Ask ReproJobs: Is The Lack of a Degree Holding Me Back in My Job Search?
Dear ReproJobs,
I dropped out of college my senior year, partially due to Covid, and partially due to medical and financial reasons. I have multiple internships, jobs, and organizing experience under my belt, but I'm still struggling to find a job in repro. I get that jobs are hard to get anyway, but I know not having a degree is also holding me back. It's really frustrating because I have so much experience that is being ignored; I know I would be a good employee at the organizations I apply to. Is there anything I can do to become a more desirable candidate or a way I can address this that would make employers interested in hiring me?
- Very Desirable Candidate
Dear Very Desirable Candidate,
We agree that degrees should not carry so much weight during the hiring process. The experience you have is so needed in our field, and there are a lot of ways to highlight it during the job search. We've talked about this before, but here are some tips:
Remember to use your résumé and cover letter to emphasize how your prior experience makes you an asset for the specific role you’re applying for. For instance, if the repro position you’re applying for is in development you’d definitely want to spotlight your experience in organizing; it shows your ability to engage donors and volunteers.
Use your cover letter to help make your experience jump off the page. Show the hiring manager, don’t tell them, that you’re the best for this position. What we mean by that is offering an example from a prior job or internship when you really showed up or went above and beyond and how you would do the same in this position. Don't just list your responsibilities, tell a story about the moments that you really shined at work, and how you'd use those hard-won skills to kick ass at your new repro job.
You don't need to hide the fact that you dropped out of school, but you don't need to highlight it either. You can put the dates you attended college on your resume and leave it at that. If an employer asks about it, you can tell the truth that the pandemic impacted your educational plans, just like it turned everyone's world upside down. And then pivot to talking about the amazing experience you have that would be an asset for the job.
If you feel self-conscious, you can state in your cover letter or the email where you submit your materials that you know the job requires a college degree (EVEN THOUGH IT PROBABLY SHOULD NOT but that's another story), and you hope that your experience can more than make up for it, and here's why (tell another story about your amazingness).
Ask for informational interviews with people you admire. If they don't have time (it is an extremely busy time in the repro world right now), ask them 2-3 questions via email, or ask to be put in touch with someone who does.
If you haven't already, take some time to plan out what you want in your next job, including salaries and benefits, to help you narrow in on jobs that will be a good fit for you.
Your knowledge and power are absolutely needed in this movement. We know the job search can be tedious, frustrating, and exhausting. Make a plan for yourself – that you'll apply to X jobs per week, read the resources in our breaking into repro series, and give yourself a break, when you can. Job searching is a whole job in and of itself.
Good luck, and tell us how it goes.
ReproJobs