When you’re overqualified but really, really want (or need) the job, you may find yourself bumping up against scepticism from employers. Conventional wisdom may suggest that you’re either not serious about the role or won’t last because you’ll soon be bored and chafing for bigger, better things.
The reality is, whether it’s because of downturns in the economy or shifts in personal values, the career aspirations of many have been recalibrated.
So while you are not alone, in the interview room being too much of a good thing can work against you. Here are a few ways you might tailor your message:
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• Let them know this is a career move, not a “survival job” – focus on the new skills you will acquire in the role, and how important this is for your long-term goals.
• Money (and a title) isn’t everything – while you were a big fish in that other pond, maybe it also wreaked havoc on your family or your life and you are ready for a change. Make sure you don’t imply that you’re not ready to work hard. Of course you are. But now the opportunity for more balance in life is more important than the endless hours, tension, bigger salary and title.
• You love them for who they are – focus on the fact that you’ve targeted the company as much as the role, and you want to join their team. It is their employer brand as a great place to work that motivates you. Have your reasons ready. Maybe they are leaders in people management, maybe you share core values, maybe they are in an industry or field you aspire to.
Whatever you do, don’t despair. Many smart companies will leap at the chance to acquire discount talent. Show them your stuff, make new connections and accomplishments, and opportunities to resume your former career high will likely present themselves soon enough. The thing is, you may even find that you’re happier where you are.
Tracy Nesdoly
Hi Tracy, My problem is i have a MBA but less years of working experience and many people think that i would not stay long in their company. many have suggested that i take out my MBA from my Resume. Is that a good thing to do or not? and do you have any suggestion as to what I can do to get myself an interview.
I am experienced, university-educated, in my early 40’s, and attempting to re-enter the workforce after a prolonged absence. Needless to say, I am being passed over time and time again. Why should I be considered for a ‘McJob’ when there are hundreds of impressionable (very) young minds just waiting to be molded into the sort of blind automaton employers are looking for?
I am an experienced individual in my late 30’s and after sending out resumes and not getting any phone calls for interviews, I ended up removing my previous work experience and “downsizing” previous job titles that I held in the past on my resume.
Once, I had done that, all of sudden the calls started to come in and so did the job offers.
It is easier to move up in the company from within once you get your foot in the door.
I’m 55 and have a masters in information science, have run a successful retail busines for 15 yrs. before selling it. I haven’t had an interview in more than a year. The closest I get is a bounce-back ‘we got your resume’
I don’t even know where to start anymore and I think it’s going to be grocery check out before too long – if I don’t tell them my background.
I’ve done all the schoolling (Engineering / Tech / planner) , and the temp / contract jobs I need to be hired, I will be 50. I have revamped my resume and everyone tells me including potential employers that it is excellant. For 3 years now, I’ve searched for THAT job and now am searching for any jobs. Nothing. I have even sent out 2 types of resume, still nothing. I was even rejected by Walmart for my downsized resume. I have taken all the classes regarding interviews and rated excellent, and still nothing. I’m now weeding gardens below poverty level, and the snow will fly soon!
Well, it would even be nice to be told that I am overqualified. The current job market is such that
a) the most minute qualification or element of experience is absolutely relevant. Forget if you meet 85% of everything else. So how can one be overqualified in the first place?
b) Employers are rude. They will NOT tell you the real reason that you aren’t selected, if they even bother to tell you at all that you aren’t selected, even after interviews or jumping through other hoops in the process.
During my current job search I have had the suggestion that I am over qualified. But more so I have found even with jobs where you know that it would be a lesser job then what you want the employers have been low balling wages to recoup losses suffered when the market here was hot. And yet the cost of living here has not changed since the market was hot, so I think many employers are setting themselves up to have people job hop regardless if they are experienced or not just because of how they are treating the over abundance of workers. There should be a happy medium. Being overqualified actually can be sold as a plus if you write your cover letter to define that through your experience you can on board faster and take projects to completion quicker. This seems to be really enticing to employes who are financially strapped and can ill afford the training months.
Experience isn’t a bad thing if sold the right way. And yet I know of one company that refused to hire me to glean my plastics experience because they said I would leave. However, this same company is still struggling with production problems that I could have fixed because of their lack of vision to milk my experience. I knew going in that i would not be paid much. I actually think this kind of situation is going to happen more and more, experience often rears it’s ugly head in business as old problems re-occur and a company has to recognize the importance of knowing how to resolve these problems quickly or risk losing thousands of dollars in lost sales and the a more pertinent damage reputation.
I’m 50, a college educated, experienced admin asst recently unemployed. A great percentage of job postings now require less than 5 yrs experience, some with university degrees. Employers should not forget that mature employees = valuable knowledge + skills + experience, and adaptability. We have much to contribute!
Be aware that sometimes “overqualified” can be cover for discrimination against prohibited grounds. For example, instead of saying “we won’t hire you because you are disabled”, it sounds better (and less illegal) to say “we won’t hire you because you are overqualified”.
I am 35 and I read the article above the comments and I found some true things, human being wants better things in life, more money, more goods, more products, more pleasures but I ask this question: An stressing and bothering job worths to make personal dreams come true? One must asks what to do in life, how one is seen in the future, how to solve economic problems and what else? This is just about money, how do one wants to work for the money? Maybe this is philosophy but as long as one search the most enjoyable job or living manner, that will be another path to walk in life. Maybe we should change our minds to look for other goals.
An ancient aztec proverb:
Why do not you speak with your heart?
In nahuatl language: tleicanahmo ximoyolnonotzats
Good wishes from Mexico.
Alejandro.
I’m 53 and have a B.A. in Geography. I was never able to land a fulltime, permanent position with this degree and ended up working in office position – adminstrative support, mailroom, data entry, some I.T. helpdesk which I learned “on the job”. Unfortunately, due to restructuring, I lost a long time permanent position and have only managed to find short term contract work. I upgraded my skills seeking a Bookkeeping/Computerized Accounting position but lack experience. I’m getting nowhere with trying to gain experience and am quite over-educated when entry level positions are asking for only high school education. Is it a good idea to remove the B.A. information from my resume?
An interesting article, and I’m sure sound advice (although I have heard all of it before), but you are assuming that over-qualified people are even getting to the interview stage. Not so for me, at least. Any suggestions for even getting your foot in the door?
Canada is the only developed country where being highly educated works against you. I am sure the term “over qualified” is being used to segrgate against those academically gifted and academically ambitious. You have to be only have an average education for you to land a good job. I graduated in 2000 with a Masters in Economics, then graduated in 2003 with an MBA in Finance, I did a post grad diploma in Financial planning this year and aquired a CSC certificate – April this year, but all I am getting is factory jobs cleaning floors. I hope to be a CFA someday and the canadian system has it that if you are not employed in the financial sector you can not become a CFA. All white students I have studied with during my MA and MBA managed to secure employment within 6 months of leaving school – me an my fellow Black graduands are languishing doing menial jobs. Corporate racism is rife and if you are one of the black graduates facing such a problem, do not waste your intellect h!
ere – move over to a country that appreciates educated black people. Canadians are notorious for pretending to be racially tolerant when all they do is sweep race issues under the carpet. Imagine, not even one Schedule I, II or III banks are headed by a black person. Give me one financil institution headed by a black person in Canada. In USA we have black people on wall street – in Canada it is still a taboo to have a big financila instituion being headed by a Black person.
I have a Bachelor degree in Engineering, a MBA, Am licensed with the Professional Engineers association and I have Decades of very good project management and Business experience.
NO interviews and no one wants my help. I am a bit fussy as I require a resonable WORK/LIFE balance and I would rather live at home.
Funny how there are so many over-qualified (read: unemployed) tech workers in Canada and yet our federal government is providing funding to the ICTC to enable foreign-trained tech workers to work in Canada. Wonder why? Maybe Harper wants to punish the tech workers by transferring their jobs to the the foreign workers who will work for less.