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Reporter: Justin Schecker
Web Producer: Mekita Rivas

TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - A Tucson woman is a military veteran with nearly a decade of management experience and a master's degree. But with those qualifications, she can't find even entry-level work. She said companies keep blowing her off because she's too qualified. 

"The answer I keep on getting is that I am overqualified because I have a master's degree in organizational management," said job hunter Karol Davis. 

Last week during KGUN9's "Ask GMT" live Facebook chat, Davis asked: "How does one convince a potential employer that you are seeking this particular position for a reason other than desperation, and that you will be loyal to their organization?"

Davis has spent the past year searching for an entry-level job just to help pay the bills. She's making ends meet thanks to her Air Force retirement pay, but even that isn't quite enough to get by.

She doesn't want to have to go on unemployment because she said there are people who need it more than she does.

But she may have to soon. 

"It's getting very tight and it's getting to that point that I'm going to have to tap into those resources, absolutely," Davis said. 

What she's not willing to do is dumb down her qualifications just to get a job.

"I refuse to not disclose on my resume and on my application what my qualifications are," she said. 

Davis has applied for entry-level jobs all over town at places such as Walmart and Walgreens. She said she thinks one of the reasons they won't hire her is because they just assume she'll quit the minute she finds a higher paying job.

"What they don't understand is I'm not looking for a position at my level right now," Davis said. "I'm looking for an entry-level position that I can just go to work and come home."

Davis is not alone.

At the Pima County One Stop Career Center, Jim Mize said he sees plenty of laid-off workers applying for jobs in areas they've never worked in before.

His advice?

"You need to stress (that) this isn't the line of work I've been doing but I've proven myself as a manager, as an assistant and I can do that in any line of work," Mize said. "We tell them to look at transferable skills. What have you done in the customer service world? Stress that in your resume and in your interview process."

While Davis can tailor her resume for certain jobs, she said she's finding it tough to even get an in-person interview when many employers ask you to submit your resume online.   

"They just send you an email back and say you're overqualified for the position and you will no longer be considered," she said.