What's the Big Deal About Being Overqualified?

Scouting through job listings, you spot a position in your field. The prospective employer is looking for somebody with a bachelor's degree and four years of relevant experience. Having a master's degree and seven years under your belt, you hurry to apply, figuring that your higher credentials will at least score an interview.

But your phone never rings.

Instead of working to your advantage, being overqualified for a job can be a red flag that keeps employers from wanting to know you better. While it may be difficult to overcome their objectives, knowing the basis for their concerns can help make your job search more fruitful (and perhaps make rejection more palatable).

The money issue

When Charlotte Tomic moved to Florida about three years ago, she applied for various junior public-relations positions because of the lack of openings for senior professionals in her field. Due to the experience shown on her résumé, she found employers weren't interested.

"There's never even been a discussion except for one job where I was actually offered the position," Tomic says. "They said they knew I was overqualified, but they needed help. I was willing to take the job, but it made no sense because of the salary. It wasn't paying enough to leave my freelance solo practice."

Money is a key reason people work. Even if you are willing to settle for a lower salary because of the tough economy, employers worry that you will jump ship as soon as you find another position offering compensation more in line with what you are used to earning.

Other strikes against the overqualified

According to Duncan Mathison, co-author of "Unlock the Hidden Job Market: Six Steps to a Successful Search When Times Are Tough," hiring managers ask themselves three questions:

1. Does the person have the ability and skills to do the job?

2. Is the applicant motivated to do the job in that it meets her needs, interests and values?

3. How will this candidate fit into the group, the organizational structure and culture?

While you clearly may have the skills, a lower job means that the number of competitors who are also qualified is greater than if you were applying for a higher position. The sheer number in the applicant pool can work against you.

Likewise, Mathison says, "Questions two and three could work against you because the hiring manager will assume on the long term the lower-level job will not meet your needs or you won't fit into the structure. The manager might also feel threatened if you are qualified to do his job."

Easing fears -- and getting hired

Ford Kanzler of El Granada, Calif., has been told that he was overqualified many times during his 30-plus years in technology public-relations management. In one instance, though, he was able to turn that potential negative to his advantage.

"I told the hiring manager, 'I agree. I'm more than qualified for the job, but that means I'll be able to come in, hit the ground running, create desired results in a short time and require virtually zero management. I can operate as your wing man, and together we can really get the job done fast and well.'" Kanzler landed the job and worked for the company for several years.

Mathison agrees that sometimes it pays to get the issue on the table and ask the prospective employers if they see any pluses to your candidacy based on your higher qualifications. "Tell them that you too had concerns that the job might not be a fit but applied because factors beyond the title were important to you. Promise that if at any point you feel the job appears too low or not one where you will bring the full engagement needed to excel in the position, you will withdraw your candidacy. Your willingness to walk away tells them you are motivated if you stay in the game."

Tailor your résumé

Finally, remember that a good application for any position should be created to match the employer's needs as closely as possible. While experts generally don't recommend lying or "dumbing down" a résumé, simple (yet truthful) changes can make you a more desirable candidate.

A few edits to consider:

• Changing terminology, if appropriate (for example, "manager" can become "project team leader" to match the language of the job description).
• Shortening years of service by dropping early jobs if the years sound too long.
• Toning down executive-sounding titles, especially if inflated (for example, calling yourself by a managerial title rather than showcasing that you were vice president in a company with only five employees).
• Dropping a degree in favor of an "Additional Professional Training" statement describing topics on which you have advanced knowledge.

Hopefully, the result will be the greatest change of all -- a foot in the door.

Get the latest job search news and advice on CareerBuilder.com's job blog, "The Work Buzz," and follow us on Twitter @CBforJobSeekers.

By Beth Braccio Hering, CareerBuilder Writer

Developing Your Selling Points

Imagine you are an advertising executive assigned the task of getting people to try a new soft drink. Before you pitched the product to consumers, chances are you'd examine the item carefully. How does it taste? Is it lower in calories than other beverages? What features distinguish it from other drinks?

The process is much the same for job seekers -- only this time you are both the marketer and the product being peddled. Before trying to "sell" yourself to prospective employers, it is worth taking time to evaluate your attributes and the best ways they can be presented.

Pinpointing strengths
Experts agree that honest self-assessment is paramount when seeking to identify your selling points. Enlisting the help of a few trusted friends and colleagues who know you well also can be helpful, but ask them to give specific examples to back up the strengths they list. (Evidence will help keep the comments truthful rather than just supportive or nice.)

Paul Klein, director of the career services center at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio, suggests making a list of all the job responsibilities that you've had, no matter how many or few times you've done them. "For example, if you work at a fast food restaurant and spend 99 percent of your time flipping burgers, it's still very important to include the other 1 percent of your job, which might entail opening or closing the store or taking money from the cash register to the bank. Although this only counts for 1 percent of your job, it's extremely important, as it indicates a level of management skills, trust and responsibility."

Presenting your information
While you might be an excellent typist, an employer looking for an experienced cook is probably not going to care. Worse yet, skills that would have made a hiring manager take notice may be lost within a sea of information.

Instead of a cover letter that could be used for 25 different jobs or a résumé detailing every experience you've ever had, focus on the skills that pertain to the job in question. Take cues from the job ad as to what might be important, and show with positive language and concrete examples how your strengths match the employer's needs. To say you have great writing skills is one thing. To state that you helped your last employer achieve greater communication between departments by creating a monthly newsletter is another.

Klein offers these tips to further help job seekers trying to decide what to include:



If you work for a name brand employer (IBM, Microsoft) that should get highlighted on your résumé.

If you work for a solid employer with a great reputation in the field that you're going into, that should be highlighted.

If you're working for an organization that no one's heard of, emphasize the position, its responsibilities and your accomplishments.



Selling yourself at the interview
Sara LaForest, co-founder of Kubica LaForest Consulting (a management consulting and performance improvement company serving clients nationwide), notes that when your application leads to an interview, consistency across your verbal and written presentation is essential. She recommends seeking a trusted friend or coach to help with a practice interview in which you "articulate your strengths as aligned to the prospective role and use specific evidence (behaviorally-based examples) that demonstrate the outcomes of your skill strengths."

"Practice responding to questions that focus on your strengths, why you would be good for this job and 'why should we select you'- type questions," LaForest says. "Practice responding in a conversational tone -- even if the question surprises you. Exuding a calm confidence, discussing your strengths and reinforcing them in a matter-of-fact way with evidence to support your statements is powerful."

Making the sale
A last thought to consider: Just as you would be leery about a product making too many claims, so might a person making hiring decisions.

"Sell yourself responsibly," LaForest cautions. "Nobody likes a pusher. Specific to selling yourself to prospective employers, ensure you clearly understand their needs and priorities. Do this by listening sincerely and asking clarifying questions. Listen first -- and more than you talk."

By Beth Braccio Hering, CareerBuilder Writer

Get the latest job search news and advice on CareerBuilder.com's job seeker blog http://www.theworkbuzz.com/ and follow us on Twitter @CBforJobSeekers.

Why Your Job Search Is Not All About You

We all get calls from telemarketers. Their generic, impersonal sales pitches typically yield responses like: "Really? Why would I let you spend 10 minutes telling me about your vacuuming services? I have a vacuum cleaner in the closet." Click.

Chances are you have received this type of call. And chances are you have hung up before you even know what the caller has to offer.

Were the vacuum company to peek in your window for a few hours (creepy -- but go with me here) they'd find out you were a single parent with three kids, two shedding cats and a bad case of seasonal allergies. With this new background information, the call might go something like:

"Hello Ms. Murphy! Since you're so busy you barely have time to vacuum these days, I'll send my professional cleaning service to your home. In addition to saving you time, our filter-equipped vacuums will get rid of the pet hair on your furniture and decrease the amount of airborne allergens in your home!" Since the telemarketer just solved three of your most pestering problems, you're probably more inclined to listen to his or her sales pitch.

Vacuum cleaners and allergies aside, applying to a company without targeting your application to its needs is a lot like making a random courtesy call. Employers aren't going to pay attention to you unless they know what you can do for them.

Solve a problem, land a job

"You have a job for one reason: to solve a company's problem," says Debra Benton, author of "Lions Don't Need To Roar" and "The $100,000 Club." "You do not have a job because you need or want one; that is irrelevant to the marketplace." That means you need to stop focusing on what your strengths are and start focusing on how your strengths can help the company you'd like to work for, Benton suggests.

Putting it all out there -- strategically

Rich Dukas, president and CEO of Dukas Public Relations, says that targeting your cover letter to address the needs of each company you apply to is the only way to get noticed. "Specificity rules," he says. "I am impressed when a candidate spends the time to learn about our firm and tells me in a cover letter and interview how they would directly contribute to our business. Generic cover letters don't cut it."

Using employer-centric language when applying to a position can also help, Benton advises. "Every part of your communication should be them-oriented instead of you-oriented, from the first word in your cover letter," she says. "Instead of writing, 'Dear Mr. Smith, I'm interested in a job at XYZ ...' your letter should start with 'Dear Mr. Smith, You have an exciting position at XYZ that I'm interested in ...'. Just making the first word 'you' versus 'I' is the start of a myriad of ways to be company-oriented."

Tina Chen, director of operations at Carlisle Staffing in Illinois, says today's tough job competition makes it especially necessary to focus your job search on the needs of employers and how you can make their organization a better one. "Employers are no longer just looking for 'qualified candidates' but rather those who will go above and beyond to justify their seat, so job seekers really need to stay ahead of the curve and lay their best assets on the table," Chen says.

The bottom line: Employment is a relationship

Although it is important for your communication with a prospective employer to stress how your skills can meet its needs; employment is ultimately a relationship, and you still need to keep your own interests in mind.

"Take a step back, assess the potential employers that you would like to work for, do your homework and decide if there could be a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship. Look at it as 'job dating.' In order for the relationship to work, both parties have to bring something to the table," Chen advises.

Kurt Weyerhauser, managing partner at Kensington Stone, an international search firm in California, also compares employment to a long-term relationship. "It's like a marriage of sorts," he says. "Most of us who are married realize that we wouldn't be married if leading up to the wedding it had been all about –'me' or, for that matter, all about my spouse's interests. The key is to understand that while your primary interest is you, it's not your sole interest."

By Kaitlin Madden writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, "The Work Buzz." She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Should You Leave Your Cell at Home During an Interview?

True story:

After a move to a new city, I finally land a job interview after weeks of sending out résumés. The company offers good pay and great benefits -- not to mention that the job is right up my alley and right down the street from my apartment.

The interview is humming along nicely, when "BLEEP BLEEP BLEEEEP! ... BLEEP BLEEP BLEEEEP!" My interviewer is mid-question when she jumps out of her skin at the sound of my cell phone loudly ringing from my purse. I could have sworn I'd shut it off.

I spend the next 20 seconds rifling through my bag to find the offending device and another 10 seconds powering it off. As I apologize and refocus my attention on the interviewer, I can tell our whole vibe is off balance. She is clearly annoyed and I feel like a fool (both of which are total confidence killers). In case I left any doubt in your mind, I was not called back for a second interview.

Lesson learned: Don't let your cell phone get the best of you.

"In many cases, attitude trumps aptitude when it comes to candidate selection. Bringing a cell phone with you says a lot about your attitude," says Laurent Duperval, president of Duperval Consulting in Montreal. "It sends the message that your focus will not be on your job. If I, as an interviewer, can't get your full attention for a few minutes, what will it be like once you have the job? "

Chris Laggini, vice president of human resources for information-technology service provider DLT Solutions, echoes Duperval's sentiment, saying, "Bringing or using a cell phone or BlackBerry during an interview would only indicate to the interviewer a general lack of respect and good judgment, and would indicate that they would exhibit the same behavior during working hours if they were to be hired."

Laggini adds that the only acceptable reason for bringing a cell phone to an interview is if you need to be connected to receive an emergency call of some kind. In that case, he suggests that you discuss the matter with the interviewer beforehand.

So what's the best way to make sure your phone doesn't interrupt your interview? Leave it at home or in your car. That way, you'll be assured that your phone won't disrupt your interview.

If you have other obligations that day and can't leave your phone at home, or if you take public transportation and can't leave it in the car, at least make sure you turn your phone off before going into the interview. Sue Thompson, a career consultant and founder of Set Life Free Seminars, provides the following advice to her clients: "Become proficient with your phone's voice mail setup so you are able to quickly record a new voice mail [greeting] as you go into a meeting or interview, something along the lines of, 'I'm about to go into a meeting. I will return your call by 4 p.m.' Then turn it off."

Despite our best intentions, though, sometimes -- like in my own interview -- plans go awry. Should your cell phone unexpectedly ring in the middle of your conversation, Duperval advises that you apologize and quickly silence the phone or turn it off. "Most phones have a button that allows you to send the caller to voice mail or to silence the phone immediately. As long as you don't answer the phone or say, 'Oh! I have to take this,' the interviewer should understand," he says.

By Kaitlin Madden writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, "The Work Buzz." She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

Putting Yourself in the Interviewer's Seat Can Give You an Advantage

By Alison Craig, author of "Hello, Job!"

What did you think of your last interviewer? Did you feel as if you were mortal enemies? Or were you on the same team? I know that can sound extreme, but many people view a job interview as a fight or a competition -- a duel of wits. Actually, it's just a conversation and collaboration to find the best candidate for the job.

So have you ever thought about the job interview process from the interviewer's perspective? As a job seeker, you are more concerned about yourself and your personal needs. That is natural, but this selfish attitude could stop you from getting what you need and want: a job.

A job interview is like a graceful dance in which two people come together and find out whether they are in sync. There are three main components to all job interviews at any level:

1. Your personal agenda.

2. The company's agenda.

3. The common ground you both stand on.

Now here is the thing: The interviewer already sees and understands all sides. And if you as the job seeker can see the different sides as well, you could have an edge on your competition. You'll be able to communicate more effectively about how you can help the company and how you are the perfect fit for the position.

First think about that common ground. What do you and the interviewer have in common? To begin with, you both want to fill the position. You both want to be working rather than looking for that right fit. See yourself as being on the same side as the interviewer. The more you can find out in your research about the company (and the specific interviewer when possible), the more common ground you are likely to find.

Next, think about the motives: yours and the company's. Have a clear idea about what you are looking for and why you're well-suited for the job. That sounds obvious, but if you're coming from a desperate any-job-will-do place, you won't be convincing.

What is the company's agenda? There will be specifics for each job, and remember that all companies are looking for two things: flexibility and loyalty.

How flexible are you? Are you willing to take on new tasks to help the company or are you only going to do what is strictly written in your job description? The more you're willing to grow and stretch as the company grows, the more valuable you will be.

Loyalty also matters. As much as you don't want to keep looking for a job, a company doesn't want to keep training new employees. It's costly to keep replacing and retraining. So if you are loyal by nature, and you want to grow with a company and be there through thick and thin, then you are an ideal candidate.

So is that the end of it? Know what the company wants and mirror it, right? Not so fast! If you don't have qualifications, or you don't believe in the mission of the company, be honest and upfront. That will make you memorable, you both will know where everyone stands, and you won't waste each other's time. You're helping the employer find the right person for the job, and if you aren't it, simply say so.

It might be tempting to say whatever will land you any job, but by lying, you could you get stuck in a job that isn't right for you and end up looking for a job all over again. What's even more likely is that you won't land the job anyway. Your body language, that nonverbal communication, will rat on you. There's even a TV show on the Fox Network about this very thing, "Lie to Me." You may lie with your words, but you cannot lie with your body.

So what is your personal agenda? Do you want the job or just the money? When you apply for a job, are you thinking about how you can help the company and whether you're just what they are looking for? Companies want people who want to work, want to grow, want to help and want to be proactive. If you are such a person, it will show.

So as you prepare and polish for your interview, practice seeing yourself from the other side of the desk, and go in knowing that you and the interviewer are on the same team, simply finding the right match for the job.

25 Best-Paying Jobs for Women

By Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder Editor

When you look at Forbes magazine's most recent list of highest-paid CEO's (chief executives of the 500 biggest companies in the United States), you won't see a woman until No. 48: Irene B Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods. In a country where women make up 47 percent of the workforce, women make up just 3 percent of Fortune 500 CEO's. In addition, women who worked full time earned an average of just 80 percent of what men earned in the same positions in 2008, according to the BLS.

But is salary disparity between genders the issue or is it something deeper?

In the Harvard Business Review blog, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox wrote: "Women represent one of the world's biggest and most under-reported opportunities. The business world has been so focused on stories like the rise of China that it has not been invited to see that, much closer to home, business could be reaping the benefits of the rise of women. Companies -- and their business school feeders -- have been slow in adapting and profiting from this shift, and part of the reason is that media too often focus on small, sensational and misleading parts of the story, including aspects like the wage gap."

Catalyst's February 2010 Pipeline's Broken Promise report examining high potential graduates from top business schools around the world found that, even after taking into account experience, industry and region, women start at lower levels than men, make on average $4,600 less in their initial jobs, and continue to be outpaced by men in rank and salary growth. Only when women begin their post-MBA career at mid-management or above do they achieve parity in position with men -- a situation that accounted for only 10 percent of the women and 19 percent of the men surveyed.

Whatever the cause, the BLS reports there are only a handful of occupations where women's earnings are equal to or exceed men's including construction and extraction occupations; special education teachers; installation, maintenance and repair occupations; life, physical and social science technicians; and counselors.

We wanted to know, what jobs pay women the most money? Here are 25 jobs where women earn $1000 a week or more, according to the BLS. One thing to note is that they all earn a fraction of their male counterparts.

Pharmacists
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,647
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,914
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 86.1%

Chief executives
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,603
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,999
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 80.2%

Lawyers
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,509
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,875
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 80.5%

Computer software engineers
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,351
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,555
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 86.9%

Computer and information systems managers
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,260
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,641
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 76.8%

Physicians and surgeons
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,230
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,911
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 64.4%

Management analysts
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,139
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,391
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 81.9%

Human resources managers
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,137
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,433
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 79.3%

Speech-language pathologists
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,124
Men - Median weekly earnings: *
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: **

Computer and mathematical occupations
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,088
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,320
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 82.4%

Computer scientists and systems analysts
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,082
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,240
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 87.3%

Physician assistants
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,077
Men - Median weekly earnings: **
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: **

Medical and health services managers
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,066
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,504
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 70.9%

Physical scientists, all other
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,061
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,535
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 69.1%

Postsecondary teachers
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,056
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,245
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 84.8%

Marketing and sales managers
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,024
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,601
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 64%

Physical therapists
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,019
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,329
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 76.7%

Occupational therapists
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,016
Men - Median weekly earnings: **
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: **

Registered nurses
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,011
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,168
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 86.6%

Managers, all other
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,010
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,359
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 74.3%

Psychologists
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,004
Men - Median weekly earnings: **
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: **

Computer programmers
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,003
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,261
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 79.5%

Architecture and engineering occupations
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,001
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,286
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 77.8%

Advertising and promotions managers
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,000
Men - Median weekly earnings: **
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: **

Education administrators
Women - Median weekly earnings: $1,000
Men - Median weekly earnings: $1,398
Women's earnings as percent of men's in same occupation: 71.5%

*No data or data that do not meet publication criteria.

** Data not shown where the male employment base is less than 50,000.

Kate Lorenz is the editor for CareerBuilder.com and its job-seeker blog, www.TheWorkBuzz.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow CareerBuilder on Twitter www.twitter.com/CBforjobseekers.

Why Do Employers Care About Your Credit?

By Rachel Farrell, CareerBuilder.com writer

When you're looking for a job, you're probably not thinking about your credit score.

But, you might want to start.

Though many people argue that credit scores have nothing to do with their capabilities on the job, some employers say differently. Sixty percent of employers recently surveyed by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) said they run credit checks on all or some potential new hires. That's up from 43 percent in 2006 and 25 percent in 1998.

Opinions on whether or not this is fair vary. Supporters of credit checks don't think it's any different than checking a candidate's references. But opponents see it as unfair -- especially in this economy. And rightfully so. Medical issues, divorce or a job layoff and subsequent missed bills can wreck an otherwise perfect credit score in an instant.

"There are lots of good reasons not to hire someone. Usually, bad credit alone isn't one of them. And yet, it's become the reason du jour, to disqualify an otherwise highly qualified person to do a job they're particularly well suited for," says Milan P. Yager, president and CEO of the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations. "As job fields become closed and increasingly competitive, you can bet that more employers are utilizing credit check options than ever before."

So, why do employers look at your credit history?

The reasons vary. Sometimes it may be because of the nature of the position to which you're applying.

"Certain categories of employers regularly review credit histories [such as] banks, brokerage houses, government and other financial institutions. Evaluation of credit history is [also] frequently applied to accounting and money management positions where there is potential for fraud and embezzlement," says Wendy Powell, author of "Management Experience Acquired." "Employers have a responsibility to assure that the proper due diligence is applied. Be prepared for the possibility of a credit review, not only in the application process, but also throughout the employment relationship."

Other employers look at credit histories in order to separate one candidate from another.

"Credit report information is an excellent data point when comparing and contrasting two or more candidates for the same position," says Jay Meschke, president of EFL Associates, an executive search company. "If, for example, an applicant reports a significant level of personal debt obligations or credit delinquencies that might distract that person from his or her job responsibilities, then a hiring entity may take that information into consideration when comparing such an applicant to another comparative candidate without such distractions."

Or, maybe a company just wants to get a better idea of the person it's considering to hire.

"Financial information may not be the employer's priority. Insuring that your employees are responsible and ethical is a must," Yagar says. "Relying on character references is becoming less reliable than verifying records and professionally screening workers beforehand. It's true that credit checks can verify demographic and location information. They will include identifiers such as name, spouse, social security number, alias, address, phone and previous employment."
Barry Maher, author of "Filling the Glass," adds that a credit report can provide a snapshot of a person's economic life that may confirm or contradict the résumé.

"Perhaps someone claims they made a good six-figure income for the last 10 years yet they show repeated credit problems during that period. Are they lying about their income? Are they poor money managers? Do they have a major financial issue that's draining their resources? Any of these might (or might not) have a negative effect on their job."

The Fair Credit Reporting Act governs almost all issues related to the use of credit reports. Job applicants have the right to a copy of his or her credit report, and law requires the hiring entity to provide a copy to the job applicant. In addition, if an employer decides not to hire a candidate based on the results of a credit report, the candidate must be told the reason why and be provided with the credit report information.

Job seekers must be prepared with how to deal with a potential employer looking at their credit report.

If you have a less than stellar credit score, here are three things you can do:

1. Be prepared for the scrutiny

"Just as you would if showing your home to a prospective buyer, tidy up your credit record before you put your career on the market," Yager says. "Know your credit score, and examine your credit record. If there's an error, U.S. residents can visit the Federal Trade Commission's website to learn step-by-step how to dispute and correct the error. But keep in mind, there is no quick fix that instantly raises a credit score so have some patience."

2. Bring up issues on your own

"As an applicant, if you've got credit problems and the company asks permission to run a credit report, you're far better off if you bring up any issues they're likely to uncover proactively, getting out your side of the story before the company even realizes there is a story," Maher says. "A lot of people have problems with their credit, particularly nowadays. But you need to control the story, not let the credit reporting company control it. Hiring companies understand no applicant is perfect but they want to understand that imperfection, whatever it may be."

3. Realize you're not alone

"In most cases, a degradation of credit history is a slow process and would most likely affect those candidates that have been out of work the longest the most. Remember, if your credit history has been damaged, you're in the same boat as countless job candidates. And don't forget, it's a huge boat!" Powell says. "Employers have a responsibility to hire the most competent and qualified candidate. Be prepared and have a plan."

Get the latest job search news and advice on CareerBuilder.com's job seeker blog www.TheWorkBuzz.com and follow us on Twitter @CBforJobSeekers.