How do people get jobs they are not qualified for?

[Ilovebountybars]

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?

Professional services firms often give juniors bullshit titles so clients don't immediately realise they're dealing with someone who has zero experience.

Having the balls to apply in the first place is usually a good place to start.

I've found a lot of employers/recruiters don't actually understand the qualification structure for the jobs they recruit for. See it a lot with accountancy where the employer/recruiter doesn't actually understand the different levels of accountancy bodies/qualifications (some don't even understand that you can call yourself an accountant without any qualifications at all). They expect, say, a chartered accountant, but actually employ someone with an accounting degree or an AAT/ICAB qualification and then realise they've not got what they wanted! Far too many employers/recruiters don't research the professions properly.

Creative job titles on LinkedIn always make me think of Gareth leaving out the key words in his job title so that 'assistant to the regional manager' became 'assistant regional manager'.

Same with accountancy. However I did think the word "architect" was protected and someone who wasn't a qualified architect couldn't call themselves as such - isn't it why there are various other styles such as architectural technician? The word "accountant" is definitely not protected in any way and literally anyone can call themselves one or set up an accountancy practice.

Changes over time

For me to get the job I have now, I would not even get a interview as I don't have a degree (I don't even have A levels)

However, I have been doing it for over 20 years - and a degree was not a prerequisite when I started

Last 3 jobs I was poached through being known within the industry

A relative of mine worked in HR for the NHS and fairly regularly had to haul in staff who had had their own name badges made which totally misrepresented their real role, e.g. physiotherapy assistants with badges saying 'assistant physiotherapist'.

I think the "financial consultant" at Zurich could well be something as basic as working as a junior insurance salesman, though.

No I’m not from France but in the country where I normally live it is very similar. You need at least a masters to get your foot in the door. I look on people’s LinkedIn profiles who live all over Europe in countries with a generally high level of education and (or so I thought) strict requirements for entering a certain job and I keep seeing people who are not qualified or even experienced getting these high paid jobs

You can't infer their salary range based on their title on LinkedIn. You can be a 'financial consultant' for a small consulting company at entry level and earn peanuts.
If they don't have a degree, they might have self-taught qualifications (e.g. online courses etc) that allowed them to land a job in that industry as a stepping stone but that doesn't say anything about their level or salary.

Also, it is common not to get into too much details about job title on LinkedIn compared to your CV. E.g. I have been "manager" on LinkedIn for 5 years despite moving from Junior Manager to Manager and now Senior Manager.

This

I have a friend who is supremely self confident. She is now working in a seriously senior role in local government earning over 100K. I had coffee with her the morning she went to the interview and told me they had asked for people who had experience in the role in other local authorities which she did not have but said ; 'Seriously. How hard can it be?'

She got the job.

I have quals coming out my ears but have a serious case of self doubt. I need to channel a bit more of her approach to things at times I think.

Having a penis always helps....

I did a history degree.

I have still managed to code better than developers with PHDs from self-taught learning.

I have still managed to write a financial plan for five years - and followed it successfully - better than the CEO with a degree in business and economics, who did not in fact have a written business plan.

Qualifications are only relevant at the start of your career. Intelligence and communication skills bear out better in the long run.

It's not what they know, it's who they know - e.g. friends with the hiring manager or promoting manager.

Yes, you're right that qualifications only matter at the start. As years pass and your experience grows, then it soon becomes your experience (both in terms of work experience and life experience) that matter more.

I've recruited accountants who've either got accounting degrees or have done their exams with limited/minimal work experience, and they're pretty useless for a couple of years until they've built up their work experience.

The only thing I'd say is that a lot of employers these days require applicants to have a degree - they don't care what subject, but it does seem to be an essential and they filter out anyone without a degree, however irrelevant it may be and however low the "grade". A "3" in darning socks is fine - just as long as you don't leave the "degree" box empty in the application form!

Worth adding - the guy who was CEO over me with a business and economics degree didn't earn his position in the organisation. He wasn't appointed. It was founded by his dad.

And since I gave him the boot, he hasn't secured work of any kind, let alone of an equivalent level. I suspect this is because in spite of his glowing agreed reference, he didn't actually have any experience of managing the company that he was theoretically in charge of.

Whereas I can reel off experiences - mainly from dealing with his incompetence!

I know people who went from apprentice to director through the same company, just by hard work and gaining skills rather than qualifications. Sometimes though you trip up when you try to transfer out of the company, the skills are in your head, but you don't have the qualifications to prove it. This is where working your way up can be limiting.

standing in a general election

In top jobs, I see it’s mainly over confident tends to be white people who are good at networking. They superficially have knowledge but when you question them they have no answers!

i know graduates who have struggled to find work even with degrees from top universities and experience in the form of internships. Then I see someone on LinkedIn with only high school education working as a data analyst or another finance position They haven’t worked their way up they have just got that job.

I have looked at the job description and requirements for the jobs they are doing and it says at least a bachelor’s degree in something like business, economics, finance with more than 1 year of experience in a similar role. I understand that sometimes it is just a fancy job title but it’s not always the case.

They have the right connections ?
they lie on their CVs?
Maybe they attractive and the employer wants to "do" them?

That's a good example of an entry level job that requires very little direct experience, or a degree. HR will alway ask you to put "bachelor" as a minimum requirement, and some level of experience. But candidates don't have to match all the criteria, if they can demonstrate experience outside of their job or have other qualifications. Of course it depends on how rigid the company is (and the culture, I worked for a multinational company in France that wouldn't recruit anyone without an MSc, but the same company in England recruits at BSc or no degree).

For a data & analytics role I would expect some kind of task to be given to candidates in an assessment center, so their skills can be tested on the day. You're looking for an ability to learn technical skills and an appetite for the industry more than anything.

Tbh the comments on "they know someone" make no sense, if anyone has the connections and money to land a high flying job without qual or experience, they also have the means to "buy" a degree and it would be much more efficient.
As for graduates struggling to get a job, it could simply be because they are bad at interviews/assessment centers, or aiming too high/wrong jobs.

Experience, results, balls & luck!

You're being too specific with job descriptions. I tend to look at the JD/person spec and if I am confident I meet at least 50% of the criteria I apply.

I tailor my CV to the requirements highlighting the experience I do have, the achievements I've made in my current and previous roles and then if I get an interview I make sure to highlight that I am willing to upskill and good at it.

If you only apply for jobs you are a 100% match for them you're really limiting your options to progress because at some point in order to step up you have to do something you haven't done before.