You studied at one of the leading universities in the country, worked in large companies in important positions in organizations, have excellent recommendations and are fluent in English ... At the same time, you do not apply for a top position, but for some reason you are looking for a job as an ordinary specialist. It would seem that you are an ideal candidate and any profile vacancy in your pocket. But, oddly enough, you get one refusal from recruiters after another. What is the matter?
Apparently, in the eyes of recruiters you have over-qualifications, and this is alarming for many. How to find a job as an over-qualified candidate?
What is overqualified?
If the term overqualified has appeared in the Russian professional environment relatively recently, then this cannot be said about the phenomenon itself. They don’t like “too literate” workers in our country for a long time, and situations when a candidate is too good for the position for which he claims are quite common. This is one of the common causes of so-called unexplained failures.
Suppose a secretary in a small company needs work experience of a year, higher or incomplete higher education, responsibility, sociability and good looks. It is unlikely that a job applicant who has received two higher educations and has worked for three years as a personal assistant to the head of a large holding is hardly suitable, although she writes business letters well, knows how to masterly plan the boss’s work schedule and control the work of the entire secretariat. Most likely, the employer will have a number of questions: why does a girl who has every chance of becoming an adviser to the head of a large company aspire to a starting position? Maybe having failed to quickly find a suitable job, she intends to “sit out” a couple of months, while continuing to search? Will she be motivated enough to work as a secretary? How will she behave after a while, when she will be bored with answering calls and making coffee? If there are no growth prospects for the secretary in the company, then, most likely, such a candidate will be rejected. It is very likely that they will prefer an intelligent undergraduate student who is not burdened by excessive experience.
According to a survey conducted by the Supejob.ru Research Center among HR managers, only 8% of employers often employ over-qualified candidates for the position they are applying for. More than half of the companies (55%) take such applicants only occasionally, 21% do not take them under any circumstances. “Easier to teach than to retrain”; “We take it extremely rarely, only if there are close prospects for the development of this employee”; “We try not to take it, the staff turnover is already so big,” the employers comment.
Why they don’t like “too smart”
Why do employers deny over-qualified specialists? Firstly, because of doubts about the interest of such candidates. Working as an ordinary performer is unlikely to attract a person who has recently led a department of ten people. Consequently, employers justifiably doubt that such a candidate will work for a long time in the company.
The second likely reason for the refusal of highly qualified candidates lies in the field of psychology. Not every manager is ready to see in his submission a very smart, competent and, possibly, older employee. What if he “sits” or starts giving endless advice based on his experience? Suddenly it will become an informal leader of the team and undermine the authority of the leader? To decide to hire such a qualified specialist, the boss must have extraordinary qualities: courage, a broad outlook on things, charisma, and the ability to listen.
The third reason employers dislike overly qualified candidates is financial. Often, such candidates are distinguished not only by a consciousness of their own importance, but also by higher salary expectations.
To make minus a plus
So what should a candidate do, who for some reason is too good for the company that interests him? The logical answer is to claim the next career step. Perhaps you yourself did not notice how you outgrew your previous position and it was time to move up a level. To do this, you need to properly compose a resume and respond only to those vacancies that are at a level higher than your previous job.
However, such a recommendation is far from relevant in all cases. Not all qualified specialists strive to become bosses: someone is constrained by family circumstances or health problems, someone does not feel organizational talent or simply does not want to take responsibility, etc.
An excellent option for an over-qualified candidate is participating in a start-up. With your experience and education, you will probably be able to organize a new project from scratch. For example, having experience working as a PR manager, you can easily establish contact between the leaders of the new project and key publications, hold a press conference, organize a competition for the development of a logo, etc. Even if you leave the company in a few months, the employer will not in the claim: the work is established, and in your place you can take a younger and more motivated employee.
Flexibility, motivation, team spirit ...
If you are not ready to go up a notch, and the start-up is not yet tucked up, do not lose optimism. First of all, try to look at your resume through the eyes of the personnel manager of the company in which you want to get a job. Do not describe in too much detail the experience that is “redundant” in the eyes of the employer, but focus on those qualities that may be required in the work.
After receiving an invitation to an interview, think about how to explain to the recruiter your claims to a position that you know is low. As a rule, such steps are prompted by such circumstances as changing marital status, chronic fatigue from constant processing or the absence of more suitable proposals. However, not all of the above are suitable for explanation. For example, it’s best to keep silent about things like burnout and chronic fatigue.
At the interview it is extremely important to show such quality as flexibility. Demonstrate your readiness for negotiations on all issues: from salaries (it is very likely that you will have to reduce requests) to the breadth of authority. This does not mean that you need to agree with the recruiter in everything, contrary to common sense, but remember: the employer must perceive you as a person capable of constructive dialogue.
Show the employer what financial benefits you can bring to the company. Use examples from your experience to show how quickly you get to the bottom of the matter and start generating income. In addition, it is extremely important to show that you know how to be a member of a team and possess qualities that will allow you to easily join the team. Emphasize how interesting it is for you to work in this company.
Finding a job for a well-trained specialist often turns out to be no less stressful than for an inexperienced university graduate. Nevertheless, do not lose hope and agree to the first offer if the functionality and salary do not appeal to you. You have earned the right to choose your dream job!
Apparently, in the eyes of recruiters you have over-qualifications, and this is alarming for many. How to find a job as an over-qualified candidate?
What is overqualified?
If the term overqualified has appeared in the Russian professional environment relatively recently, then this cannot be said about the phenomenon itself. They don’t like “too literate” workers in our country for a long time, and situations when a candidate is too good for the position for which he claims are quite common. This is one of the common causes of so-called unexplained failures.
Suppose a secretary in a small company needs work experience of a year, higher or incomplete higher education, responsibility, sociability and good looks. It is unlikely that a job applicant who has received two higher educations and has worked for three years as a personal assistant to the head of a large holding is hardly suitable, although she writes business letters well, knows how to masterly plan the boss’s work schedule and control the work of the entire secretariat. Most likely, the employer will have a number of questions: why does a girl who has every chance of becoming an adviser to the head of a large company aspire to a starting position? Maybe having failed to quickly find a suitable job, she intends to “sit out” a couple of months, while continuing to search? Will she be motivated enough to work as a secretary? How will she behave after a while, when she will be bored with answering calls and making coffee? If there are no growth prospects for the secretary in the company, then, most likely, such a candidate will be rejected. It is very likely that they will prefer an intelligent undergraduate student who is not burdened by excessive experience.
According to a survey conducted by the Supejob.ru Research Center among HR managers, only 8% of employers often employ over-qualified candidates for the position they are applying for. More than half of the companies (55%) take such applicants only occasionally, 21% do not take them under any circumstances. “Easier to teach than to retrain”; “We take it extremely rarely, only if there are close prospects for the development of this employee”; “We try not to take it, the staff turnover is already so big,” the employers comment.
Why they don’t like “too smart”
Why do employers deny over-qualified specialists? Firstly, because of doubts about the interest of such candidates. Working as an ordinary performer is unlikely to attract a person who has recently led a department of ten people. Consequently, employers justifiably doubt that such a candidate will work for a long time in the company.
The second likely reason for the refusal of highly qualified candidates lies in the field of psychology. Not every manager is ready to see in his submission a very smart, competent and, possibly, older employee. What if he “sits” or starts giving endless advice based on his experience? Suddenly it will become an informal leader of the team and undermine the authority of the leader? To decide to hire such a qualified specialist, the boss must have extraordinary qualities: courage, a broad outlook on things, charisma, and the ability to listen.
The third reason employers dislike overly qualified candidates is financial. Often, such candidates are distinguished not only by a consciousness of their own importance, but also by higher salary expectations.
To make minus a plus
So what should a candidate do, who for some reason is too good for the company that interests him? The logical answer is to claim the next career step. Perhaps you yourself did not notice how you outgrew your previous position and it was time to move up a level. To do this, you need to properly compose a resume and respond only to those vacancies that are at a level higher than your previous job.
However, such a recommendation is far from relevant in all cases. Not all qualified specialists strive to become bosses: someone is constrained by family circumstances or health problems, someone does not feel organizational talent or simply does not want to take responsibility, etc.
An excellent option for an over-qualified candidate is participating in a start-up. With your experience and education, you will probably be able to organize a new project from scratch. For example, having experience working as a PR manager, you can easily establish contact between the leaders of the new project and key publications, hold a press conference, organize a competition for the development of a logo, etc. Even if you leave the company in a few months, the employer will not in the claim: the work is established, and in your place you can take a younger and more motivated employee.
Flexibility, motivation, team spirit ...
If you are not ready to go up a notch, and the start-up is not yet tucked up, do not lose optimism. First of all, try to look at your resume through the eyes of the personnel manager of the company in which you want to get a job. Do not describe in too much detail the experience that is “redundant” in the eyes of the employer, but focus on those qualities that may be required in the work.
After receiving an invitation to an interview, think about how to explain to the recruiter your claims to a position that you know is low. As a rule, such steps are prompted by such circumstances as changing marital status, chronic fatigue from constant processing or the absence of more suitable proposals. However, not all of the above are suitable for explanation. For example, it’s best to keep silent about things like burnout and chronic fatigue.
At the interview it is extremely important to show such quality as flexibility. Demonstrate your readiness for negotiations on all issues: from salaries (it is very likely that you will have to reduce requests) to the breadth of authority. This does not mean that you need to agree with the recruiter in everything, contrary to common sense, but remember: the employer must perceive you as a person capable of constructive dialogue.
Show the employer what financial benefits you can bring to the company. Use examples from your experience to show how quickly you get to the bottom of the matter and start generating income. In addition, it is extremely important to show that you know how to be a member of a team and possess qualities that will allow you to easily join the team. Emphasize how interesting it is for you to work in this company.
Finding a job for a well-trained specialist often turns out to be no less stressful than for an inexperienced university graduate. Nevertheless, do not lose hope and agree to the first offer if the functionality and salary do not appeal to you. You have earned the right to choose your dream job!
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