Should I Leave My Degree Off My Resume?

There are many different reasons why you might be interested in a job for which you’re overqualified.  Maybe you need less stress in your life, maybe you’re returning to the workforce after some time away, or maybe you’re making a career change and need to get some entry-level experience.  Regardless of the reason, applying for jobs for which you’re overqualified can be tricky business.

Common sense tells us that employers should want the best educated, most qualified candidates for any given position.  In reality, employers want to hire employees who are going to stick around, because bringing in new employees is expensive.  Many companies assume that someone with a degree (or two) will quickly grow bored performing an administrative job.  Therefore, employers sometimes sort obviously overqualified employees immediately into the discard pile.

If you’re applying for jobs that don’t require as much experience or education as you possess, it’s perfectly okay to omit some of your professional history.  The objective behind writing your resume is to secure an interview.  Once you’re in that interview, you’ll have the opportunity to tell the company why you’re interested in a position that may not seem like a challenge.  However, you’ll never get that opportunity if you don’t make onto the short list of great candidates.

Remember, hiring managers make decisions about candidates based on very quick impressions, usually 30 seconds or less.  It’s best to offer them just enough information to show that you’re a great match for the job description.  Don’t worry that you’re selling yourself short—remember, the goal is to get an interview, not to act like you’re not as smart as you are.  Once you get that interview, you can surprise the interviewer with how competent and engaging you are—and how much you want the opportunity they have to offer.