Hi Brian,
I am a not-so-recent grad at this point but still
have not found the first post-school job. Reason: 35 years old and returned to college after a 10 year stint in aviation.
My question is, how do I overcome the age problem when interviewing for an entry level
position and, how can I convince a prospective employer that I would be happier working for a smaller salary in my new chosen career than working in my former career with a higher salary?
The general objection is
that I have too much management experience for an entry level position but not enough industry specific experience for an advanced position. HELP PLEASE!
Thanks, Tim (Wanna be Advertising/PR guy)
From: Tim, Recent Graduate, MSU
ANSWER FROM BRIAN KRUEGER:
Hi Tim -
I often interview individuals just like you--making a move to a new field, lower responsibilities, lower pay. The bottom line for me is the
sincerity of the individual. I will value your past experience, but only if you are willing to work your way up in the industry just like everyone else.
Granted, your past experience does count for something. But
where it can be a negative for you in the interviewing process is if you give any indicator that you would like to move up faster than normal in either responsibilities or pay increases. Responses such as, "Yes, I
used to make more in my previous position, but I'm confident that I will be able to return to that pay level after a short period of time with your firm..." do NOT inspire confidence on my side of the desk.
You
need to be diligent to put a hard dividing line between past work life and new work life. Feel free to refer to past experiences (it can be your strength in interviewing if used properly), but never use it as a basis of
comparison for future expectations. That's what will end up scaring away potential employers. No employer wants to hire an entry level employee with unreasonable expectations.
In another example, I recently
interviewed an individual with a Masters in Electrical Engineering that had several offers in the engineering field at $15K higher than what we could offer (the position he was seeking required only a BS degree and the
starting pay scale is lower than engineering). He said he was willing to come to work for us at the lower pay, confident that he could move up to that same level ($15K higher) in a short period of time. I recommended
against hiring him, since I did not want to set up a false expectation of accelerated salary increases.
Bottom line: be sincere about your interest in advertising, use your past experience to show greater depth and
breadth of background, but don't show any level of heightened expectations because of it.
Brian Krueger
Author of College Grad Job Hunter
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