Pongo Resume

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I got summarily dumped by my first boyfriend. His reason? "You're too good for me. I don't deserve you." My response, I'm embarrassed to say, was filled with desperation: "No, no, I am not too good for you! How could you even think that?!" Of course my tearful pleading didn't change a thing. Nobody really rejects you because you're too good for them. They reject you because they like someone else better. In my case, that someone else was named Betsy.

But teenage boys aren't the only ones who like to sugarcoat their rejections in ways that sound almost complimentary. Unskilled hiring managers sometimes do, too. "You're overqualified" is often just another version of the all-purpose "you're too good for me" breakup line. The real reason they're not offering you the job is something (or someone) else altogether.

Alison Green wrote a great post titled Why You Didn't Get Hired for U.S. News & World Report.  She offers several valid reasons a candidate might not get hired, most of which would be far more difficult to say to someone's face than a generic "you're overqualified." For example, the interviewer might have picked up on some characteristic that would cause problems in the job, such as sloppy communications, trouble answering questions clearly, or a hostility problem. Maybe your working style would clash with the department or manager.

Calling you overqualified feels much kinder than telling you they believe Candidate B will be more fun to work with.

However, certainly not every hiring manager is lying when they play the overqualified card. Employers have valid reasons to be wary of people who are truly overqualified. If you accept a position even though your experience or educational credentials go way beyond the job requirements, it's reasonable to assume you'll jump ship as soon as a higher-paying, more challenging, or more prestigious opportunity comes along.

"But, but, but!" you cry, "What if I actually want to take a step back in my career and I'm perfectly willing to take a pay cut!?"

Many people are open to lower salaries and less responsibility. The economy has made a lot of job seekers less choosy, but it's also a common desire among new parents, those returning to work, or anyone who experienced burnout in a previous job.

If that's your situation, acknowledge and address the employer's probable concerns up front, preferably in your cover letter. You could say something like the following (feel free to tone down the cheese factor in your own version):

"I recognize that this job is at a lower level than some of my previous positions, and I imagine that's a concern of yours. The fact is, I've been looking to scale back a bit in my career, and this opportunity fits that objective very well. I hope you won't dismiss me as overqualified; I like to think of myself as well qualified—with added value."

Furthermore, as Rick Saia wrote last month, some people are choosing to dumb down their resumes in an effort to avoid the overqualified kiss of death.

Valid or not, hiring managers are unlikely to stop using the term any time soon. Let's just be thankful they haven't adopted that other favorite rejection line: "It's not you, it's me." 

Have you ever been turned down for a job because you were (supposedly) overqualified?  Do you think it was true, or just a generic excuse?

RELATED LINKS
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I think they mean, they want some body cheap. or some body who will stick to the job for long.

These days, "over qualified" = too old.

There is NO other way to put it. A friend of mine went to an interview in which he was most definitely qualified for the job. The HR person told him to his face that he was over-qualified and more suited for a Regional Manager position. The friend had 28 years as a manager and he was interviewing for a manager position in an area he had PLENTY of experience in.

Over qualified = OLD.

I find the entire concept of “overqualified” a complete insult to anyone’s intelligence. When did the world become so stupid? Since when is ignorance a virtue? To those useless idiots in HR, tell me, if a family member becomes ill, do you go to a second rate doctor because the best is “overqualified”?

There can be no dumber group of people than HR. What a waste of oxygen.

@JD

I have to say that some of my best friends are HR people, but I can sure understand why you hold this opinion.

When someone has the power to determine whether you have a livelihood or not, their judgment and motives will always be suspect. The problem is, the folks who misuse "overqualified" as a catch-all excuse for not hiring are giving other, more equitable hiring authorities a bad name.

Thanks for the passionate comments!

--Julie

Yes, I was told to be overqualified and they found a better suited candidate who has more networking abilities (knows more people at different organizations). But, that was never brought up during the interview. They asked my opinions about their organizations and what to do to improve them, so I explained and gave few pointers. They nodded and nodded and wrote notes. It appeared they agreed with what I said. Yet, they never asked about whom I knew at such and such organization.

I think I didnt get the job because my oral communication during the interview was not the greatest. I admited to the 2 persons who interviewed me (one was the president of the organization/ngo) that I was having sleep deprivation and was some what disoriented at the time. although that president said my resume was very impressive and that 2 persons the organization associates with spoke very highly of me.

any ways, I honestly believe they only said I was over qualified because they like someone else better. another word, I was NOT qualified enough to them to be hired.

@Sayena

That's a shame that your interview came up when you weren't able to be at your best. You're probably right in this case -- it sounds like they used "overqualified" as a way to try and soften the blow.

Hope things have turned around since then!

--Julie

Yes. I was applying for a retail/food service position and my conversation really stayed with my Bachelors degree more. I think they were just looking for some kid who'd just smile and say, "Would you like fries with that?". I also think it hindered me that I had management experience though they inaccurately concluded that I'd not be able to take orders, rather that I'd want to give them out. I never loved the job and yes, it'd have been a stepping stone (not that I outright said as much) but I also made it clear that I didn't want management: it's just code word for big f'ing headache!

I think the article is quite right in saying that it's a matter of preference as opposed to truly being overqualified, at least in most cases. I rather wish that employers would be brutally honest in telling us specifically (poor communication, arrogance, lack of proper experience, they're looking for someone more 'simple', etc) what it is that DQ'd us. Perhaps it's something we should work on, perhaps not.

@Hidetoshi

I agree in theory that employers should be brutally honest (or maybe not brutally, but constructively honest). Unfortunately, I think a lot of people, faced with an honest reason they were rejected, would naturally feel the need to defend themselves, or try to fight the decision.

Thanks for a great comment!

Julie