Overqualified For The Job? 5 Ways to Make It Work

When you apply for a job, your challenge is to prove to the employer that you are the best fit for the position. You have the right skills, the required qualifications, and maybe even the perfect personality. But what if you have too much of any or even all of those? What if you are overqualified for the job?

Being overqualified might mean:

• too many years’ experience in a job or industry
• qualifications far beyond what is needed for the position
• an advanced skill set

You may have worked in leadership roles, but the position you apply for is part of a team. You may be on a salary far higher than that offered by the job you apply for. Overall, you offer more as an employee than the employer needs for the job. So why is that a bad thing?

One of the biggest concerns of any business is staff turnover. How quickly do employees move on to other employers? Losing a member of staff is expensive. When an employee leaves, they take with them:

• the knowledge needed to do the job
• familiarity with the way the business operates
• working relationships with other employees and business clients

The gap that employee leaves not only triggers the expense of recruiting a new worker. There’s also the expense of developing that new worker to the same standard as the person they have replaced.

In an employer’s eyes, an overqualified candidate may quickly become bored with their new job and move on, triggering a new recruitment process and all the time and expense involved in that. They may also be concerned that you won’t be happy to take instruction from senior staff, will bring a superior attitude to the workplace, and be unhappy with the salary offered.

So how do you combat an employer’s negative attitude towards overqualified candidates right from the start?

1. Be Honest With Yourself

Before you apply, be honest with yourself about why you want to work in a job that you are overqualified for. Is it because:

• you want a change of pace to a less demanding role?
• you want to reduce the hours you work?
• this is a move into a new industry?
• you’re new to the area?
• you’re returning to work after unemployment, sickness, or time rearing children?
• you can survive on a lower salary and are happy to do so?
• you want to work flexibly, perhaps remotely or on a desk-share basis?
• you just need a job?

Once you know your ‘why’, you can find ways to dismiss your overqualification to the employer.

Need help with your job search? You might find our article Can Science Help With Your Job Hunt? a useful read.

2. Tailor Your CV

Whenever you apply for a new job, it’s always recommended that you tailor your CV to fit. You might alter the profile paragraph that sums up your strengths as a candidate, rewrite job entries to emphasise the skills and experience needed for the job, and re-arrange your list of accomplishments.

Tailoring your CV for a job that you’re overqualified for is just the same. Focus your CV on how you are suited to the job, instead of how you are not. For instance,

• In the profile paragraph, mention the skills and experience you possess that make you a great fit for the job and include a positive reason for the job move.
• If you feel that your qualifications may prove a problem, move that section to the end of your CV.
• Rewrite your job descriptions to emphasise how well you are suited to the new job. A good tip is to scour the job advert and description for key skills.

Here’s more advice on tailoring your CV to fit the job.

3. Team Up With a Recruiter

Looking for a new job can sometimes feel like you’re shouting into the void. Why not take advantage of professional know-how by teaming up with a recruitment service? Their knowledge of the employment market can be invaluable in:

• connecting with employers who want candidates like you
• providing advice on your CV, application, and interview skills
• giving you access to jobs that may not have been advertised yet

At JobLookUp, we save you time by finding job opportunities from all across the UK. Register with JobLookUp today to get your job search started.

4. How To Approach the Interview

First, you may be overqualified for the job, but you have applied for this position for a reason. It might be to start on a fresh career path in a new industry or to improve your work-life balance. You want this job, so don’t enter the interview with an arrogant mindset.

Second, the subject of whether you are overqualified is likely to be on the interviewer’s mind. Rather than try to avoid this, make sure it is discussed in the interview and that you answer the employer’s doubts. If they don’t raise the subject, make sure that you do.

Finally, emphasise your enthusiasm for the job and that you’re an excellent fit.

5. Answering Employer Doubts

How do you convince the employer that your level of experience, education, and skills do not over qualify you for the job?

Think back to your honest talk with yourself. Why have you applied for a job that you might be overqualified for? Now sell that idea to the employer.

For instance, you want to reduce your hours so you can do the twice daily school-run. You’re therefore happy to take a cut in salary to improve your work-life balance.

Wrapping It Up

Your challenge in applying for a job that you are overqualified for is to reassure the employer that you are serious about working for them and enthusiastic about the prospect, are a good fit, can offer longevity as an employee, and will bring value to the company. Your success in doing that will depend on:

• knowing why you are applying for the job
• concentrating on what makes you a good fit
• answering employer doubts