| Topic Name: |
Rejected for being Overqualified |
| Message Name: |
Cold Hard Truth |
| Date Posted: |
04/16/2002 |
| In Reply To: |
Having been a hiring manager for many years, I must say I was amused by your post.
It is the most ludicrous thing I've ever read on this particular subject. If you are a hiring manager, it must be miserable to work for you. You don't seem to have a clue about human nature.
First of all, most people get laid off through no fault of their own. Companies cut people without notice in some cases, in others, an event causes them to make deep cuts for the very survival of the company.
The people who are laid off may have even stayed at the company well after the first signs of trouble. They felt obligated to stay at a company in which they had an emotional investment. In the case of a small company, they may have believed that their role was crucial to the company's success. Right or wrong, they didn't want to bail at the first sign of trouble.
When I hire people, I do indeed look for the best qualified individual. I also look at salary requirements. If the individual is clearly overqualified, I do not automatically disqualify that individual. I am open with him/her and I tell him/her that he/she is overqualified for the postion. I then ask why he/she would want to take the job. If I like the answer, the hiring process begins.
Unlike you, I place the responsiblity of an individual knowing what he/she will be happy doing. I state the parameters of the position, and I expect that those parameters will be followed.
I am not so insecure of my performance that I'm afraid the new hire will outshine me. In fact, I hope that the new hire will have an ability to move into a higher position. As for challenging my decisions...GREAT!!! Perhaps it can be a learning experience for both of us.
As for whether or not the individual will stay...well, this is the 21st century. Lifetime employment died in the 20th century. Like many things in business, it's an educated risk. |
| Message: |
With an aging work force pool and an even smaller younger work force (check labor of statistics)the folks like Pinhead need to perform a reality check. The seasoned realistic work force will be in demand and guys like Pinhead will be forced to hire us out of necessity. Pinhead's paradigm will be forced to shift whether he/she likes it or not.
I was laid off at a Fortune five company after being lured from a company that I was working at previously. Unfortunately I was released approximately 13 days after Sept. 11th. My value proposition, education, and experience is teeming with success. Unfortunately I have made too much money over the last few years. This coupled with my background has put me in that class of overqualified.
However, I remain hopeful that someone like jbhorner will be insightful enough to see the value and realism that this laid off top performer can bring to his/her team. The days of long term employment are over. It is time that employers start understanding this or they will begin to see the Pygmallien Effect take place and revenues begin to run flat.
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