Overqualified for Jobs?

I have a 2:1 Degree in Drama and I'm worried that it'll make me overqualified for some jobs like McDonalds, Supermarkets etc

I live in a small market town and I want to be a writer but need a job on the side

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Reply 1

Marky Mark

Original post by Mrx123

Lol overqualified with a degree in Drama? And a 2:1 at that. Now I've heard it all.

Reply 2

hellodave5

Do you have any work experience?

Reply 3

Dilzo999

Original post by Marky Mark

Lol overqualified with a degree in Drama? And a 2:1 at that. Now I've heard it all.

Well Drama does help you talk to people and increase confidence so it's more relevant than something like Engineering.

Reply 4

Marky Mark

Original post by Dilzo999

Well Drama does help you talk to people and increase confidence so it's more relevant than something like Engineering.

I'm sure all the wannabe actors with drama degrees and qualifications from drama schools are not overqualified to work in restaurants.

Reply 5

jamez870

Original post by Dilzo999

Well Drama does help you talk to people and increase confidence so it's more relevant than something like Engineering.

Lol

Reply 6

Darkwarrior23

Overqualified? Hahahaha get your ass back to Mcdonalds

Reply 7

manchesterunited15

This is TSR. No STEM no sympathy.

Reply 8

Viva Emptiness

You can do a degree in Drama?

Reply 9

vee_wuvshugs

Original post by Dilzo999

Well Drama does help you talk to people and increase confidence so it's more relevant than something like Engineering.

Just wow.

Reply 10

silverbolt

Original post by Mrx123

take you "snort" drama 2.1 off your CV then,

its not rocket science

Reply 11

Dilzo999

Original post by jamez870

Lol

Original post by Marky Mark

I'm sure all the wannabe actors with drama degrees and qualifications from drama schools are not overqualified to work in restaurants.

Original post by vee_wuvshugs

Just wow.

What? It's obvious that a person doing Engineering would be less confident than some doing Drama, what do you think people do in McDonalds? Do they try to find the right size of the burger with all the calculation etc? **** no, they sell burgers and have to be confident and good with people face to face so Drama > Engineering for a role at McDonalds.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 12

tarmaclover

Overqualified with a degree in drama?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

wait

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Reply 13

vee_wuvshugs

Original post by Dilzo999

I highly doubt the work force at McDonald's needs a Drama degree to feel confident enough to take an order. And I had you mistaken, I thought you meant a Drama degree was more relevant then an Engineering degree in the real world other then working at McDonald's.

Reply 14

.S.K.T.

I think this thread just highlights the melange of cruelty people have on TSR.

As to your question OP, they surely cannot discriminate on something like that.

Reply 15

Antonia Jane

Why should someone who is doing engineering be less confident than someone doing drama? If you have a PHD in English then you are over qualified to work part time in a library. If you are a Michelin star chef then yes! You are over qualified to work as a cook in McDonalds. In California everyone, who is a budding actress/writer/film producer, works in some sort of bar etc. I did drama! My son, along with his educational subjects, does LAMDA. Therefore, I respect the subject. However, a degree in drama does not make you overqualified to work in McDonalds!

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Reply 16

hellodave5

Who you are applying to probably have too many applicants... and because you have a degree... probably think you will jump the band wagon ASAP... that's what over-qualified tends to mean for the employer. Just make it clear that you won't do that.

Reply 17

moutonfou

Original post by Mrx123

Ignoring some of the other 'helpful' comments that have been made... you won't be overqualified for having a degree. They will recruit a lot of graduates and will understand the market is tough right now (although it sounds in your case you want a more casual job anyway).

For jobs which you're submitting a CV, good tips are:

- Don't overly emphasise your education. I recruit graduates and will see CVs in extreme cases where the whole first page of the CV is the entire history of their education - full GCSE grades, full A level grades, lists of modules they've studied at uni, end of year averages, what they wrote their dissertation on - fine if you're going for something linked to your degree, but if you're just going for a general job, keep it brief. Give your uni, degree, dates, and classification, and briefly summarise your GCSEs/A Levels (for example '9 A*-C grades including English and Maths'). If you have enough previous work experience you can even move your education section to the back of your CV, with your experience taking top spot.
- Make it relevant to the job you're applying for. So if you're applying to retail, pull out the parts of your previous experience where you did retail-type tasks, even if they weren't in retail.
- Include a brief by-line at the top explaining who you are and what you're looking for, 1-2 lines max - e.g. "Recent graduate with food service experience seeking part-time food service work."

For jobs like McDonalds, however, you'll probably be submitting an application form, which do focus more on skills and experience than education, so appearing 'overqualified' shouldn't be as much of an issue here. You should also have a good convincing line or two for interviews as to why you want to work there, getting across that it's to fit around your writing but also that you're willing to work any days/shifts and will give 100% when you're on the job etc. (basically that you're not just doing it till something better comes along).

Anyway hope this helps :smile:

good luck

Reply 18

TheWaffle

Original post by Mrx123

Hey

I want to be a writer too. I think the best way is to go in and ask. I don't think your degree would be an issue. They say people are overqualified if they think they'll up and leave the job when they find something relevant to their degree. But if you plan to do the job long term on the side then it shouldn't be a problem. Hope this helps.

Reply 19

Clip

I don't think you quite understand the subtext of what "overqualified" means.

It does not mean "you are too clever / talented to be doing this job, egro we don't want you".

It means - "we don't want to give you this job, because you will despise it and everyone around you, and you will be constantly looking for jobs you really want all the time. As soon as you get a job offer, you will be out the door so fast that matter will start to turn to energy, and we'll be down one staff member, and you'll be on facebook piling up likes from your idiot friends about how hard you've struggled to get the job you really wanted."

So in this context - absolutely you're overqualified. If you desperately want to work in McDonalds, don't put your degree on there - say you volunteered abroad or something unverifiable.