Blog Post: Lacking a Degree? 3 Strategies for Job Hunting

You've worked your way up throughout your career, attaining a high-level rank through demonstrated achievement, dedication, and proficiency. At some point, you may decide to look for another job, and this can be where the nagging doubt sets in: you never finished (or even started) college. What if this holds you back?

First of all, relax. I've worked with countless professionals, managers, and even executives who did not possess a degree, yet these job seekers kept ascending the career ladder just the same.

What's their secret? Much the same as you, their bottom-line contributions and hard work had become a stand-in for that coveted diploma.

Consider that for every employer who wants candidates to possess a degree, there are possibly two others that will look at your "on-the-job education" as equivalent (and possibly stronger) credentials.

There are a myriad of ways to pique an employer's interest and win interviews, no matter what your situation. When you find the education odds stacked against you, consider the following 3 tips for writing your résumé:

1. Quantify the results of your contributions at work.

This is the single most effective step you can take to prove your performance. It will take some work on your part to draw out your achievements, but consider the payoff! Your resume must shout out this type of information in order to land interviews.

Take the case of Ken, for example. A successful telecommunications executive that had never finished his degree program, Ken came to us with an outstanding record of career progression, but was not sure what to do about his lack of a degree.

During his Strategy Session, we reviewed his leadership role in a reengineering project and how we might best prove strong results. He was able to give me some strong detail on the overall outcome, plus his role in achieving improvements.

His new résumé contained information like this: "Eliminated $34M in rework, slashed staff requirements for task completion, and achieved 78+% ROI by leading sales and service delivery teams to identify core revisions." The hiring manager agreed that this achievement spoke for itself!

When you give this kind of quantifiable information to an employer, it can easily cut through any doubt about your abilities.

2. Add professional training as proof of ongoing development.

Many well-established professionals have attended hours of seminars, training sessions, and other educational opportunities.

Be sure to keep a complete list as fodder for an educational section on the résumé--and as evidence of your passion for lifelong learning.

3. Showcase your ability to meet--and overcome--challenges in your previous roles.

What shape was your current employer in upon your arrival?  Were you the sole source of measures that increased efficiency?

Did you manage a major, multimillion-dollar account or enhance the company's reputation with its vendors?

Don't forget that these types of leadership examples can add punch to your resume and demonstrate repeatable skills.

Laura Smith-Proulx, CPRW, CIC, founder of An Expert Resume and creator of the upcoming book, “Solve Your Toughest Resume Challenges to Win More Interviews! 25 Secrets to Achieving Fast-Track Career Success,” has achieved a 98% success rate landing interviews for fast-track professionals.

If you're ready to make a key change in your career, receive our FREE 7-Part E-Course on "The 7 Biggest Resume Mistakes That Can Keep You From Your Dream Job... And How to Avoid Them."