One more suggestion: Don't limit yourself to only contacting companies with jobs posted online. Reach out to the companies you want to work for, and inquire about setting up an informational interview to learn more about their industry, functions, etc.

I would suggest not going through the HR department to do this, but try to contact the functional areas in which you'd like to work. You may be able to couple this approach with the other networking ideas above - when you meet someone new, ask them if they'd be willing to spend some time helping you learn about their work.

I've never turned down someone who contacted me to learn more about what I do. Like most people, I love to tell other people how good I am at my job!

This could be another good way to network, and who knows where it could lead?

This brings up a thought in regards to a former colleague of mine. He has 25 years of experience in adult learning and instructional design, but NO degree. What are your thoughts on this one? He want's to change jobs, but is not getting any bites. Thoughts? Is a degree really that important to someone with this kind of experience?

Jonesie,

IMO, it depends on how snobby the hiring managers are. <disclaimer> I have both Bachelor's and Master's in Business Ed. Have to admit that I will use degrees to filter when I have a lot of candidates for a position. However, the most successful of the staff I have brought on did not have anything beyond an unrelated Associates Degree. And this person works circles (physically and intellectually) around the other staff I have. To the point where she is my recommended successor when I decide I'm ready for a new challenge. (or, egads, when someone decides for me!)

If I used degree expectations to limit my choices, I would have lost out on a tremendous resource for the organization.

Our HR group has determined an equivalency approach that seems to work. For positions that require (or "prefer") a degree, two years of work experience = one year of school work. So, we can consider someone with 8 years work experience the same as someone with a bachelors degree.

The problem with not having a degree though is your competition, There are so many people out there with advanced degrees looking for these same jobs - it would be hard for a hiring manager to take a chance on someone without a degree over someone with one. Whether or not that's fair is another question altogether. If I were the hiring manager I would at least want to know why the person does not have a degree. Is it because they lack the discipline? or motivation? These would certainly be red flags. Or it may just be that they couldn't afford the tuition, or had some other hardship to overcome.

Anyway, I think it still comes back to the competition out there. I would suggest that this person get a degree. It is curious that after 25 years of work experience, the person hasn't yet gotten a degree - another red flag for someone in this business - i.e., someone in the learning business.

Jonesie - I would think that would depend on the type of job change he's trying to make. 25 years experience in learning and instructional design might translate well to something involving writing or customer service, for example. What does he want to change into?

I also think some companies fail to really think in terms of potential when it comes to fitting someone in a job. It's a similar problem when looking for opportunities IN this profession -- many potential clients don't understand that an instructional designer/ trainer is an expert in partnering with subject matter experts to create learning opportunities for, well - just about anything. Still many places wont even entertain the idea if you don't specifically know everything about the content they think you should know. (That's when I usually break out the foreign language courses I've designed without even knowing how to speak those languages.)

I digress... your friend might want to take a step back and examine how he can restructure his resume so that it highlights how his experience marries to the position he's trying to get, particularly if it's a total change from what he's been doing. I'm not convinced that it has anything, necessarily, to do with a degree.

Still - I recognize that having the magical piece of paper does help open doors. Heck, I'm finally working on finishing my graduate degree. I want more doors available, and I see that's one way to more easily reach the door knobs. Might not be fair or even true that an advanced degree is necessary, but these companies feel it is, so I'm gettin' it.