More of a complain / rant.
I've been trained in Microbiology research, and have focus on cancer treatments and histology. Mind you, this is PhD level training and the program itself is sponsored by the state and has applicable credits to any accredited college. Also, there was no degree involved, only a certificate of completion which would, in essence give me access to wet work just about anywhere in the country.
The biggest issue is that, while I have the literal experience, accredited internship, and ability, most companies are focused on that stupid little piece of paper that says “I willingly went into 100s of thousands of dollars in debt just for the chance to work with you.” When in reality, using their own logic, they have someone who doesn't mind a slightly lower pay (because it will be significantly higher than what I'm making now), they have someone who's not in crippling debt (and therefore not likely to commit fraud or embezzlement), and is intelligent enough to complete the job as they have described it in their adverts.
How can one prove they can do a job without even having had an interview? The jobs I'm looking at are in the $35-$60 per hour range (for a Bachelor's!), and I'm only making $23. I'm not fighting for even higher pay because even their lowest range is higher than what I'm making by nearly 50% so money isn't an issue. I'm not looking for jobs that require a PhD though my experience would rightly qualify for jobs paying $100+ per hour. I try to convey this to those I've managed to get an interview with but they can't quite seem to articulate what about a PhD does for the person in the roles that I've applied for.
The most I get is that it's a requirement to show I can do the job. I then ask how did they come across my resume? No where on it does it mention PhD yet my experience and previous jobs contain all the hallmarks of someone who can (and has done) the job fairly well. I've even tried to reason with them from a business perspective in that I'm a low threat as far as crime, have a high credit score despite my intervening low wage jobs, and because I DON'T have a degree they are well within their rights to contract a lower pay grade, they save money on training, and in the long term they have a tiny profit margin just from my employment alone. They ask about my Business training and I told them that I took the classes but I'm more of an analyst and didn't like what my college offered then and dropped it 2 years in. As an adult I couldn't afford classes and maintain a household on my own so I took jobs that weren't in my field — because of the lack of degree– so each year gets more difficult to enter into my chosen the longer I am denied entry level related jobs.
What can I do?
Tl/dr: how can I prove I deserve at least an interview even though I don't meet an ostensibly arbitrary requirement?