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Blue Collar Resume Services | Skilled Trades Resume Writing

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relevant experience

September 23, 2014 By Joe Perez

No college degree? Jobs and interviews are not out of reach

In the job market people with and without college degrees are competing for the same jobs. What’s more, huge numbers of job ads state that college degrees are mandatory. What is someone without a college degree to do?

To be clear, there is no shortage of jobs that don’t require college degrees. You have only to look at resources such as one company’s report on “20 Great Jobs Without a College Degree“. The key issue for these people is that they are qualified for jobs that require a college degree based on their experience and must somehow convince their future employers to substitute their real world experience for the diploma.

The truth is it may take longer or require smarter job searching technique for candidates without at least a Bachelor’s degree. But the situation is far from hopeless. In fact, the best practices for getting hired don’t change regardless of whether or not you have a degree. Have the sharpest possible resume with the smartest possible job search strategy, and you are on your way.

Nick Corcodilos, author of the Ask The Headhunter newsletter, recently fielded a question from a woman with terrific experience but no college degree. She was having problems getting interviews and wondered if her lack of degree was to blame. Nick replied:

I looked at your resume. Your experience is stellar. But no one’s going to give you a job, because nowadays they’re not giving them out. Even to people with college degrees. You’re not getting interviews because you’re doing it all wrong. So I’ll offer you some advice because it seems your husband is a fan, and I love my fans even if I don’t know them.
…
That’s how you’ll get a job, college degree or not. Managers sometimes create jobs for people who can show how they’ll drop profit to the bottom line. But managers don’t figure that out from resumes. You must present a plan.

Read the full article.

The suggestions Nick gives for job seekers are great… much along the lines that I also recommend to many of my clients. Nothing beats a research-driven and proactive job search. Successful job seekers sometimes need to get employers to create jobs for them based on their ability to contribute to the bottom line, and wise job seekers can use that to their advantage.

A solid college diploma is a credential which tells your future employer that you’re smart, hard working, and ambitious. It may also signal that you have been exposed to a wide world of ideas and diverse people and are more cosmopolitan for it. If you can demonstrate convincingly that you are all these things, then you can more than hold your own in the job marketplace.

Filed Under: Job Search Tagged With: College Degrees, job market, job research, proactive searching, relevant experience, resume writing, training

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B. M., General Contractor:

Thank you very much for your help. My husband was very excited excited to see the result! Being a business owner, he hadn’t needed a resume before but it is necessary now. On another note, I have referred you to my boss …

A. T., Food and Beverages Professional:

I don’t have consistent job experience in any one field and was finding it difficult to find work with my mixed history. Joe wrote me a resume and cover letter and I almost instantly started receiving more attention from prospective employers. Several of the following companies that I interviewed with commented on the quality of my resume or cover letter and I soon found work in the exact niche that I was looking for. I would recommend Joe Perez to anyone.

D. O., Air Traffic Controller:

Joe, you’re awesome!

K.P., Coach / Educator:

As a resume writer, Joseph’s work is superlative. Resumes are as much a personal document as a professional one. In a sense, resumes tell a potential employer who you are, as well as what you have to offer that employer, in a very short space. Working with Joseph, I felt that he REALLY LISTENED to what I wanted and what I could offer, and was able to design a concise, well-written resume that accurately reflects who I am and what I can offer. I highly recommend Joseph as a resume consultant and writer

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