9 Ways to Overcome Being Overqualified

Reader Comments
Back to blog

If I ran a company, I would hire only over-qualified people all the time. Some of them would leave, in fact, most of them would leave, but only at about the same rate that everyone else leaves, and the result would be that I would absolutely kill the competition.

Mike Allen of NY 6:23PM March 27, 2012

I must agree with several posts which highlight the steps suggested by the author as helpful, BUT, even though I have included most, if not all, of the tips in my search, I have been met with 'over qualification' discrimination. I'm not convinced that it is merely a trend in HR managers to be overly concerned of well-qualified applicants, but rather a generational issue that was recently pointed out in an article in the Wall Street Journal. In said article, it points up the Gen-Y views of older, more experienced members of society; and it is not positive. The prime area of focus was upon modern techology and its use. The younger folks feel the older folks are'nt proficient with its many forms; software programs to texting to iphones. They expressed a general feeling of superior skills set compared to the 'dinosaurs' that seek to compete against them in the job marketplace. Combine that point of view, coupled with positions of relative power (i.e. HR manager, etc.) and the results are self-evident. Case in point: post from "kumar of NY" on Dec 04,2009.
What they fail to have yet grasped is that "its what you learn after you know it all that really matters"!
We've all been there.

CJ of CA 2:44PM September 24, 2010

Everything Karen said in this article rang true, in my opinion. I'm totally "o," so I've done everything she mentioned. All good, but...
One thing needs to be emphasized - it still is who - and not what - you know. I've been looking since May, but the only gigs I've been able to land have been one day stands through a friend with an "in."
Get off your computer and meet the people who are hiring - many are not advertising on line. Go to your potential future employers. Spend money (if you have it), getting to know them as a customer. Press a lot of flesh and follow up. Sometimes if they aren't hiring, they know who are.
Stay positive. Visualize success. My faith sustains me. God bless and good luck.

of 1:45AM December 05, 2009

Interesting how the previous posters, well educated and qualified as they are,
do not seem to have spell check in their heads or on their computers...........?
And rude and incompetent HR people are not monopolized by Canada, but we do have more than our share !

robe 1:29AM December 05, 2009

i did my post gradution in hotel management, and i have 9 years experiance with food industry, my seniors nither have much knowledge nor that qualification even though they are on that position .i simply dont understand that how and why????????

kumar of NY 2:32PM December 04, 2009

I think in my openion Canadian HR guys are the worse you find in the world. They need to be trained and given a orientation withn regard to HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS.
They simply don't know to respond to an inquiry, most occassions they are rude and aggrasive when you call to follow-up. Very often the response is very abropt and short. They should realise that a job seeker is someone in need and that you should pay extra attention and show empathy extensively. This is how in my former company had our rules laid for the staff. Unfortunately Canada has a long way to go in that aspect and probably they should learn from Asians what courtesy is.

Tony de Livera of CA 3:41PM December 03, 2009

I'm now 52. I've got 27 years experience, a degree from a prestigious university, 2 board ceritifcations. I went through this "over-qualified-for-the-job" thing 3 years ago. But I landed in a small-town hospital in "the middle of nowhere" that had difficulty finding anyone (qualified or not) willing to relocate here. Because of that, they keep their pay scale very competitive with the "big city" hospitals that are 120 miles away.

Jim of ID 5:10PM December 01, 2009

I'm with Karen. If you point out the elephant in the room and address the fact that you bring more to the table than the position requires (nicely), you ease up a lot of potential tension. You might demonstrate to the hiring team an awareness of circumstances that could differentiate you from the others jockeying for the position.
May I also offer Tory Johnson's advice to older job hunters which gives some good practical advice as well. You can a video of he story at http://www.careerjockey.org/tori-johnson-good-morning-america-advice-for-older-job-hunters/.
This subject comes up frequently enough in my work with job seekers and is one you cannot avoid.

Jorge Lazaro Diaz of FL 7:02PM November 13, 2009

This is so true right now..."The overqualified stigma is less than it once was (so many people are out of work nowadays). Indeed, some companies frankly admit to using the current down economy to snag good help at bargain prices."
This isn't such a bad thing if you work it right. If you can enter a great, fabulous, amazing company today at a lower salary or position right now it may pay off when the economy picks up. Just be patient and when things look profitable and stable again it will be time to make your move toward a promotion or pay raise. Timing is everything. It's a tiny bit easier to get into the truly good companies right now if you're willing to sneak in the door for a little less.
I appreciate the "silver-lining department's" honesty and the helpful ideas.

GM in FL of FL 11:03AM November 12, 2009