Experience and Qualifications
What happens when you are a perfect fit for the job but you have no degree?
There may be times when some elements in your resume will be less than the stated requirements of a job you would really like to have. So what would you do? Give it up? That may not be necessary. Keep in mind this universal secret about a job: there is absolutely no perfect fit for anyone to any job. There is always a bit plus and minus and that is why the assessment tests and interviews usually take place to find out actually how much of the plus and minus is there, so they can make an informed decision.
So you have no degree. Okay. Let us focus on what you have. What do you have that can compensate for the lack of a degree and which the employer would count as an equivalent? Is there an alternate way you went about acquiring the skills needed for the job? Do you have transferable skills? In many instances Riverside County goes through that scenario for you by having “optional” ways to qualify for a position, and educational substitutions for additional relevant experience.
Additional skills: Do you have any additional skills that pertain to the job? Have you taken any special skills training courses? Are your work skills relevant to the overall goal of the employer? Then by all means write them down in the resume first.
Additional experience: Do you have a long and accentuated experience which has put you in the league of experts? Offer and provide references for this purpose. Sometimes experience supersedes other qualifications; therefore put your best foot forward and apply.
Special personal traits: Are you an artist by birth? Is acting a second nature to you? Are you a born leader? These personal traits no matter how job related you believe them to be are just difficult for you to express convincingly in a resume. If there are personal traits (competencies) which are crucial to job performance the employer may give you a formal assessment test; or design interview questions which bring those traits out.
Educational accomplishments: Some people will suggest that you avoid an educational section altogether, I don’t. People who didn’t finish high school, or don’t have a GED, are reluctant to list education at all. I recommend that you list all educational achievements (even if it is only to state that you attended high school, without listing graduation). In some cases no level of education is required, and again, if it is important the employer will test for general education or other skills.
Tip: Make it easy for the employer to see if you have formal courses that are important to the job. It may be that they are not looking for a degree, but rather a certain amount of courses/credits that would suggest comprehension of the subject area.
Half truths: Another way, but highly unadvisable, is to state that you have started the course but do not mention you have finished it or not. While this tactic may sometimes get you to the interview table, it will not hold water when examined, and the trick is seldom seen kindly by the hiring authority. Therefore, the best policy is indeed to tell the truth.
A common, but ill conceived bit of deception that some people have tried to use is to state that they are in a Bachelor’s program or a candidate for a Bachelor’s degree, when in fact they have 12 quarter hours of accounting credit. It is better to say that you have 12 hours of accounting credit and would like to pursue that field as a major for a Bachelor’s Degree. That just might land you in an employer’s training or college study program. Employers love to brag about their “grow your own” success stories.
What to do when you have too little experience to show? New grad?
This situation usually plagues young high school graduates who being former students have little or no experience to show on their resume. It is not uncommon to have to struggle to get through for a “real job” interview. That is to say, one where you are not told to ask, “Would you like fries with that burger?” Sorry, cheap shot, but it does show the dilemma here.
Just because you lack formal work experience to show on your resume, you don’t necessarily lack marketable skills. For example in Chemistry class you learned the safe handling and mixing of chemicals; in one of your classes you may have learned how to bring information together from various reference sources; you may have been introduced to software for keeping accounting ledgers; learned what makes an internal combustion engine work; how machine tools are used; small business management; leadership and supervisory principals; etc, etc.
Lack of experience could also be a problem for someone who is a college graduate, for example and majored in a field where there is no direct employment opportunity. Again, there are things that can be improvised in this scenario:
Bring the attention of the prospective employer away from the lack of experience by highlighting your match to the job in terms of skills and personal traits. Be sure you use those skills and traits that are most required by the job you are applying for. You could refer to an activity you participated in at school, church, or volunteer work which required you to utilize that trait.
A resume which focuses on the skills you have acquired as a result of your coursework will be the best option for a college grad as well. For example if you are really adept at analytic writing and are able to bring together complex reports containing text and graphics, then let the prospective employer know, because this is a highly desirable skill in most organizations.
The skills format resume will also allow you to highlight your willingness to come into the work experience adapt quickly and help to achieve the goal of the employer, while gaining practical experience that will be of value to you both. Your implied willingness to work hard should come across strong enough to attract the attention of the prospective employer, but not sound naively over zealous. So, it should probably be as an emphasis after your description of skills.
If you have an outstanding academic background, of course you will want to highlight that fact. But what you might want to do as well is to call attention to the subjects and/or areas of study that matter and are supportive of the job's requirements.
Do you have any extra-curricular activities that would boost your skills (with respect to the job you applied for). For example if you are applying for a job involving public presentations, did you act in school plays or were on the debating team, have you had other occasion to use the skills need for this job?
You can also use the experience gained in your summer activities or any other hands-on projects that you have done during your high school or college experience to show that you are aware of your match to the job and that the past experience, even not in a paid job, made you confident that you can be successful if given a opportunity.
Be candid and down-to-earth in your resume, cover letter, and interview. People usually like young people and Generation Y is no exception, because they have a nothing-is-impossible attitude.
Try to project that positive attitude without sounding over confident or smug. You can do that by repeating at different intervals that you are willing to learn and adapt to the work situation rapidly so that you can fit even better not only in the job, but also fit in with achieving the mission of the department and goals of the organization overall (do your homework and be specific here; vagueness will seem like boasting).