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[Angelus Errare]

I'd never mention it, hell depending on what your bachelor's is I wouldn't mention it either. though It could also help you get the job.

Ex: Bachelors in Anthropology? This person isn't going anywhere, you're hired.

 

[CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls]

I'd never mention it, hell depending on what your bachelor's is I wouldn't mention it either. though It could also help you get the job.

Ex: Bachelors in Anthropology? This person isn't going anywhere, you're hired.

What's wrong with a BS in Anthropology? Imma take this nametag and lanyard off and come for your ass!

 

[HyperCubed4]

Don't apply to a retail job. Retail can be pretty draining for numerous reasons. You're doing yourself a disservice. If you've got a Masters in English, you should find a tutoring job or something to do with your field.

...But I work in retail, loathe it and have little post-secondary education, so I may not be the person to ask.

 

[Team Alucard]

Don't apply to a retail job. Retail can be pretty draining for numerous reasons. You're doing yourself a disservice. If you've got a Masters in English, you should find a tutoring job or something to do with your field.

You do realize people with extensive higher education aren't working in retail/food service/call center hellholes by choice, right?

 

[mackattk]

Don't apply to a retail job. Retail can be pretty draining for numerous reasons. You're doing yourself a disservice. If you've got a Masters in English, you should find a tutoring job or something to do with your field.

...But I work in retail, loathe it and have little post-secondary education, so I may not be the person to ask.

He said he was an adjunct at his community college. This is just for some extra money on the side for the season.

 

[xptoxyz]

I get the over-qualification thing, but if you didn't hold jobs all the way through studying there could be gaps that could look weird and difficult to explain otherwise?

 

[Grinchy]

Tell them you love to pre-order things and that you love to suggest that others do the same. Then tell them that you have no school or work experience and that you can only breathe from your mouth.

You'll be CEO in 24 hours.

 

[Tritroid]

I would.

This "overqualified" thing doesn't happen in real life in my experience.

As a hiring manager, it ABSOLUTELY, 100% does happen. In fact, I turn down 'overqualified' resumes all the time (I just binned about 6 today that were considered overqualified for the position they were applying for).

 

[ZeroX03]

Do not even mention the bachelors. Even say you went to school but it "wasn't for you" if they ask. The overqualified thing is real.

 

[AuthenticM]

In your context, yes, do mention it. It says about you that you can accomplish things, that you can be relied upon.

If the job you want doesn't have anything to do with your degree, there is no reason to hide it. It caracterizes you and gives you something others do not have. You cannot be overqualified for a job that is unrelated to your field of study.

Mention it.

edit: wow at the number of people saying otherwise. Is this a USA thing? I'm in Canada and I just got a job at a corner store by saying that I needed money to pay for my second bachelor's degree, which I have recently undertaken after passing the Bar exams.

 

[TheOnlyOneHeEverFeared]

No. I interview people for retail work, and those qualifications mean nothing to me. Overqualified is indeed a thing.

 

[teruterubozu]

Just say you have a masters in Japenese culture and that you're an expert.

 

[CapitalismSucks DonkeyBalls]

Tell them you love to pre-order things and that you love to suggest that others do the same. Then tell them that you have no school or work experience and that you can only breathe from your mouth.

You'll be CEO in 24 hours.

 

[theechrisfox]

Best not to mention it, probably. You will just make the interviewing manager feel dumb.

 

[params7]

In your case it probably won't hurt you since you're applying for part time stuff on top of your main career. I would still remove it, leave the bachelor's in, and simplify your work experience so it mostly only stresses communication and customer handling skills. You'll just get more calls.

 

[papercan55]

Do not even mention the bachelors. Even say you went to school but it "wasn't for you" if they ask. The overqualified thing is real.

That is the perfect thing to say, that's exactly what they want to hear and will give you a great chance of landing the job.
Never under any circumstances put down any qualifications further than school, not even college, only list retail jobs and don't list too many.
You need to look like someone with no ambition that is likely to listen to everything they tell you to do.
Why on earth would they want people with ambition or good qualifications, that will only cause them problems in future and putting you amongst current staff could end up affecting them, the last thing they want is someone encouraging the staff to follow their dreams.

In your case it probably won't hurt you since you're applying for part time stuff on top of your main career. I would still remove it, leave the bachelor's in, and simplify your work experience so it mostly only stresses communication and customer handling skills. You'll just get more calls.

Do not do this, even if it's only for a part time position. Part timers are already more likely to move on and find new employment, employing someone that is over qualified and part time is suicide for retail and can poison other employees.
Take off any higher qualifications past school, full stop. Never mention any kind of ambition and just list experience with customers and working in retail.

 

[neeksleep]

I may be in the minority here, but I'd just leave it on your resume, but don't delve into to much detail about it. I had put my bachelor of engineering degree on my resume when applying for a cellphone carrier retail position, and still got the job. If anything, they saw it as 'this is an educated person' rather than 'he's overqualified'. It at least shows you have commitment and can stay on task if need be.

 

[The Albatross]

Seems crazy not to mention it, but I'm surpised by all of these "absolutely nots!" Does any manager think someone working at Gamestop is there for a 40-year career..? No offense if you are, but this must be very rare.

 

[John Dunbar]

"overqualified" is the employer version of "it's not you, it's me".

 

[params7]

That is the perfect thing to say, that's exactly what they want to hear and will give you a great chance of landing the job.
Never under any circumstances put down any qualifications further than school, not even college, only list retail jobs and don't list too many.
You need to look like someone with no ambition that is likely to listen to everything they tell you to do.
Why on earth would they want people with ambition or good qualifications, that will only cause them problems in future and putting you amongst current staff could end up affecting them, the last thing they want is someone encouraging the staff to follow their dreams.


Do not do this, even if it's only for a part time position. Part timers are already more likely to move on and find new employment, employing someone that is over qualified and part time is suicide for retail and can poison other employees.
Take off any higher qualifications past school, full stop. Never mention any kind of ambition and just list experience with customers and working in retail.

Its not that bad. I'm in the same position as Op. I recently applied to retail jobs with a resume where I left my Bachelor's of Science in MIS (with honors designation) and all work experience that I have is in I.T. and Network Engineering. Though I dumbed my titles down to "Tech Support Rep" and changed the description to 2-3 lines just stating the customer support stuff I did.

So far I've received calls from Staples, Best Buy, AMC for interview.

 

[ty_hot]

It depends on what your Bsc and Msc is. There is a chance that your major is good for something and the employer might like you. But it can be the opposite.

 

[brainchild]

I would.

This "overqualified" thing doesn't happen in real life in my experience.

It does happen and I had to learn the hard way. I just wanted to make some extra cash at Arby's one summer and the manager LITERALLY told me I was overqualified.

Don't mention it, OP

 

[papercan55]

Seems crazy not to mention it, but I'm surpised by all of these "absolutely nots!" Does any manager think someone working at Gamestop is there for a 40-year career..? No offense if you are, but this must be very rare.

It doesn't work like that, they aren't thinking that people are there for a life career, but they have the choice between someone who isn't likely to move on and can be employed for a long time, versus someone over qualified that is likely to leave earlier, and poison other members of staff whilst they are there with visions of making themselves better people.Any sane manager wants people that are likely to stay for as long as possible with low self esteem and no ambition to better themselves.
Why on earth would they hire someone over qualified, it does them nothing but harm in both the short term and long term.

 

[professor_t]

So I'm applying for some seasonal/extra part-time work (Gamestop, lol) to go along with my primary job (adjunct at a community college) and I was wondering whether I should even mention my MA (in English) or my job with the CC. In the past, I've heard conflicting info about whether having an MA makes you overqualified for a lot of retail jobs, so I'm unsure.

What do you think, GAF?

I'm not sure how it would be perceived in the retail world, but in my neck of the woods if someone is obviously overqualified for a position I would worry about why they can't get a job that is commensurate with their credentials.

Ultimately, it's a cost-benefit question. I don't think you stand to gain anything by including it, but it may be detrimental to have it on there. I would omit it, assuming that you are eminently qualified for a retail job without it (which it sounds like you are).

 

[Kusagari]

I think you should mention your bachelor's for retail, even if in some cases it could hurt you. However, there's no way in hell I'd mention a master's. Most will feel you're vastly overqualified or even feel intimidated by seeing that on your resume.

 

[Cheech]

I'd straight up lie and say I worked at a smaller electronics retailer, where you were #1 in selling service contracts for 3 months in a row last holiday season.

You're hired.

And yes, the overqualified thing is very real. I hire IT staff, and there is a fairly narrow level of experience/qualifications I want. There's too many and too few. You want somebody with room to grow, with enough experience where you aren't training from ground zero.

 

[fallengorn]

Depends. If applying to a B&N, maybe. Otherwise, it's not necessary and I wouldn't do it.

 

[rtcn63]

Bachelor's should be alright, I've worked in retail places that liked that you had one since management considered it a positive or something. I'm guessing there are positions up the chain that are gated by having a degree, and this way, they won't expect you to have to take time off to go back school. Or maybe having educated employees looks good on the financials.

 

[KHlover]

Bachelor's should be alright, I've worked in retail places that liked that you had one since management considered it a positive or something. I'm guessing there are positions up the chain that are gated by having a degree, and this way, they won't expect you to have to take time off to go back school. Or maybe having educated employees looks good on the financials.

Not sure if it's similar, but in Germany having a Bachelor's (or some other kind of multi-year education) degree while applying for a job it isn't relevant for is interpreted as being someone who doesn't quit at the first signs of trouble, even when doing something you don't necessarily like. Maybe the thought is the same in the US.

 

[perfectchaos007]

Absolutely not. Don't even tell them you have a bachelors. Tell them you're still in college ( which you are technically )

 

[Degen]

The "overqualified" line is very real

Happened to my gf

 

[BajiBoxer]

As a hiring manager, it ABSOLUTELY, 100% does happen. In fact, I turn down 'overqualified' resumes all the time (I just binned about 6 today that were considered overqualified for the position they were applying for).

Whelp, there you go. Though, at my store (not a Gamestop) there are a depressing number of people we've hired who were far more overqualified than the OP.

On the flip side I interviewed at a Best Buy before and the store manager seemed almost offended that I was working on a computer science degree. His exact words on the subject was: "Your knowledge doesn't matter, we can teach anyone about computers."

 

[adj_noun]

Adding to the confirmations: overqualified is real.

 

[snacknuts]

Best not to mention it, probably. You will just make the interviewing manager feel dumb.

He won't ever see an interviewing manager. As someone who used to hire for a lot of low-skill, entry-level positions, I would pretty much immediately disregard anyone with a degree. I tried it a few times and they were good workers, but they are always going to leave as soon as they can. It's not worth my time as a hiring manager to interview and train them to have them leave after a few weeks.

And as someone with a degree who was unemployed for several months a few years ago, it is frustrating to be in a spot where you need to make ends meet and people at Target or Starbucks won't call you for a job, but I understand.

 

[Manmademan]

I would.

This "overqualified" thing doesn't happen in real life in my experience.

I remember working a service job back in the day at a movie theatre.

Someone with an honest to god Law Degree comes in to put in an application, gives it to me.

I run it over to the general manager thinking it will be a great hire. He takes one look at it, laughs his ass off and trashes it.

This was not an unusual occurrence for overqualified applicants. They're more trouble than its worth to hire. They're either going to leave as soon as they find something paying marginally more, or they're so toxic in their given field they're virtually unemployable anywhere else.

 

[Bleepey]

it seems that if you were an average student who went to a good school(s) or with an intimidating looking degree (basically STEM or Law) you can be too "dumb" for graduate schemes but too "smart" for lower-paid work.