I get letters–letters and e-mails and faxes and phone calls from job seekers who are outraged and deeply insulted at being turned down for jobs they say they deserve.
And the infuriating reason for their rejection, they say, is that employers tell them that they are “overqualified.”
I used to get occasional complaints from people who were told they were “too good.” Now I get them every day.
And I never tell these frustrated job seekers that they’re overreacting. Instead, I usually agree with them: Their resentment probably is justified.
One of the reasons these complaints are increasing is because executives, middle managers, long-term employees, former business owners and dot-com refugees also are looking for jobs. And they’re willing to do anything.
Some mature workers, in fact, are applying for entry-level jobs comparable to ones they were hired for a decade ago, just to get back into the paid labor market.
And there are other problems for the “overqualified.”
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When a worker with 10 years’ or more of experience is interviewed for employment by someone who has been on the job only a short time, it’s often disconcerting to both sides. And it’s one of the reasons interviewers so blithely reject the applicant as being “overqualified.”
What the applicant usually is told is this: “You’ll be bored with this job and leave in a few months because you’re overqualified.”
Another reason for rejection: Employers don’t want to match a higher previous salary; they want to pay only what the job is worth to them– or less, if possible.
Even though these savvy job seekers assure the employer that salary is not important to them–as long as it includes health benefits–it’s often alarming to interviewers to learn that the applicant was making more money than the interviewers. And the end result is, well, you know: “overqualified.”
Life is not fair, but this really is unfair, especially when it’s apparent the applicant needs a job, will hit the ground running and is willing to work very hard.
Although I most often hear from mature workers who are told they’re overqualified, I’ve also been hearing from job seekers with advanced degrees, among them MBA graduates and teachers with master’s or doctorate degrees. They, too, are applying for jobs that do not require an advanced degree and do not pay the big bucks usually offered with those credentials.
They apply for those jobs because they want to work. They need to work. And, they should be able to work without being discriminated against because of “excess” brains or skills.
However, there is no federal, county or state protection against being “overqualified,” unless it is used as a screen to cover discrimination because of age, gender, race or religion.
So what can experienced workers do to combat such fears and get the job they want–without deprecating or hiding their hard-earned skills?
I have a simple answer: When you’re told you’re overqualified for the job, remain calm and answer with confidence:
“I’m not overqualified. I’m qualified.”
And hopefully, you’ll get to prove that you are. And that you’ll get those health benefits, too.
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Carol Kleiman’s column also appears Tuesday’s Business and Wednesday’s Working sections. Watch her Career Coach segments Sunday and Tuesday mornings on CLTV. Send e-mail to [email protected].