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Original poster

How do people get jobs they are not qualified for?

77 replies

Ilovebountybars · 23/05/2023 22:09

I have been looking on people’s LinkedIn profiles recently and I have noticed a few profiles where people have jobs they are completely not qualified for. This is in both the UK and other countries and it’s in mostly business and IT related sectors. For example they are getting jobs which would usually require a masters degree (in my country anyway) with only high school education.How are they getting those kinds of jobs?

OP posts:
Dateymatey · 23/05/2023 22:46

My industry (architecture) is full of unqualified idiots calling themselves architects. And then starting their own companies.

Itsdaftasabrushwithnohandle · 23/05/2023 22:47

Embellishments on their CV
Experience
Proving they can do the job at interview
Offering to work for a bit less....

Having said all that, I've done only the third point and I work as a tutor (I don't have QTS or any teaching qualification).
I just proved I could do it (I am quite good at teaching things, any 'thing' to people, I always have been).

In my last job, one woman was apparently qualified up to the hilt, loads of teaching quals and 20 plus years experience. They sacked her as she was utter rubbish! I am not sure if she'd lied... I just don't know.

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 23/05/2023 22:47

Experience, willingness to learn on the job and getting the job done well.

I grew up working class, no network, no degree, I did complete A-Levels but was working 25 hrs a week 5pm-10pm 5 days a week all through.

I started as a call centre advisor doing outbound telemarketing calls and kept applying for promotions till I was overall call centre manager. Then decided I wanted to specialise in IT Service Management so became and IT Service delivery manager. I liked the Governance aspects so started learning about security management system frameworks and volunteering to take on additional responsibilities in that area. Applied for roles internally as they became available, now Director of Info Sec, Governance, Risk & Compliance.

I still have no qualifications beyond A-Levels but have been studying for CISSP because it fits with my career plan and will give me more credibility.

Original poster
Ilovebountybars · 23/05/2023 22:47

Dateymatey · 23/05/2023 22:46

My industry (architecture) is full of unqualified idiots calling themselves architects. And then starting their own companies.

But how do they gain entry to architecture? I always thought there were a lot of qualifications needed to become an architect

OP posts:
Original poster
Ilovebountybars · 23/05/2023 22:49

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 23/05/2023 22:47

Experience, willingness to learn on the job and getting the job done well.

I grew up working class, no network, no degree, I did complete A-Levels but was working 25 hrs a week 5pm-10pm 5 days a week all through.

I started as a call centre advisor doing outbound telemarketing calls and kept applying for promotions till I was overall call centre manager. Then decided I wanted to specialise in IT Service Management so became and IT Service delivery manager. I liked the Governance aspects so started learning about security management system frameworks and volunteering to take on additional responsibilities in that area. Applied for roles internally as they became available, now Director of Info Sec, Governance, Risk & Compliance.

I still have no qualifications beyond A-Levels but have been studying for CISSP because it fits with my career plan and will give me more credibility.

I can understand that you worked your way up I meant people with no experience or qualifications suddenly getting jobs earning 50-100k

OP posts:
Beesandhoney123 · 23/05/2023 22:53

Experience, proven ability, good at networking. Also, hired before you needed a degree to be considered for a junior receptionist role, proved they were worth listening too etc. Loads of people are perfectly capable in many jobs without having a degree.

Or, went to the right school, have the right friends/ family/ married well.

I was promoted years ago, my old role designated degree only - same job, different description! I was informed I couldn't go back to it if the new role within the company didn't work out as I didn't have the degree required:)

Linked in is not compulsory. My profile isn't visible to all and sundry to be scrutinised unless I chose. Besides, it's very sparse of details. I don't like my data out there and being monetised/ perused.

Dateymatey · 23/05/2023 22:54

They usually start off as architectural technicians. And then pretend that they're full architects.

You don't need to be have an architectural degree to "design" property. You only need an architectural degree to register with RIBA! Clients fall for it all the time as fake architects charge less.

So if you ever need an architect- make sure they're registered with RIBA!

Original poster
Ilovebountybars · 23/05/2023 22:56

Dateymatey · 23/05/2023 22:54

They usually start off as architectural technicians. And then pretend that they're full architects.

You don't need to be have an architectural degree to "design" property. You only need an architectural degree to register with RIBA! Clients fall for it all the time as fake architects charge less.

So if you ever need an architect- make sure they're registered with RIBA!

That is very interesting I had no idea about that

OP posts:
dottydaily · 23/05/2023 23:01

Experience,confidence,they can “talk the talk” poor hiring managers who make decisions to hire,ignoring the job description to just get the role filled and meet a metric.

Clingfilm · 23/05/2023 23:09

I've wondered this too, a job history reads something like
holiday rep > teaching assistant> HR manager for large organisation.
There's no logic or obvious progression.

Original poster
Ilovebountybars · 24/05/2023 08:06

Clingfilm · 23/05/2023 23:09

I've wondered this too, a job history reads something like
holiday rep > teaching assistant> HR manager for large organisation.
There's no logic or obvious progression.

Yes this is exactly what I mean. Their LinkedIn reads something like
left high school with mediocre qualifications
worked at tesco for a while
suddenly got job as a financial consultant in Zurich

how on earth could they be doing that? It clearly isn’t experience.

OP posts:
Dogsitterwoes · 24/05/2023 08:27

Because a lot of job titles are bollocks. Your example - financial consultant - just means they are a salesperson. They are flogging life insurance or something. Sales jobs rarely need any qualifications. 'consultant' is a vague term. It could be the woman who works part time on one of the make up counters in Boots for minimum wage, or it could be an industry giant who earns mega money advising international corporations.

I think you're making assumptions about the jobs they do from the job title.

My first boyfriend was a 'Warehouse Manager' straight from school aged 17 as it was a tiny business employing 3 people and he was the only one who worked in the warehouse. All he did was physically move stock in and out. He wasn't really a manager. Very few job titles are legally restricted to only people with certain qualifications.

Dateymatey · 24/05/2023 08:28

It's just fibbing.

If it sales Marketing Manager it was probably Marketing Assistant

If it says Account Director it was probably Sales Admin (several of my ex colleagues have done this! Which meant going from NMW to £40k + role!!)

Etc etc

JandalsAlways · 24/05/2023 08:31

drpet49 · 23/05/2023 22:17

Face fits, they talk a load of shit and people fall for it

This

Luckydip1 · 24/05/2023 08:31

Some people lie on their CV and tell the interviewer what they want to hear and work things out when they arrive.

allthewoes · 24/05/2023 08:33

I know someone who got a job in I.T. because the person interviewing mistook their college level btec qualification for an HNC (years ago). They continued to do professional quals on the job after that.

RitaCrudgington · 24/05/2023 08:43

Embellished job title probably.
Consultant, manager, senior, all mean different things in different companies and can attract wildly different salaries.

It's probably not a flat lie if it's on their public LinkedIn and relates to the company they currently work for: they'd get noticed and pulled up on that pretty quickly.

CindersAgain · 24/05/2023 09:04

RitaCrudgington · 24/05/2023 08:43

Embellished job title probably.
Consultant, manager, senior, all mean different things in different companies and can attract wildly different salaries.

It's probably not a flat lie if it's on their public LinkedIn and relates to the company they currently work for: they'd get noticed and pulled up on that pretty quickly.

Ours are flat lies and no one has noticed.

Verv · 24/05/2023 12:21

I changed fields at 40 from a job I had qualifications in to a job I had no qualifications in. Totally different field.
Did a months unpaid trial and here I am 5+ years later.

The "how" is that id been involved the field that I now work in for 25 odd years as an independent hobbyist and being a bit spectrum-my have an encyclopaedic knowledge on the subject.
So it was knowledge and experience even though it wasn't through employment that got me the job.

Verv · 24/05/2023 12:22

PS am not on LinkedIn, so I dont know what goes on there.

turkeyboots · 24/05/2023 12:24

Experience. Worth far more than a paper qualification .

turkeyboots · 24/05/2023 12:26

And in the random leaps examples, in my experience it's pure nepotism.

adamsaboutnothing · 24/05/2023 12:30

My job asked for a masters. I don't even have a degree. What I do have is 22 years NHS service and I've climbed up the ladder.

DelurkingAJ · 24/05/2023 12:54

Role titles are just nonsense…mine is sufficiently misleading that I’m forever being tapped up for jobs that I have no experience for on the assumption that’s what I do. I have considered asking HR to change it but frankly, the good recruiters in my industry work by word of mouth and simply ignore my job title!

PaddlingPoollyColour · 24/05/2023 13:00

Are you from France by any chance op? I went to uni there as part of my BA. All the students there said you needed at least a MA to get a half decent job in Paris! This was about 15 years ago though so possibly things have changed.

I have a good degree but really haven't used it and would probably have been better off not bothering, but that is down to various choices I made after graduation and also some bad luck.