Is "overqualified" overused?

At a seminar I conducted recently, one of the attendees was concerned that he had been turned down for jobs because he was "overqualified," so he was told. He couldn't understand why a company wouldn't hire him to take advantage of his additional skills. If he was willing to accept the salary of the lower level job, what was the real issue?

One must face that occasionally the term "overqualified" is a convenient escape word. Many hiring managers have difficulty with the process of turning down individuals they have interviewed. Most often, the reasons for the rejection are negative factors concerning the individual, and the hiring manager may fear sharing those negative perceptions and perhaps being drawn into a debate over them.

In other cases, though, the word "overqualified" masks more specific concerns. Perhaps the applicant has held more senior positions, causing the manager to question that person's effectiveness in a lower level assignment. Sometimes a manager believes that a person with more skills than necessary will soon seek other employment. Lastly, this label may be tagged on a person the hiring manager thinks will not respond well to supervision by a person who is perceived to be below his or her level.

What should you do when you hear "overqualified"? Move on. Don't try to debate your qualifications; they probably aren't the issue. If you hear that phrase often, there is probably a specific cause for continued rejection. We'll explore some of those in future isues.

I would like to offer a suggestion to hiring managers who use the "overqualified" rejection. I believe it is better to say, "We have other candidates under consideration that we believe offer a better potential for a match." In most cases, this will be true, and even if it isn't true when you say it, it is certainly your intent to find a better qualified candidate to fill the position.

Frank Schoff specializes in recruiting networking and telecommunications professionals at both the technical and managerial levels. If you are interested in discussing career opportunities, or if you need assistance with your recruiting efforts, or if you simply want to debate the merits of Frank's career tips, he would like to talk to you. He can be reached at (800) 892-4118.

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"Overqualified" is Not Necessarily a Proxy for Age Discrimination. From the Law office of Kauff, McClain & McGuire.