‘Sorry, you’re overqualified.’
Ken Pelczarski | TLT Career Coach July 2015
Here are a prospective employer’s three biggest concerns—and the best way to respond.
www.canstockphoto.com
IMAGINE YOURSELF IN A JOB INTERVIEW. You have all the experience the employer could ever want and more. You are excited about the position and could see yourself spending the rest of your career at this company. Suddenly the employer states that, although your experience is highly impressive, you are overqualified for the role. How do you respond?
Basically, the employer is saying that you have the ability to do the job but has questions about your goals or motivation. Assuming that you want to o work for this company, you need to uncover the employer’s underlying concerns and convince him or her that you are interested in the position and company for the long term—and that you will be a top performer.
In cases where an employer believes you are overqualified, there are typically three major concerns: (1.) you have too much experience, (2.) you have held positions of greater responsibility and (3.) your salary is outside the range.
Below are potential underlying issues within these three main areas of concern, as well as responses that may alleviate the employer’s concerns.
YOU HAVE TOO MUCH EXPERIENCE
Employer concern: You will be set in your ways and not open to new ways of doing things.
Response: Give examples of new approaches or creative ideas you have recently implemented to solve a problem or complete a project successfully.
Employer concern: You will be resistant to new learning.
Response: Stress your interest in self-improvement. Give examples of STLE education courses, STLE Webinars, college courses and seminars you have taken in recent years, especially those that you have voluntarily undertaken. Highlight what you have learned, including new technology, and how you applied this new learning to your job.
Employer concern: Your energy level and enthusiasm will be lacking.
Response: Display passion for your career during the interview. Verbalize your excitement about recent projects and successes with which you have been involved. Emphasize recent accomplishments and that you have much more to accomplish in your career. Encourage the employer to check references that will vouch for your passion and motivation.
Employer concern: The company wants to train its own way.
Response: Describe continuous training you have received from recent employers and how you have adapted to new systems, technology, programs, procedures and operations.
Employer concern: You will not fit well into a younger culture.
Response: Promote the advantages of team diversity. Describe key interactions with younger workers in recent years, what you have learned from these interactions and how success was achieved as a team.
Employer concern: You will resent reporting to a younger boss.
Response: Stress that you do not care about age, gender or ethnicity of a boss but rather look at style, communication ability and strengths in order to determine how to best collaborate with your boss to achieve team objectives. If you recently reported to a younger boss, describe the relationship and resulting successes.
Employer concern: You will not give the company many years of service.
Response: Be specific about long-range career goals including (1.) how many years you plan to work full time, (2.) how your goals can be achieved in this position with this employer and (3.) reasons behind wanting to work for 10, 15 or 20 more years.
Employer concern: You will not fit well into the 5-10 year company succession plan.
Response: Explain how your goals fit well into the company’s future plans for this new position. If the employer is concerned about you being promoted in five years and then retiring two years later, sell the employer on how much you will contribute during your employment and how you will help them with another succession plan down the road.
Employer concern: Your age is of general concern.
Response: If you cannot identify a specific employer concern and believe that age could be an issue, emphasize the skills and attributes that somebody at your career stage can offer, such as (1.) maturity, (2.) wisdom, (3.) knowledge depth, (4.) wealth and diversity of experience, (5.) mentoring and training abilities, (6.) industry status and reputation and (7.) problem-solving skills.
YOU HAVE HELD POSITIONS OF GREATER RESPONSIBILITY
Employer concern: You will be bored.
Response: Explain that you have a good understanding of the job responsibilities. Talk about primary duties in the position and how you will get enjoyment, satisfaction and challenge from these tasks.
Employer concern: Your skills will be under-utilized and you will feel unfulfilled.
Response: Convey that you will never use your complete skill set in any one role and that this job will utilize strengths from favorite areas within your skill set. Describe how you will feel fulfilled by being a major contributor in attaining team goals as part of the company growth plan.
Employer concern: You will be difficult to manage.
Response: Express that, even in positions of higher authority, you have always accepted and solicited ideas, input and guidance from others both above and below you to help reach company goals. Stress that you would have the same approach and philosophy in a position of lesser responsibility, simply with more people above you.
Employer concern: You will be a threat to your direct superior.
Response: State that you are excited about challenges in the current role, and that you hope to acquire additional responsibilities within this role over time. Emphasize you do not have a specific position to aim for in 2-3 years, and that you view it as a mutual decision between you and the company regarding future promotion. Give examples of being a team player, including your willingness to give credit to superiors and other team members.
Employer concern: If you have managed direct reports in previous jobs and will be managing no direct reports in this job, you will miss the opportunity to lead others and delegate tasks.
Response: Describe the advantages of being an individual contributor at this point in your career. Convey that there are many other aspects of your skill set to utilize in helping the company be successful.
Employer concern: If you have held higher level managerial or executive positions in the past, you will not be happy with decreased levels of authority, control and decision making.
Response: Explain that this position, despite being lower level, still provides plenty of challenge, as well as opportunity to lead projects, make decisions and contribute key input. Stress that status or job title are not as important to you as being a key member of a productive team.
Employer concern: You will leave the company when a position of greater challenge comes along.
Response: Emphasize why this position is a positive career step for you and why it holds special meaning for you toward reaching your short- to mid-term career goals. Stress that you can envision yourself in this role a few years down the road, and what you hope to have accomplished by then through challenging yourself.
YOUR SALARY IS OUTSIDE THE RANGE
Employer concern: You will not feel appreciated because of lower financial rewards.
Response: Tell the employer there are other ways to be appreciated, including commendation letters, awards, promotions, special recognition, peer support and being given additional responsibility.
Employer concern: Your effort will deteriorate if you earn less compensation than in previous jobs.
Response: Stress that you value intrinsic rewards such as autonomy and purpose greater than extrinsic rewards like salary.
Employer concern: You will not be motivated to set high goals.
Response: Emphasize that you have worked hard throughout your career to accomplish big things, not as much for financial reward, but for pride, visibility, industry and company recognition, personal satisfaction, challenge and upward mobility.
Employer concern: You will leave the company when a higher paying position appears.
Response: Drive home the point that other things are more important than money, especially at this stage of your career, including challenge, day-to-day satisfaction, job security, personal growth and work environment. Be clear that you do not plan to leave the company if non-monetary needs are being met, even for a significant salary increase. If you need less money to pay your bills than in the past, emphasize that you can make a living on a lower salary.
It may take time to persuade the employer that you would be an excellent choice for the position. Follow up regularly with the hiring manager after the interview by telephone and/or email to add or reinforce arguments.
You will need to convince the employer that you would be happy in this role for years to come and that your additional qualifications would be a bonus and not a detriment. Most individuals do not use a significant portion of their skill set in a given job. Not being able to use some of your management level skill set should not concern an employer if you are motivated to do a great job.
When you are qualified to do a job, and sincerely want the job, be ready with ammunition to fight for the job.
Ken Pelczarski is owner and founder of Pelichem Associates, a Chicago-based search firm established in 1985 and specializing in the lubricants industry. You can reach Ken at (630) 960-1940 or at pelichem@aol.com.