Dear J.T. & Dale: I enjoy reading your section in the paper. I always save it for last and drink my morning coffee while I take in the advice. I love that you give two different perspectives for each issue.

Here’s my question: I recently quit my job of eight years. I revamped my resume, and I think it looks pretty awesome. However, I am frustrated with the lack of response. The two companies that did interview me said that I am “overqualified.” Couldn’t they see that from my resume? — Maggie

J.T.: First off, thank you for the kind words. There are some people who get annoyed when Dale and I disagree, but we think it’s important to let people see both sides of issues, allowing them the freedom to choose mine.

Dale: I’m not going to disagree, and I don’t think we’ll be disagreeing about your resume, Maggie. You’ve gone to three pages, and that’s just too much awesomeness. Instead of employers thinking, “Wow, she’s got so much going for her,” they’ll subconsciously think, “She’s been so self-indulgent in doing her resume that she’s made my job tougher.”

J.T.: Hiring managers want to be able to get a sense of who you are by glancing at your resume for a mere 10 seconds. If they have to work too hard, they often put you in the “no” pile.

Dale: And the 10-second rule explains those two “overqualified” interviews — they were glancing at, not studying, your qualifications. However, if it happens again that you’re called in to interview for the wrong job, don’t get frustrated — get enthused. If you’re sitting down with hiring managers, you have a chance to “upsell” yourself, or to ask about other jobs in the company or about people they know in other companies. It might not be the break you wanted — but, hey, it could be a better one.

© 2008 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.