What Do You Do If You’re Overqualified?
Posted on 06. Nov, 2009 by Matt Shelly in Job Search Tips
 |
By Todd Bavol, The Job Search Ninja.
CEO, Integrity Career Transitions
Being overqualified for a position can almost be as off-putting for employers as being underqualified. So, what are you supposed to do if you really want the job?
There are more than a few reasons why people apply for jobs for which they not only meet, but exceed the requirements of employers in terms of educational qualifications and/or experience. In some cases, and especially when the job market is as tough as it is today, they simply cannot find a position at their current level, so apply for jobs at lower levels simply to avoid the specter of unemployment. In others, they may be seeking to make a career change and need the experience of working their way up in a new field, or they may simply have tired of the cut and thrust, poor work/life balance or company politics which frequently come with higher level positions.
Although all perfectly valid reasons in the minds of jobseekers, their overqualification often sets alarm bells ringing for hiring managers who may suspect that they:
◦Will quit as soon as something more closely aligned to their skills and experience comes along
◦ Will quickly become bored and demotivated
◦ Are secretly angling for his or her own job
◦ Will be unable to work within the confines of the lower position and will effectively take over or assume a leadership role anyway
◦ Will not be able to adjust to a lower salary and will either quit as a result or continually make waves in an effort to justify more money
◦Won’t actually be ‘qualified’ to carry out the role for which they are applying if, for example, they either skipped this level first time around or their experience at this level is long outdated
With all of these worries in the hiring manager’s mind, the key to securing a lower level position really comes down to convincing him that your reasons for wanting it are genuine. In some ways, that makes the first scenario, where you are only seeking lower positions out of necessity rather than desire, the hardest to overcome. Even here, however, if you take the tack of reassuring him that your former leadership roles have given you greater insight into what managers really want from their staff, and make a commitment to stay with the company for an agreed period, you may still be able to persuade him of your suitability.
In cases where your decision to step down a notch revolves around a career change, showing your enthusiasm for your new field of employment and the particular company to which you are applying is critical. Employers will normally be very sympathetic to the idea that you need to start at the bottom in order to gain the necessary knowledge and experience, and are always attracted by high levels of motivation. In addition, of course, they can also see your future potential to become a high flyer at some point in the future in their own business.
Targeting your prospective employer and stressing the reasons why you particularly want to work for their company is also important if you genuinely are interested in stepping down from a higher level position. Often our earlier years at work are about proving ourselves and we are lured by fancy job titles and the kudos that goes with them, only to find that ultimately they are not as satisfying in the greater scheme of our lives as we imagined. Sometimes we miss the hands-on environment that lower levels often offer or we discover that working to live is a higher priority than living to work. Again, these conclusions are not ones with which employers are unfamiliar, so build a convincing case and let them know that you have hand-picked their company because of what it has to offer and what you can take to it.
Whatever the reasons for wanting to take a step down, salary is almost certainly going to be an issue in the employer’s mind, as of course you are undoubtedly going to have to accept less. In all cases, politely let him know that your previous earnings are not relevant to your current discussion and that you are flexible in terms of salary. Make him aware that you do understand the salary range for the position that you are applying for (always research this so that you know what to expect) and make it clear that you would not have applied had this not been acceptable to you.
Securing a job for which you are, or appear to be overqualified is entirely possible, but don’t try to wing it. Think carefully about your own motivations and the concerns of the hiring manager and plan your response accordingly.
For information about career products and services, visit www.integritycareertransitions.com. You can also follow The Job Search Ninja on twitter at, www.twitter.com/jobsearchninja, for great career advice.
Popularity: 2% [?]
Related posts:
