With the downturn in the oil industry these last several months, many very qualified professionals have found themselves looking for other positions. And not surprisingly, there are more people available than jobs for them readily available in the marketplace right now. In speaking with many of these unfortunate folks, I often hear candidates say that they would happily accept lower positions, lower salaries, out-of-the-way locations, etc. just to get back to being gainfully employed. While I recognize the pain associated with unemployment, I always try to counsel folks about the difficulties that often come with applying for positions for which they are not really qualified or not a “logical fit” for their career path.
Consequently when I saw this article published by the American Sociological Association entitled “Accepting a Job Below One’s Skill Level Can Adversely Affect Future Employment Prospects” published on “Newswise” just a few weeks ago, I felt it was important to share. Feel free to pass this along to others as you deem appropriate. And of course we at Whitaker are available to help provide solid career guidance and advice – whether or not we have the appropriate next job for you. Just drop us a line and we’ll make an appointment to talk.
Accepting a job below one’s skill level can be severely penalizing when applying for future employment because of the perception that someone who does this is less committed or less competent, according to new research from a sociologist at The University of Texas at Austin.