Seemingly unrelated qualifications in my CV. Best way to explain this to employers?

I Corps

tl;dr Did degrees that are seemingly unrelated to working in pharma quality control but have modules that are relevant to required duties. What's the best way to frame this to employers during an interview?

Hi all, after graduating I went on dole but wasn't able to find work mainly due to my work placement in a lab having fallen through. I applied for a Springboard course which is actually more related to manufacturing but I just applied there to avail of the work placement and give myself a second chance, which worked well thankfully. Then I applied for another Springboard course which is a part-time level 9 diploma although it was more of a document work and I thought I would get another work placement with it (false advertising I have to say). Now another year and I am doing another degree but this time it's full Masters and it's directly related to the analytical lab that I really want to be in.

Though I thought about it before, it became more elucidated to me that employers would probably think I don't know what I am doing in my life and probably thinking I am just collecting qualifications or something because I have seemingly unrelated qualifications under my belt. I mean, to be perfectly honest, because of my circumstances I have had little to no choice but do Springboard and hope to get work experience from those courses (obviously I can't say that during an interview though). I thought that the modules would speak for themselves on how they would be related or at least I would explain that to employers during the interview. But after having my CV checked and recalling back my past interviews, it occurred to me that it might not be that easy.

Henry Ford III

Emphasize what is relevant. Anything else can be referred to as "other knowledge and experience". Don't say you were unemployed. Say you went travelling to see a bit of the world.

I Corps

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Don't say you were unemployed. Say you went travelling to see a bit of the world.

I'm afraid it would be impossible for me to say this since two of my Springboard courses followed one from the other.

Diziet

You don't need to explain why you added to your breadth of qualifications. Concentrate on what a great fit you are for the job.

Love2love

Why would it be a bad thing to explain the springboard / work placement situation??

It's show strong commitment and work ethic. You could have sat idle but didn't. You took options that were even remotely related to your field. We've been through a recession and a time when work and work experience was hard to come by, this is what you did to overcome that.

griffin100

Nothing wrong with having different qualifications. Just be clear as to why you chose to do the courses initially and why you didn’t stay working in those areas. Also perhaps mention that you were making the most of your oppurtunities when unemployed rather than waiting for things to happen for you so we’re trying different things out. You should also be able to give some experience from the courses that will be of benefit or relevance on the role you are applying for if asked.

I once interviewed someone for a technical role who’s initial degree was in Fashion Design.

I Corps

Sorry for the late reply, my notification is somehow turned off.

Thanks for the encouragement from you all! I attended the work and interview workshops and went to the career service in my college and after some introspection, it dawned on me that perhaps I didn't look sure and confident of myself during my past interviews. I think I know now what I would need to do for the future!