Career Development Interview SeriesThere are job positions that are way too easy for you. It could be because of your education experience or you have the skills that could easily tackle that situation. In short, you are overqualified for that position. Based on your education, background and experience, you should be hired without any problem.
But you didn’t get the job because you’re overqualified. Instead of being happy to accommodate someone who could be in that position without any problem, they went for someone who could do the job in a satisfactory manner.
Hiring managers and head hunters often are in a lookout for someone qualified for the position. That means someone should have enough education and experience and anything below and beyond that should never be hired.
Reasons why Overqualified Candidates are not Accepted
Candidates who are overqualified are often not hired not because of the skills but because of the attitude of the employee once he or she starts in that job position. As a position that is too easy, the overqualified employee might get easily bored with the job. Instead of being productive for the company, the employee ended up being a burden.
The hiring managers are usually hesitant to hire someone who is overqualified because the employee might think that he or she is too “smart” for the position and starts bragging about it. The employee might overpower the less experienced and less educated supervisor if the supervisor doesn’t know how to handle superior employees.
Low salary would also cause discontent for those who are overqualified. But this is a rare problem for overqualified individuals because they know what they putting themselves into.
But the biggest reason why hiring managers do not want to hire overqualified individuals is the lack of loyalty. Overqualified employees might only use the job as a temporary position while looking for a better opportunity. This is possible because the candidate has the right skills and education for a better position and they might be using the money just to make ends meet.
Combating the Overqualified Problem
Setting things clear in your cover letter – before you even sit down for an interview; let the company know that you are aware of being overqualified. Clear things up that you understand that even though the company is looking for someone “less” that what you know, you are still interested with the job and could work better with lesser pay.
Assure them that you’re ok with the pay – you may negotiate but never ask too much. Remember that they will only hire you for specific tasks and not for your added skills and experience.
Be enthusiastic – being excited about the job position is infectious. If you could demonstrate excitement for the job, the hiring manager will most likely be interested in you.
Show them your dedication to the idea of teamwork – since you are working for a lesser position, your job would always involve a team. Demonstrate your dedication as a team player by presenting situations that you were with a team and worked your way together to increase productivity.
