One of the hazards of applying to jobs, traditionally, is that you get this as feedback when you’re great at what you do. One of the perks of the freelance path, is that you don’t. Here is a little story (true experience) of why I actually need to be freelance.
I went to a one hour meeting, that almost turned into a two hour meeting, with a Placement Director (pretty sure that was their title). I went in there with a positive attitude, because anything that can lead to a new lead is a good investment in time and I had a pretty good idea that this guy was connected.
He was! Not necessarily with the people I needed to talk to directly though. So why did I consider it productive? Because I stumped him!
When you have 15 years of experience and have saved companies multiple millions of dollars…there isn’t a traditional hiring platform for that. Or even a traditional role. However, companies would love to have access to someone like that because they love to save money. Especially millions.
What to do?! This man went full blast on every way he knew on how to connect people. Even calling his own family while I sat there! Totally determined to get me a lead. Which is such an amazing and incredible change from just someone telling you you’re over qualified and apply to other jobs. I explained what I do, what companies need me (most of them), and how I work. BONUS! He is going to continue to work with me until I get a contract or two out of this. BONUS! BONUS! He may have a connection who would want me to teach a class on how to be an analyst. Did NOT see that coming.
To be fully honest, for the first quarter of the meeting he used ‘overqualified’ too. But he genuinely listened to me and was not using by the halfway mark.
So now I’m on the search for contracts, but with someone very determined in my corner.
And for those who say I should just apply to job posts, I have. Over five hundred in the last two years, using 42 different resumes. The ONLY feedback I received was that I was overqualified, but they were impressed. *screams into pillow* I don’t fit in anywhere! Decision makers literally do not know that I exist, so how can they make a job posting for that?! I don’t even make it to interviews, which is where I shine (literally, I have always received a job offer for every interview I’ve been to)!
It takes grit and determination to overcome the ‘overqualified’ hurtle. You need lots of support and you need endurance. It may take years, for some people it may only take weeks. But to never hear ‘overqualified’ again? It feels pretty great.
BTW, this meeting gave me about a week’s worth of leads to follow up on. Networking is worth it! Even to us introverts!
Leave a Reply