Overqualified Myth Busted!
Have you ever padded your resume and exaggerated accomplishments to get a higher position? How about reading other peoples resumes and thinking “as long as my proverbial points groundwards, there is no way on this earth that person did half of what they are claiming!”.
Nowadays, it is becoming more and more the norm for job applicants to de-emphasise or even omit completely some of their skills, experience, and leadership qualities so that they might secure a lower grade position.
Irrespective of the reasons you have decided to downsize your career, whether simply to achieve more free time, or improved work life balance, or perhaps the market is not exactly begging for people with your skill set to walk through the door, being classified as “overqualified” is more terrifying for many than are the perceived consequences of not landing a new role.
Being labelled “overqualified" generally means that the prospective employer, more often specifically the one hiring you, has two major concerns around which other excuses (often expressed as ‘concerns’) are created:
Major concern #1:
You will make me look inept and undermine my authority.
This has everything to do with the other person, and nothing to do with you. If they feel threatened by your skills and experience, then they should look for another job. Throughout my career I have often been in the position of having to hire people, either for a project, program, interim engagement, and sometimes even as a replacement. In all of these instances I found it more beneficial to hire a person who I considered superior in skills and experience than myself. The result was always that the client benefited and I was considered skilled and adept by the people who mattered when it came to payday and repeat, respectively referral business. Good leaders always ‘hire up’!
That said, the person you are interviewing with is the gatekeeper and unless you make them feel comfortable with you, they have the ability to undermine your application and you will never really know why you were passed over. If this is the person you are going to be reporting to, you need to ask yourself whether you want to report to a person who is so insecure in their leadership role. I suspect, if you are worth every penny you used to earn, you will not be satisfied and then some of the excuses (listed below) may become reality. If this person is simply a gatekeeper to the real direct report, you may wish to persevere and some of the tips below will help you to soothe their insecurities.
Major concern #2:
You will leave as soon as something better comes along.
Too damn right! If you have compromised your integrity just to land a job; if you have subordinated your real wants and needs simply to secure a new pay cheque; if the company has not fully sold you on why YOU should want to work there, and if the company has not created an environment that inspires you to give your absolute best all of the time, then these are reasons why when something more attractive (and that is not always simply more money) comes along you may jump ship faster than you can say ‘adios’.
Let’s be honest, if you are as good your ‘real CV’ demonstrates that you are, then the company should be bending over backwards to have you WANT to take the job. However there in lies the clue. Is your CV real, or have you padded it, or have you played it down? Good interviewers will smell a rat, either way, during the interview. For the greater majority of interviewers though, they will realise their mistake after they let you slip through and your actions give you away.
Both major concerns are directly related to fear in some form, and can cause the person to come up with excuses as to why you are not suitable. Here are a couple you have probably heard already:
Excuse #1 - You will be a know-it-all
(This could be a genuine reason, and if it is, to know who is to blame take a good long look in the mirror)
Excuse #2 - You won't be satisfied with the salary.
Excuse #3 - You will be bored and under-challenged.
Excuse #4 - You don’t fit into the team because of your age or experience.
Excuse #5 - You don’t fit the corporate culture.
(This could be a genuine reason – but rarely is – and can rarely be assessed before an interview.)
Whether you like it or not, you are in the business of selling yourself, and objections are often the result of unasked questions. The more questions you ask the more you will uncover any objections before they are expressed, and have an opportunity to convert them to reasons why the person wants to hire you. Through this process, you will also discover qualities of the person interviewing you that will allow you to determine whether you are interested in working for this company.
I mean, come on! There has to be more than just a pay cheque at the end of it to cause you to want to invest your time in improving the company’s bottom line. So ask better questions during the interview process, and you can avoid most objections outright.
So how should you handle objections if they do arise?
Some suggest avoiding them altogether by amending your resume to fit the job description. This can be a legitimate thing to do provided the amendments are designed to highlight the areas of your skills and experience that will benefit and add value to the company and enable you to more effectively execute the role for which you are applying. Simply ‘dumbing down’ or sanitising your CV is as bad as exaggerating your profile and embellishing your CV. Both are misrepresenting you
If it comes out later that you misrepresented or omitted a large part of your employment history, you could appear lacking in honesty and integrity. Consequently, when a more senior role opens up in the organization, you may have be passed over or at least have a more difficult time persuading management to place their trust in you if it appears that you were not truthful in your original application. This is not rocket science, you would do the same thing in their position!! If you have ever been in a management or a leadership position you know this to be true.
Rather than hide your qualifications, show why you are a perfect fit. In your cover letter and interview give reasons why you're enthusiastic about the position, and why you are undaunted by the drop in salary. Explain why you would be a motivated worker, and point out your added value, why the company would benefit by hiring you.
Some executive recruiters recommend that you avoid sending a resume all together. Instead, go directly to the person with authority to hire you through your network of business and social contacts. Remember that more often than not, weak ties will be more effective in helping you secure a role than close friends, families and former colleagues or associates. The best case scenario is to have someone within the company recommend you.
If you are told point-blank at the interview that you are overqualified, uncover their real objections by suggesting some concerns they may have with regard to a particular area of your CV, or by asking questions comparing yourself to other candidates. Again, this is a tactic best deployed prior to hearing the objection, however if it comes up, you have only to gain by asking the questions and gaining insight and clarity.
If they tell you point-blank, you ask them point-blank what concerns they have. Then, depending on what their objections are, do the following:
In every case, have an articulate pitch about why your experience, skills, interest in the company and passion for the work itself make you perfect for the position.
Paul J. Lange – Portable Empire Architect
23rd September, 2008
Nowadays, it is becoming more and more the norm for job applicants to de-emphasise or even omit completely some of their skills, experience, and leadership qualities so that they might secure a lower grade position.
Irrespective of the reasons you have decided to downsize your career, whether simply to achieve more free time, or improved work life balance, or perhaps the market is not exactly begging for people with your skill set to walk through the door, being classified as “overqualified” is more terrifying for many than are the perceived consequences of not landing a new role.
Being labelled “overqualified" generally means that the prospective employer, more often specifically the one hiring you, has two major concerns around which other excuses (often expressed as ‘concerns’) are created:
Major concern #1:
You will make me look inept and undermine my authority.
This has everything to do with the other person, and nothing to do with you. If they feel threatened by your skills and experience, then they should look for another job. Throughout my career I have often been in the position of having to hire people, either for a project, program, interim engagement, and sometimes even as a replacement. In all of these instances I found it more beneficial to hire a person who I considered superior in skills and experience than myself. The result was always that the client benefited and I was considered skilled and adept by the people who mattered when it came to payday and repeat, respectively referral business. Good leaders always ‘hire up’!
That said, the person you are interviewing with is the gatekeeper and unless you make them feel comfortable with you, they have the ability to undermine your application and you will never really know why you were passed over. If this is the person you are going to be reporting to, you need to ask yourself whether you want to report to a person who is so insecure in their leadership role. I suspect, if you are worth every penny you used to earn, you will not be satisfied and then some of the excuses (listed below) may become reality. If this person is simply a gatekeeper to the real direct report, you may wish to persevere and some of the tips below will help you to soothe their insecurities.
Major concern #2:
You will leave as soon as something better comes along.
Too damn right! If you have compromised your integrity just to land a job; if you have subordinated your real wants and needs simply to secure a new pay cheque; if the company has not fully sold you on why YOU should want to work there, and if the company has not created an environment that inspires you to give your absolute best all of the time, then these are reasons why when something more attractive (and that is not always simply more money) comes along you may jump ship faster than you can say ‘adios’.
Let’s be honest, if you are as good your ‘real CV’ demonstrates that you are, then the company should be bending over backwards to have you WANT to take the job. However there in lies the clue. Is your CV real, or have you padded it, or have you played it down? Good interviewers will smell a rat, either way, during the interview. For the greater majority of interviewers though, they will realise their mistake after they let you slip through and your actions give you away.
Both major concerns are directly related to fear in some form, and can cause the person to come up with excuses as to why you are not suitable. Here are a couple you have probably heard already:
Excuse #1 - You will be a know-it-all
(This could be a genuine reason, and if it is, to know who is to blame take a good long look in the mirror)
Excuse #2 - You won't be satisfied with the salary.
Excuse #3 - You will be bored and under-challenged.
Excuse #4 - You don’t fit into the team because of your age or experience.
Excuse #5 - You don’t fit the corporate culture.
(This could be a genuine reason – but rarely is – and can rarely be assessed before an interview.)
Whether you like it or not, you are in the business of selling yourself, and objections are often the result of unasked questions. The more questions you ask the more you will uncover any objections before they are expressed, and have an opportunity to convert them to reasons why the person wants to hire you. Through this process, you will also discover qualities of the person interviewing you that will allow you to determine whether you are interested in working for this company.
I mean, come on! There has to be more than just a pay cheque at the end of it to cause you to want to invest your time in improving the company’s bottom line. So ask better questions during the interview process, and you can avoid most objections outright.
So how should you handle objections if they do arise?
Some suggest avoiding them altogether by amending your resume to fit the job description. This can be a legitimate thing to do provided the amendments are designed to highlight the areas of your skills and experience that will benefit and add value to the company and enable you to more effectively execute the role for which you are applying. Simply ‘dumbing down’ or sanitising your CV is as bad as exaggerating your profile and embellishing your CV. Both are misrepresenting you
If it comes out later that you misrepresented or omitted a large part of your employment history, you could appear lacking in honesty and integrity. Consequently, when a more senior role opens up in the organization, you may have be passed over or at least have a more difficult time persuading management to place their trust in you if it appears that you were not truthful in your original application. This is not rocket science, you would do the same thing in their position!! If you have ever been in a management or a leadership position you know this to be true.
Rather than hide your qualifications, show why you are a perfect fit. In your cover letter and interview give reasons why you're enthusiastic about the position, and why you are undaunted by the drop in salary. Explain why you would be a motivated worker, and point out your added value, why the company would benefit by hiring you.
Some executive recruiters recommend that you avoid sending a resume all together. Instead, go directly to the person with authority to hire you through your network of business and social contacts. Remember that more often than not, weak ties will be more effective in helping you secure a role than close friends, families and former colleagues or associates. The best case scenario is to have someone within the company recommend you.
If you are told point-blank at the interview that you are overqualified, uncover their real objections by suggesting some concerns they may have with regard to a particular area of your CV, or by asking questions comparing yourself to other candidates. Again, this is a tactic best deployed prior to hearing the objection, however if it comes up, you have only to gain by asking the questions and gaining insight and clarity.
If they tell you point-blank, you ask them point-blank what concerns they have. Then, depending on what their objections are, do the following:
- Make money a non-issue. Make it clear that you are flexible and doing what you love is higher on your values than a nominal cut in pay.
- Sell the financial advantages of investing in you and use examples to demonstrate how your expertise, efficiency, and effectiveness would cut costs and/or increase revenues.
- Demonstrate your expert and unparalleled knowledge. Show you are in touch with the current professional environment, and how you constantly engage in higher learning and personal development.
- Show you're a team player. Make it clear you excel in developing mutual expectations, that you have a proven ability to inspire cooperation and confidence in others so that they achieve their fullest potential.
- Offer to sign a one- or two-year contract if the role is a permanent one, or agree to a penalty clause if the role is contract based. If they're worried you will leave if something better comes along, allay their fears by offering to make your commitment binding.
- Show respect and enthusiasm. Convey that you are truly interested in working for the company, genuinely desire to execute the responsibilities of the position, and sincerely look forward to working with the person to whom you will be reporting, stating reasons.
In every case, have an articulate pitch about why your experience, skills, interest in the company and passion for the work itself make you perfect for the position.
Paul J. Lange – Portable Empire Architect
23rd September, 2008
Labels: CV, Interview Process, Overqualified, Resume, Securing a Job
posted by Paul J. Lange at
12:08 PM
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