How to Overcome Being Overqualified

Have you ever gone through the interview process, felt confident that you'd performed extremely well, and then heard these dreadful words: "I'm sorry, but we feel you're overqualified for this position."

Arrggh!!

When I was told that after an interview, several thoughts went through my frustration-fogged mind... What kind of crazy excuse is that for not hiring me? So what if I'm 'overqualified' -- don't employers always want to hire the person with the best qualifications? If I'm willing to take this job, overqualified or not, why is that a problem? This isn't fair! What's the real reason they don't want to hire me?

When interviewers say you are "overqualified," here's what they are concerned about:

(1) You'll be bored in this position;
(2) You won't be satisfied with the salary they're offering;
(3) You'll leave as soon as you get a better opportunity;
(4) They'll have to go through the time-consuming and expensive process of hiring and training someone all over again.

They may or may not make you feel better about being "overqualified," but you must admit those are legitimate concerns.

If you get the "overqualified" excuse once, you'll be wary about getting it again. So if you apply for other jobs that may be at a lower level than warranted by your background, skills, education and experience, you may be tempted to "dumb down" your resume and omit things like college degrees. But lying about your background is not the way to go.

Here's a better strategy: address it head-on. Be the first one to raise the "overqualified" issue with a potential employer. If you bring it up yourself, you can discuss it openly and convince the interviewer that it
won't be a problem.

They key -- as with every job interview issue -- is to anticipate and prepare. Before you go to the interview,think about what you'll say and how you will convince them that they should hire you, even if you are "overqualified."

After explaining how you will be a great asset for their company, tell them why you are applying for a lower-level position. Do not say, "I can't find anything else and I really need a job." Though that may be the case, this approach is a little too honest and will reinforce their fear that you will leave
at the first opportunity.


Say something like, "You can tell that I've worked at a higher level before, but this position is exactly what I'm looking for." Then, depending on the job and your circumstances, explain why. For example:

• "I've always wanted to work for your company [or in this industry], and I'm willing to take a lower-level position to get that opportunity."

• "It will allow me to use my skills and expand my experience in a new field."

• "I'm looking for something a little less stressful, with fewer responsibilities, so I can spend more time with my family."

• "This position provides the stability and long-term growth potential I'm looking for."

• "The salary is not my top priority. I'd have no problem with earning less than I've earned in the past."

Be very enthusiastic about the job. Explain how you can meet their needs now and in the future as the company grows. And most important of all, convince them that you will not quit as soon as something better comes along.

If you are convinced that this job would be worth it, you might even try this: offer to sign an agreement stating that you will stay on the job for a minimum of 12 months. Whether the hiring manager actually takes you up on that offer or not, it will definitely make a very positive impression!

If you anticipate the "overqualified" issue and address it up front, it will not be a drawback to your success!

Bonnie Lowe is author of the popular Job Interview Success System and free information-packed ezine, "Career-Life Times." Find those and other powerful career-building resources and tips at her website: http://www.best-interview-strategies.com.

More Resources

How to Deal With Workplace Inflexibility
You've been a model employee: responsible, industrious, creative and productive. You've gone the extra mile time and again, with a smile.
Hot Business Trends for 2004? And Beyond: Maybe One Will Turn Into a Creative Business Idea for You
I always look forward to the December issue of Entrepreneur magazine. That's the issue that features the publisher's annual pick of hot businesses, markets, and trends for smart entrepreneurs - or those who aspire to be.
When Your Job Goes Away: Seven Tips
Q. "What do I do after a job goes away?"A.
Occupational Health and Safety - Stress and Workaholism at Work
There has been a lot of hullabaloo recently about the problems facing Australia in retaining talented workers and the subsequent pressure placed on those remaining behind in the workplace.The incidence in stress claims is rising and is having an impact on the economy and enterprises in general.
Formal Business Attire is Making a Comeback
The dot com boom of 1990s brought with it a laissez-faire attitude to dress code. Business casual was not a word that was part of our daily vocabulary.
Learn Some Useful Feng Shui Career Tips
As it does with every main life aspect, feng shui also provides tips and guidelines to help you improving your career. If your career is not moving on in the way you wish, that is due to a lack of balance and harmony within your environment and the elements that affect it.
Job Hunting Tips: Accepting Judgment
Applying for work is stressful, no matter the circumstances. Even if you are already working, and merely looking to see what else is out there, you still want to be offered the position.
Ask the Recruiter
We all have career goals, big or small. Here are some questions I have recieved over the last month from those actively seeking new employment.
How to Write a Resume That Stands Out From The Crowd
Today's job market is competitive. Many companies receive hundreds of resumes a year, making it difficult for yours to stand out from the crowd.
Interview Quicksand
How will you respond when you're asked the following two questions?1.What type of boss do you like to work for?2.
My Landscaping Business is Better Than Your Lanscaping Business...
Yesterday I was having a discussion with Mary who I know from a mother's group that I attend with my daughter Sammi. Through previous conversations I have determined that this woman is very talented in the areas of landscaping and interior design.
Self Describing Skills - Key Strengths
You need to be the best you can at describing your best qualities; particularly your key strengths. In my coaching practice I generally, at some point, ask my client: "What are you good at?" purely as a means to establish if they have already thought through this most important question.
One Cover Letter Secret You Cant Afford To Miss
Suppose you were the hiring manager, your desk piled high with cover letters and resumes to sort through. Which of the following cover letter greetings would grab your attention?Example #1:Dear Sirs: Dear Sir/Madam: Dear Gentlemen: To whom it may concern:Example #2:Dear Manager: Dear HR Director: Dear Human Resources:Example #3:Dear Mrs.
Unemployment Survival: Taking Back Control
One of the most emotionally crippling aspects of unemployment is the sense of powerlessness it engenders. Job layoff triggers financial pressures, emotional distress, family turmoil, and dashed career hopes.
Job Search Techniques: Smashing The Gray Ceiling
For decades, women have chaffed at the invisible glass ceiling which prevents their moving into the high executive brackets that their competence, knowledge and skills have earned. The same amorphous barrier confronts older workers both in terms of advancement within a company and, most especially, when a job change is required.
How To Write A Resume Cover Letter That Will Get Your Resume Read
A Resume Cover Letter has only one purpose - to stimulate the recipient of your resume to review your resume. This free resume cover letter tutorial assumes that you will be sending your resume and resume cover letter by email.
How To Conduct A Successful Job Search Campaign
1.Define your objective: Know what kind of work you most enjoy and perform the best.
How to Evaluate Job Offers and Zoom In On the Right Opportunity for You
You've been successful in your job hunt and have received a job offer. Maybe you received more than one offer.
The Perfect Resume
The perfect resume presents hiring managers with a four-fold vision of who you are and what you bring to the table: The perfect resume offers Logical Proofs:
Yes, Ive Had Gaps In My Employment History--What To Do About It?
Yes, I've Had Gaps In My EmploymentHistory--What Can I Do About It?1. Honestly, there is not a single personwho has not had SOME gaps in theirwork history.

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

Ten Questions For Entrepreneurs To Ask Themselves
Ten Questions For Entrepreneurs To Ask Themselves1.Do I have the persistence and patience necessary to be a business owner?It would be nice if once you wrote your business plan all you needed to do would be to execute flawlessly and everything would fall into place.
How to Write a Simple Job Description
1.0 A timely reminderIn a recent decision in a New South Wales court it was found that an employee was psychologically injured and that contributing factors such as not having a job description and controlling management behaviours were responsible.
Career in the Toilet?
Individuals not within their target career field may feel insecure, doubtful, or maybe even ashamed of their current job title. Career changers make up a large portion of the job-searching population.
Hiring the Perfect Fit Through ELance.com
Outsourcing has moved upward in the most-improved columns of efficiency and respectability through eLance.com.
Business Experience is YOUR Security Cover
Some may want to interpret "independent" to mean WITHOUT others. None of us are truly independent or able to make it in life alone.
What is a Career Anyway?
A career is the sum total of all of your work-related contributions to society in a lifetime. This includes time and effort spent to provide goods, services, or benefit to others.
Who Do I Have To Kill To Get A Job?
I have had more than my amount of trouble in getting a job. I did everything I was supposed to do.
Continuing Professional Development
Continuing professional development (CPD) is promoted by the CIPD to support the systematic development and accreditation of its members. The aim is that the continuing search to improve knowledge and skills through exposure to new experiences benefits both the individual and the business.
The Network Within
When you hear the word "networking", what comes to your mind first?You probably think about going to a job fair or asking all of your friends, family members and acquaintances for jobs.But if you are currently employed, you might very well have easy access to one of the best networks you can have.
Resume 101
Whether you've been downsized, are looking for a career change or are just starting out, your resume speaks volumes about you. If your resume doesn't make it past the first cut, you're doomed; no matter how qualified you are.
Layoff Survival Guide - Do You Have The Career Management Horsepower It Will Take To Survive?
In a recent survey of over 662 career seekers, some disturbing trends identified that MOST career seekers don't have a clue what career management skills they have or what those skills are! As a result, it will be difficult for these career seekers to succeed.
Intuition: The Secret To Your Career Success
For far too long, we moderns have relied on our analytical/logical brain to make important life decisions. It is my belief that our imaginative/creative brain holds the key to better, smarter and more soulful decisions.
Career Advice: Are Resumes Obsolete As A Primary Job Search Tool?
In a day of background checks, pre-employment drug screening and multiple interviews, where do resumes fit in? According to many successful job applicants, not very well. An ever-increasing number of new hires say that resumes were not crucial in landing them the job.
Update Your Resume Today
A friend was just promoted to a position of vice-president of a company. I am happy for him and the first thing I told him after congratulations was "update your resume".
Risk-taking - Get Your Feet Wet!
We often use the phrase, "Get Your Feet Wet" when we are just beginning to learn how to do something or are about to pioneer a new initiative. When we participate in a project for the first time, there is usually a hesitancy to step out into the unknown.
Auto-Disqualification - When Your Resume Never Reaches the Decision Maker
How would you know if your resume did or didn't reach the appropriate decision maker? You can truly never know for certain. However, there are steps you can take to ensure that your resume does not get "auto-disqualified", or provide obvious reasons not to be hired.
CV Writing - How to Write a CV
A winning CV has 2 objectives: To illustrate your strengths and maximise your chances of getting through to interview and to put factual information, such as dates, places, names together in a presentable and readable form. Focal PointIt is claimed that the human eyes are naturally drawn to a focal point one third down from the top of the page.
Effective Networking Skills: The Art Of Taking Your Job Search To A Whole New Level
Your network consists of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and former employers. It also consists of your dentist, your barber or hair stylist, your accountant and your local grocery store manager.
Sample Resume Objectives: What They All Tend To Miss
Sample resume objectives. When a harried and possibly panicked job seeker finds one he thinks is good, he feels like the drowning man who just got rescued.
From The WorkWise Collection: Ten Ways to Win the Job Search Mind Game
Are you one of the thousands of job seekers who question their sanity, marketability, and capacity to make smart decisions-just because you've lost your job? Are you wondering how to overcome these psychological challenges, rebuild your self-confidence, increase your marketability, and regain your sense of sanity?