Disclaimer: I'm a recruiter and have been since 1982 so I understand your question very well. Let me break it down this way. Your resume is a screening out device. Companies get tons of resumes so they're reading resumes with one question in mind, "Why don't I want to talk to this person?" That reduces their pile to a few candidates who hold the best chances of meeting their needs. So if you're getting interviews and your resume doesn't show a PhD then there's something else going on here. I say that because, just as a resume is a screening OUT device, the interview is a screening IN device. Once they've invited you to an interview then they've already concluded you have enough "on paper" to do the job. So when you're walking in the interview the only quesion they're really asking is "why should I hire you?" The person they hire will be the individual who addresses out they can best serve the company's needs.
My advice as a recruiter is to ask questions throughout the interview to identify their deeper needs. Believe me, the job description rarely resembles the truth so you'll want to probe for their hot buttons then sell directly to those issues. Don't allow the interview to feel like an interrogation, waiting for the end to ask questions. You'll go down in flames and end up being told "you don't have a PhD". Be respectful yet show your willingness to help them solve their problem.
My favorite question is: "What are the traits of the best person you've ever known in this role?" Everyone has a dream team in mind so it's important to figure out what traits they feel are necessary to succeed in this role. Keep in mind, this isn't a question about experience, backgrounds or degrees. See, I can always find a mediocre PhD with tons of experience so this isn't the holy grail. It's just what companies continue to think is best because IMO they don't know how else to write a job description that captures the essence of the person they need.
Best of luck, Gail Palubiak [email protected] Twitter: lehmangates
