.

i dunno which industry ur in dude...CEO with 8 yrs of experience?? what? like CEO of a start up with 3 employees?

most of the CEO's i meet in serious companies like larger SOE and POE here have at least 20 yrs experience and probably in the same firm for last 10-20 yrs too! dunno what kinda CEO's ur meeting man....

jackgarner wrote:8 years is an average amount.

I understand your issue. When we were employing journalists we thought over-qualified meant 'trouble' rather than 'expensive'. A company is unsure if you're maleable enough to do the grunt work if you've got more than the base level under your belt.

My advice is o address it directly, from your cover letter and through your initial interview. Tell them you understand the role will be basic for you, but that the next step for you is applying your skills to the Chinese market and you are willing to be flexible about your responsibilities as long as you are in a position to help their company grow.

Some sh*t like that.

In other words - be clear that you're not some w*nker who will be dissatisfied after two months in the job.

EXACTLY- Show you can commit to build a new career here, and are willing to pay a price, and that you have much to offer and they cant refuse a offer with someone so diverse and qualified as your CV...

hc_vodka wrote:

KopyKatKiller wrote:Probably the OP has more years of experience than the CEO's, or at least 90% of upper management do, at companies here. My advice, apply for upper management positions. Tweak your resume so some of those 8years will reflect a year or two at an upper management level.

i dunno which industry ur in dude...CEO with 8 yrs of experience?? what? like CEO of a start up with 3 employees?

most of the CEO's i meet in serious companies like larger SOE and POE here have at least 20 yrs experience and probably in the same firm for last 10-20 yrs too! dunno what kinda CEO's ur meeting man....

I was thinking of Chinese companies when I wrote that... A lot of them are newbies...

KopyKatKiller wrote:

hc_vodka wrote:

KopyKatKiller wrote:Probably the OP has more years of experience than the CEO's, or at least 90% of upper management do, at companies here. My advice, apply for upper management positions. Tweak your resume so some of those 8years will reflect a year or two at an upper management level.

i dunno which industry ur in dude...CEO with 8 yrs of experience?? what? like CEO of a start up with 3 employees?

most of the CEO's i meet in serious companies like larger SOE and POE here have at least 20 yrs experience and probably in the same firm for last 10-20 yrs too! dunno what kinda CEO's ur meeting man....

I was thinking of Chinese companies when I wrote that... A lot of them are newbies...

i still dun get ur point though dude...so ur talking about start ups....the US has more startups per yr than any other country I think (unconfirmed statement) but my point is...what does that have to do with OP looking for a job? having lots of young entrepeneurs/young CEO's starting companies is a sign that the economy is booming and business environment is improving, so if that was meant as a diss to the Chinese companies, then it didn't make any sense at all....

and btw..SOE = state owned enterprise and POE = privately owned enterprise, both are talking about Chinese companies dude. And many of these chinese companies ur trying to diss are really stepping up their games and are becoming contenders in the world arena man....

Putting the Dudeness aside....

The Chinese business/executive arena is advancing ahead very quickly, in fact, in another 10 years, EXPats will be a smaller sector of the overall executive leadership.

The next big wave to hit China, and will be M&A, as the big dogs swallow up the little players, to increase market share and revenue. Its only natural, finance majors, get your pencils sharpened.