There are many legitimate reasons why candidates might apply for jobs where they appear overqualified. But companies often won’t hire “overqualified” candidates. So if you’re in this position, what should you do?

“We’re sorry, but you’re overqualified for this position.”

This can be one of the more frustrating things to hear when you’re applying for jobs. It’s discouraging. After all, it implies that you are qualified enough to do the job well. It also makes you feel powerless as a job seeker: if you’re underqualified, at least there’s something you can do about it. You can always gain more experience and skills. But if a hiring manager says you’re overqualified, you can’t exactly go back in time and forget the skills you’ve learned, or the responsibilities you’ve held. 

Most job seekers aim towards roles that match their relative seniority. But there are some reasons why candidates seek out opportunities that they might be considered overqualified for: maybe a position is closer to home than your current position, or offers better work/life balance. Maybe it’s at a company that’s growing fast, or is in a more interesting industry. Maybe you’ve been in between roles for a while and are just looking for a job in your field.

Companies have good reasons why they turn down candidates for overqualification. They also have some less good reasons. Overall, it’s a thorny issue. 

So on today’s Argentus blog, we’re talking about overqualification and how it affects job searching. Why do companies avoid candidates who seem overqualified? And what can you do, as a candidate, to avoid being perceived as overqualified when applying to positions?

As we often talk about, at Argentus, we sit at the nexus of candidates looking for jobs and companies looking to hire them. As a specialty recruiter in supply chain management and procurement, we aim to match candidates with the right level of seniority. We assess not only whether a candidate is over (or-under) qualified for our clients, but also speak to candidates to deeply understand why they might be applying for a position, even one where their experience might overshoot the position. 

So is it unfair to call candidates overqualified? Not always. There are plenty of legitimate reasons why companies reject overqualified candidates. Still, there are a few things as a candidate you can do to set yourself up for success.

First of all, why do companies worry about overqualification?

The classic reason is that they’re worried an overqualified candidate may be a flight risk. Companies put tremendous resources into recruiting and onboarding employees, so naturally they want to retain them. For that reason, many are afraid of hiring an “overqualified” candidate only for that candidate to take another position for more money within six months or a year. 

Rightly or wrongly, there’s also an impression around employee performance. For mid-career positions and above, companies don’t want to take on a candidate who views the position as a survival job on the way to something more commensurate with their skills. Employers—at least the good ones—don’t want their employees to become bored. If a candidate is bored, they’re less likely to perform, so companies would rather hire people who have room to grow in a position. This perception is a big hurdle that “overqualified” candidates have to overcome. 

Beyond that, there’s also internal equity to consider, which is a big factor in companies’ hiring decisions that often gets overlooked. If you’re a Director of Procurement who’s applying for a Procurement Manager position who will be reporting to a Senior Procurement Manager, the company may be concerned that you might overstep the chain of command and try to manage your manager, or fail to take direction. Often, companies want to avoid this headache. 

All of these factors can put candidates in a tough position, because as mentioned above, there are legitimate reasons why a candidate might want to take a position where they might be perceived as overqualified. 

So what can you do as a candidate? 

It’s all about perception. It’s important to remember that any job search is all about telling a story. If you’re applying for a job where you might appear overqualified, you need to tell a story about why that role is a good long-term fit for you, and not just something to put food on the table. What you want to avoid at all costs is the appearance of desperation. Put yourself in the company’s shoes. What are your reasons for pursuing a position where you may appear overqualified? And then how would a company react, based on the factors above? 

Perhaps you’re a Director-level candidate accustomed to extremely frequent travel, and you’re looking for a position with better work-life balance. Maybe you’re looking to enter an industry that excites you more, at a slightly lower level. Maybe you’ve been commuting for 2 hours each way and this position is closer to home. When you write a cover letter, or do an interview, think about how these factors affect your interest in a position, and incorporate them into your story. 

Beyond that, sometimes candidates look overqualified when they aren’t. (See our post about job title inflation). Every industry has its own way of titling jobs, and within each industry, different companies title jobs differently as well. So you may be a “Director” by name, when in fact your responsibilities are more in line with a manager. This is something to make note of on your resume and/or cover letter. 

One other thing to mention: contract opportunities tend not to have this issue. If a company is bringing on, say, a Procurement Specialist for a 6 month opportunity, they’ll be less concerned about retaining employees for the long haul and will be more open to “overqualified” candidates. For these opportunities, the company wants to make sure that the candidate will fulfil the contract term, but there’s less issues of internal equity. 

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Every candidates’ motivation for seeking a new job is different, and every company is different. Sometimes, you really are overqualified for a position and it will just never work out. But other times, there’s a good reason to apply for a position where you might appear overqualified. And in those cases, it’s worth taking a step back and thinking about your strategy and positioning. Hopefully this post gives some ideas for how to do that. 

And as always, if you have any immediate or upcoming hiring needs in Supply Chain or Procurement, reach out to Argentus today! We specialize in leveraging our unparalleled candidate network in these areas to augment your internal efforts, and deliver the kind of top-shelf candidates who can break down silos and drive supply chain performance. Send an email to recruit@argentus.com outlining your requirements.