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How to Convince Firms You're Not Too Experienced

Struggling to find work after a long career? Here's what to do.

By J.T. O'Donnell and AOL Jobs

 

After 20 years in sales and then running his own business for a short while, he's struggling to find a job. Charles is hitting all the local networking events and has applied to hundreds of jobs online. All that work has landed him only four interviews and no job offers.

Recently, Charles befriended a woman in HR at a business networking breakfast and asked if she'd give him candid feedback on his resumé.

She told him the following in so many words: "I've seen you at multiple networking events and I can tell you right now nobody wants to hire you because they think you will be too difficult of an employee."

(MORE: The 5 Resume Rules to Ignore)

 

Highly Successful Professionals Have a 'Persona'

 

As you climb the ladder of success, people watch you go up. They see you reaching new levels of professional and financial satisfaction. So, when they see you're climbing back down (i.e. closed your business, lost your job, etc.) and are now looking to start over, they assume you won't be very happy until you are right back up at the top of the ladder.

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Let's face it: Why would you have climbed in the first place if you didn't want to stay there? Or, go even higher? That's why many employers will avoid hiring someone with a lot of experience and success.

(MORE: The New Way to Pitch Yourself to Land Jobs)

They fear you will be:

  • Unhappy with the more basic roles and responsibilities of the job
  • Eager to leave them as soon as you can make more money
  • Hoping to be in charge and feel compelled to always speak up and share what you think should be done —even when you don't have the authority to do so

Even if you feel certain this doesn't describe you, employers will continue to assume you'll be this way until you change their misguided assumptions.

J.T. O'Donnell Read More
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