Mark Bernard ⋅ Elmira, OR General Electric ⋅ 20 years experience

As a former hiring manager I strongly recommend noting quantitative acheivements on your resume. Such as 120% to operating plan, doubled new business, exceeded managers goals by X. etc...
Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss in depth.

Scott Lackey ⋅ New York, NY Jugular ⋅ 25 years experience

Hi Jeffrey:

I'd do two primary things:

1. Lead with your strength, which is the Fortune 500 management job. Make sure to fully describe your responsibilities and accomplishments there. Tailor these to each job that you apply for, both in your resume and, briefly, in a sentence or two, in your cover letter. We see so many applications where the candidate has not taken the time to investigate our organization and instead presents a generic resume/cover letter--which doesn't work to get you into the considered group.

2. Then, like many others have indicated, enter a program to finish your degree, if at all possible. Reflect that fact by detailing your major, relevant courses and "expected completion date" to show your intentions. It's the best alternative to the fact that you do not have a degree yet.

Thanks for your service and good luck.

Best,
Scott Lackey

Eileen Laferriere ⋅ San Antonio, TX Hewlett Packard ⋅ 13 years experience

Jeff,

I've looked at the comments and all the points are valid. I don't have a degree but my military experiance has spoken volumes as far as landing a job. But once you are with a company, the expectation will focus on whether you can perform your job in the manner you portrayed. That's when the military experience of working hard and getting the job done will come in. I retired after 20 years in the Army. The job market at the time was "slim pickins". So I took a job with EDS in a call center and within a year I had 2 promotions. Once the leadership confirmed the skills I had the doors were wide open. There is alot to be said for taking a position to get started with a company and then find the job within the company you really want. Also noticed you are in TX. Another thing I am noticing today especially here in San Antonio is that certain companies will look towards a condidate that is bi-lingual. (English/Spanish)

Jennifer Sardam ⋅ Alexandria, VA U.S. Army National Guard, Sergeant ⋅ 17 years served

It really can depend on your skills. I do not have a completed degree, but quite a few college credits and many years of experience. I have experienced both sides of the coin. I have been working for 6 years on a contract, being paid fairly well, in a professional job that called for a Master's in the initial job description. However, through networking, someone who had a lot of faith in my abilities and potential, and hired me on for the position. However, now that that contract is ending, despite all of that experience, it is making it terribly difficult for me to find a comparable position. So it can work out, but chances are much better, obviously, w/the sheepskin.

Tom Yuhas ⋅ Bedford, OH Sparkle Wash International ⋅ 14 years experience

Staff Sergeant, Jeffrey Letheby, your best bet is to have someone already working at the company recommend you.

Blake Burns ⋅ Austin, TX www.Harris.com ⋅ 30 years experience

I've scanned the other responses and it seems you've received a wide range of very good feedback and direction. Overall and in general, you should continue to focus on increasing your education, so keep plugging and once your first degree is in place keep at the next one. Who knows, maybe your next employer will even cover the cost.

Assuming you follow the advice of the others regarding resume development/creation, the only other suggestion I have is to link your resume to your own website. Then, when sending out the resume in electronic format (PDF) you can direct the reader to your website with the click of a button. Your website could then include a lot more detail about your skills and experience, but also photos and images that will help personalize your "unique position."

Go to godaddy.com and buy a web domain closest to your first and last name. This will cost under $15 and you get a 5 page website free. There are many standard templates you can choose from and it is very easy to do, and if you have problems you can call godaddy for help at no extra cost, or I can find time as well (blakehb@gmail.com). Doing this will provide a good one-two punch and help to separate you from the others. Good luck!

Jack Venable ⋅ Denver, CO Air Force Veteran, Financial Advisor ⋅ 19 years experience

Like you've heard here before, don't downplay your experience. Employers are seeing more and more data that education level is not all that effective in determining a person's competence and ability. Having said that, I still recommend that you complete your college degree. The statistics are still very strong as far as higher income and much lower unemployment for those with college degrees.

Joshua Hampshire ⋅ Dallas, TX AT&T ⋅ 16 years experience

A college degree can trump experience in some cases, but not all. My advice is to be sure to list the things that set you apart from your peers on your resume. I've seen many resumes that simply list the tasks required in a job. A hiring manager is looking to hire a person and is not looking for a description of your last job. You must make yourself stand out among the many qualified candidates that are applying for the job. I recommend listing accomplishments that describe what you did in your job AND set you apart from the crowd. For example: "-Honored with the President's Award for Outstanding Customer Service and Sales: June 2014" or "-Successfully lead website development that resulted in $1.4 million annual savings through automation". Both examples describe some of the functions of the job, but also set you apart from the guy/gal that lists "-Responsible for meeting monthly sales targets and good customer service." or "Project managed website development." When possible tie a cost savings or revenue gain to your job to show that you understand the bottom line and bigger picture. Good luck!

June R Massoud ⋅ Burlington, VT School Boards/Teaching, Tutoring Business and Technical Business ⋅ 25 years experience

Work experience counts for a lot, with academic skills as a wonderful aide. Try to get your foot in the door of a company by not requesting a very high salary for starters, then work your way up once you're already in. This is the best advice I can give. Simultaneously, you may choose to take courses in your spare time. Best, June

KJ MacKenzie ⋅ Cincinnati, OH ⋅ 15 years experience

acting
opportunity cost

Dear Jeffrey
First off thank you for your service to the country!. I am very glad to offer some insight.
I would like to also say that although you may not have a "degree", to me and a lot of people you have something FAR more valuable than a degree. I know a very successful engineer who owner a business. The first thing he said to me was that he hires for attitude and THEN trains for skill. A smart man like him would hire you

Some things to consider about the degree.
Suppose you ar3 3/4 the way to getting it, or even half way there, probably worth getting it. If you are less than 25% completed consider this to help:
Figure out the Opportunity cost. That is what are you giving up - cost - to get that degree. Like the expression goes : Do The Math. In very simple numbers, If you are going to give up a full time job to get a degree at let us say University of Cincinnati ( where the full time tuition is 10,000_ What is he cost? A lot of people would say 10,000x4=40,000. But they didn’t consider that of you were making, lets say 40,000 at a job , then you are giving up that full time job,. Which is a loss of 40,000 x4 ( approximate ) which = 160,000. That is the opportunity cost. That is , what you gave up X to get Y. The consider the 40,000 tuition, then BOOKS ( another rippofF) !. So we are looking at upwards of 200,000. the question is will you make that back?
University of Cincinnati admitted - i heard from one of the student – that, of the tuition a student pays, 46% goes toward sports programs. The tuition is 10,000. So a poor student has to pay 4600 x 4years = $18,400 – that they don’t have – but banks will gladly lend-because the govt back the loans and the student cannot default on or go bankrupt and will be enslaved to the govt for this - for programs he and about 97% of other students will not benefit from !! What a rippoff!!! There a films on youtube.com that show how college for the most part is a scam and a ripoff. I’m not saying don’t go, just be sure you know what you are getting into and do the math!
If you decide to go to college then consider these:

It is very possible that some colleges may give you credits for some of your military background at least the electives. Electives I define as meaning the courses-that-are-not-part-of-your-major-that-Colleges-force-you-to-take-AND-PAY-$$-FOR-that-nobody-would-otherwise=take-because-there-is-little-need-in-the-real-world-for them but by YOU taking them they get government money and get to expand their little “empire” by-hiring-professors-full-time-who-teach-these--useless-courses- and-justify it saying "oh it will make you more well-rounded".
So if you go to the DEAN ( My Dad always said if you want action, go to the top) you may be able to get him to give you credit for courses that may similarly match some of the military training and experience you have. It is worth a try all he /she can do is say yes or no. That may save you some course expenses right there. And do it in person. Knock on his door, or find a way to talk to him in person. If you can dress up in your military formal wear or something formal enough that you are comfortable to show to him that you achieved something, that may also help. He has the power to waive your requirements.
If one turns you down, try another....especially a college that is desperate for students may be more willing to think outside the box.
Another thing to consider is that there are all sorts of computer needs out there that a short duration like 3-6 month certification can get you in the door. Eric Snowden i believe did not even graduate HS but got a good at a computer skill ( and I am not even sure if he got a certification ) and was making great money in his 20s! ( I wont comment on what he is doing now.) Companies pay good money for software skills. But get a skill set that is in demand – and in demand in AMERICA– not India like a lot of companies farm out their labor to. One way to get insight in skill demand is to type in a skill into dice.com Example: “Webmethods” brings up maybe 250 listings – (of which BTW has many dupes because same listing has 6 recruiters all competing for it). “Informatica” brings up 2500. So if you had to choose between the two, do Informatica. BTW, software courses can be expensive but are offered by people from India which will teach you online at a fraction the price. I found a great teacher for Informatica – process is450 versus 3000 in America. The cert test is 500. I work with a military guy who has this skill and he is making likely 65K/year and has no degree. Anyway I hope this helps. God Bless you in your pursuits. Feel free to fire me a question .
KJM

Sebastian Squire ⋅ New York, NY Bloomberg ⋅ 20 years experience

When I found myself in this position, I was told to reformat my traditional resume into a skills resume. There are all sorts of free templates on the internet; just google. What this does is it highlights what you can do, and doesn't go in calendar order.

Some people reviewing resume's might find this off putting, but others will spend more time looking at your resume because it is different.

Good luck.

Nicolas de Fontenay ⋅ Oceanside, CA Verimatrix Inc ⋅ 12 years experience

Having pass some interviews recently myself, I have found that if your resume presents skills which the company needs in the next 3 months to work on projects they might have at the moment, or problems you might help solve at the moment, it will get you noticed.

When you do get an interview, don't wait for questions and answer them. Engage them as a consultant seeking to understand what their issues are at the moment. Explain how they can be solved and how you would be relevant (past experience) in solving these.

Immediately since you can show clearly how you can help them immediately. You are on top of the pile.

I have found that companies are very short term when it comes to skill sets they need.

Bill Carpentier ⋅ El Dorado Hills, CA GlaxoSmithKline ⋅ 33 years experience

When you are attempting to get a job, you are in competition with whoever else is trying to get the same job. Having a college degree could, in some cases, be the deal breaker that separates you from your competition. So, it depends on the employers requirements, how flexible those requirements are vs their current need, and who you are competing with at any given time. You could be the "perfect candidate" - and probably are - for the right employer without the degree.
Having said that, your resume and interview(s) need to "play up" what skills you bring to the table relative to the job and downplay what you don't have.
In addition, sometimes getting an internship in the company you want to work for will give you a chance to showcase your skills and how you can help the company.The internship may not require a degree and, if you perform well, the company may be willing to send you to school for the job you want - or forego the degree requirement.

Dennis Sajdak ⋅ Tempe, AZ Healthcare consultant ⋅ 30 years experience

Companies are looking for what you can do for them. Taylor your resume to highlight positive outcomes of your work...not what your role was...quantify outcomes if possible. For example: Increase revenue by 25% by establishing performance metrics. Good luck.

Paul Crabtree ⋅ Mason, OH Procter & Gamble ⋅ 38 years experience

First, thank you for your service! As many have said before me, it is not always the degree that gets people noticed. Your experience, both with the Army National Guard and with the Fortune 500 company, are gateways to defining the skills - and the VALUE - you would bring to a company. Companies hire the people they believe will add the most VALUE, and it is not always a degree that defines that value. As you list the accomplishments you have, think about the skills that helped deliver those accomplishments, like leadership, the ability to develop diverse, collaborative relationship with your co-workers, the ability to apply what you've learned or how you learned something new to complete the mission, the ability to think and act decisively, the ability to embrace change and "think on your feet", and the ability to operate with discipline. These are all important skills that companies value. Make sure you leave no doubt about the skills you have developed. As I've interviewed candidates I have often found they have "the book knowledge", but may not have demonstrated the skills that would make them a good fit - and therefore, the right VALUE - for the opening. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Phil C. ⋅ Fort Worth, TX ⋅ 3 years experience

I don't think a college degree will trump your experience. However if you combine the two, you will be highly marketable and stand apart from your peers. I see you are in the Dallas area. That's where I started and finished college. There are great community colleges in your area with transfer agreements with major state schools. I went to Richland and then transferred to UT Dallas to finish up. Use those VA educational benefits. You've earned them!

Tyler Young ⋅ Lovelady, TX Modern Woodmen of America ⋅ 4 years experience

Jeff, as a managing partner/recruiter for a financial services organization, I do ask about a persons education level but a college degree is not required in my field. When I interview people I am more concerned with their work ethic, ambition, and desire to not only make money but to be in control of how much they make. I myself do not have a college degree. As far as your resume goes, list your education level but I would tell you that you should focus more on your accomplishments in the military and in business. I recruit all over East Texas including DFW and surrounding areas. I would be more than happy to look at your resume, interview you and tell you about the career opportunities in financial services and more specifically with my organization.

Todd Kruse ⋅ Santa Clara, CA Hewlett Packard ⋅ 12 years experience

Jeffrey, I will be glad to look at your resume and provide my advice as well (you can send it to me at krusetodd@yahoo.com ) Your question is what everyone struggles with as well...how to stand out and get noticed. I tell people that a degree may get you the interview (which is difficult in today's market depending on the job), but it's your appearance, interview skills, and demeanor that will get you the job. Some things that I think stand out on a resume are the additional skills and activities that are listed. If you show that you are seriously pursuing additional skills, knowledge, and experience, I think that goes a long way.

Patricia Sanderlin ⋅ Hempstead, TX HP ⋅ 20 years experience

Often a company is looking for someone to do something they are unable to do without that person and a college degree is not always the answer. I have seen many people get hired or promoted without a college degree because they emphasized what they have achieved and what skills they have.
In your resume, list accomplishments, such as what Mark listed above. Point out how you led teams or took leadership in a project and what you achieved and give it a metric or a number. Prove through demonstration that you are a doer and a leader and that can easily trump a college degree.
I really enjoy the book '60 Seconds and You're Hired' which explains this concept really well!

Tiffany Rodgers ⋅ Charlotte, NC General Electric ⋅ 4 years experience

Hi Jeffrey,

First off, thank you for your service! I agree with the previous advisors that is going to definitely depend on the industry you are interested in. I know from a Financial perspective, although it is usually desired to hold a bachelor degree in some related field, it is not necessarily a requirement if you come with background experience. I also believe that your past work experience with a Fortune 500 Company as well as management experience within that company could take you far. It may also be beneficial for you to seek out an employer who offers a Tuition Reimbursement program that may assist you in completing your degree.

I hope this helps and best of luck!
Tiffany

Susan Carr ⋅ Plainwell, MI General Electric ⋅ 30 years experience

Jeffrey,

I have the same question that others do; what industry or field are you interested in? Some areas of manufacturing do not require a degree for managers. Are you currently employed and looking to transition from your current position? What experience do you bring from your latest role? I have experience as a hiring manager and will be glad to take a look at your resume too. Please send to susan.carr@ge.com.

Best regards,
Sue

Bill Nobles ⋅ Basking Ridge, NJ Exxon ⋅ 30 years experience

Jeffrey, thank you for your service. I will be happy to review your resume—just email it to billnobles@optonline.net. As background I will be interested in your management experience with a Fortune 500 company which caught my eye in your initial posting—i.e. what were your responsibilities and how did you do? Also if the resume does not address the questions Aaron raised please cover those in your email—i.e. what type of job, role, industry are you looking for?

Monish Punjabi ⋅ Stamford, CT General Electric ⋅ 1 years experience

Hi Jeff,

I completely understand your predicament. The job market is very tough & competitive and the pool of candidates is huge. I personally feel that in order to get noticed in today's job market, you have to have a very strong resume. One has to put very serious thought into details that are included in the resume. Additionally, networking can really help with this job market. I think one does not need to give up and continue trying to be able to get the job one really wants. You should also try to attend career conferences that happen throughout the year. Many F-500 companies hire candidates on the spot and from what I know is that a lot of candidates with military service background are given preference over other candidates. Hope this helps.

Craig Lehman ⋅ Greer, SC General Electric ⋅ 24 years experience

Also, make sure you take advantage to using the college credits earned from your serice background. Depending on your experience in the service, you may be closer to a degree than you think. Best to have your career counselor or transition counselor advise.

Charles McGrue ⋅ U.S. Army Reserve, Captain ⋅ 21 years served

This is just my personal opinion. The degree can be very helpful for various reasons, but a lot depends on the knowledgebase of the individual. I managed to get jobs because of my education, but managed to maintain them because of my professionalism and hard work.

I agree that someone with adequate experience should not be discounted, because they can definitely bring a lot to the company. In addition, they are not swayed by what education can bring.

Regards...

Kevin McIntyre ⋅ Loveland, CO Ricoh Production Print Solutions ⋅ 30 years experience

To build on Andrews comment about attaining your degree, there are a number of universities that have degree completion programs. This is will they will accept tranfer credits (and some even count life experience) that will let you finish the degree without starting from scratch. These programs are all geared toward the non-traditional or adult student, and they take into account that you are not fresh out of high school. Almost all of the programs make it so you can acheive the degree online (or partly online), so you could be remote and still get a credited Bachelor's degree.

I actually went through this type of program at University of Denver. They call their program University College ( http://universitycollege.du.edu/ ). I definitely agree that your experience plus a degree wiil greatly enhance your marketability.

Aaron Spool ⋅ West Orange, NJ CIT ⋅ 11 years experience

Can you get into a part-time program, therefore you could put on your resume with the degree and an "expected" date? The only issue would this would have to be a night time program so as to not interfere with the day job. The only downside is that some employers don't want to hire part-time students since it could distract from the job. All in all, I'm a firm believer that unless you are running your own company, or are incredibly lucky, you have to "fit in" with others...especially if you want a standard corporate job.

What type of job, role, industry are you looking for?

Jeffrey Letheby ⋅ Rowlett, TX U.S. Army National Guard, Staff Sergeant ⋅ 16 years served

Makes sense. I am from the old school and always thought a degree was nessessary. Would you ar anyone you know of be willing to crytique my resume?
Can you tell me more about the AVID program mentioned in your profile?

Andrew Housel ⋅ Steilacoom, WA U.S. Army, First Lieutenant ⋅ 3 years served

In my opinion, don't discount your experience. Not all employers look only as far as your education level. In the current market, many college graduates are finding that they have the knowledge but not the experience that employers are looking for. That being said, a degree and your experience will make you a much more marketable individual. Depending on the employer they may be interested in hiring you on the condition that you will attain a degree in a specified amount of time.