| Topic Name: |
Job Searches |
| Message Name: |
Easy thing: being overqualified |
| Date Posted: |
01/23/2002 |
| In Reply To: |
How does one handle the old over and uderqualified excuses of why after an initial interview there is no further interest? In my case the last three interviews ended in situations where I was liked (and received positive feedback from recruiters but either considered overqualified (which in my book is the lamest excuse possible) or underqualified (which also was bogus given that I have the requisite experience in the field I work in and was applying for a position that required a minimum of ten years experience). How do you handle something like this? I am sick of using recruiters simply because I think that they are not screening me properly for potential positions and are wasting my time in addition to making doubt my abilities. |
| Message: |
Let's just look at the hi-tech job market. My employer had an opening for a junior computer technician. We put out some ads and got over 200 resumes back. Even though the job description specified exactly what we were looking for, we got an endless number of resumes from people who have double digits of experience and/or demand a six digit salary. Sure, we would love to hire someone like those. If they accept the $50k a year (better than unemployment benefits, right?) even better. What's next then? They will keep looking for more excitment and definitely more money. In short, they will not last long. Wouldn't you call that overqualified? If someone gives an impression that he/she will jump ship at the next best opportunity because he/she has the potential to do more than the position can offer? The employer usually knows best what skill level would fit best. If you are too good (i.e. you would be worth more than the salary range assigned to that position) you are not going to get the job. Period.
Being underqualified is just a result of how your resume looks like and how you presented yourself in the interview. If your personality is right and you give the impression that you are the right man/woman, you will get the job. If you cannot do that, it's back to the mirror and practice.
I had the pleasure to go through all those 200 resumes. Only 10 or so stuck (resume indicated that the skill level matched the requirements) and were considered for interviews. Out of those only a couple were invited back for seconds (the ones who could prove themselves). One person in the end got the job (the one who was liked most by everybody - mostly on a personality basis). I am very happy with him and he's been doing a great job so far. It is all about personality and presentation. Despite the tremendous number of unemployed IT workers in the market it is still extremely hard to find good people.
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