As a recent law graduate with more internship than full-time work experience to offer I can certainly appreciate the dilemma faced by the overqualified job seeker.
I graduated this past May from law school with the idea that I would use my legal training as a springboard for a career in business. I went straight from undergraduate to graduate school believing that an extra degree would boost my earning potential.
Obtaining a professional degree and having extensive work experience place a job candidate in a more select pool of talent. As I continue my job hunt I am discovering several truisms that I thought I would share with my fellow hunters who find themselves overqualified or overdegreed.
1. I agree with the message from miljohn that overqualified can be code for we don't want to pay you what we think you may demand.
2. Concerns about overqualification may indicate an interviewer's insecurity about their own level of expertise.
In fighting the overqualification battle it's important to remember your career goals. Defining your interests first helps when researching companies that will value these goals and offer room to accomplish them.
If you suspect that you may be overqualified for a position yet you feel strongly about convincing the employer otherwise be prepared before heading into an interview. Play up the areas you think are a fit between your skills and the employer's business and describe how the job will contribute (other than monetarily) to obtaining your career goals.
My sympathy to the overqualified. There are plenty of us in the same boat in these difficult economic times.
