You have all of the qualifications and many more, but you can’t seem to land the job. Sound familiar? It’s harder to land a job that you’re overqualified for than you might think.
Why it’s hard to land a job that you’re overqualified for
Employers want to hire an employee who will be a right fit in every sense of the matter. If an employer sees you as overqualified, their concerns might be that the compensation won’t be enough to keep you in the role, or worse, that you’ll be bored in the role and won’t do well.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the result of poor job fit and employee turnover can cost an organization between 50-60% of the person’s annual salary. Companies have to be extremely strategic when it comes to hiring, so if an interviewer or hiring manager has any inkling that you might not be the best candidate to fill the role, they will likely go with someone else.
Edit your resume
Customize your resume to meet the exact position you’re interested in. This is important when applying to any job, but when you’re overqualified for a position, it becomes even more crucial.
When you’re trying to customize your resume to meet a job you’re overqualified for, the key is to highlight all of the skills and qualifications that the desired job description holds, and downplay unnecessary information that might deter someone from hiring you.
For example, if you held the title of client relationship manager and did everything from sales, to client onboarding, to office management and administrative tasks, but you’re applying for an administrative assistant, you’ll want to highlight the office management and client facing communication, and you’ll most likely want to downplay the sales aspects of your previous role.
Note: This does not mean that you should “dumb down” your resume. It’s always great to highlight that you’re smart, strong, and capable, however when you’re applying for a job you’re overqualified for, you need to highlight the requirements of the given job description and show your potential employer why you will thrive within and be satisfied with the role.
Use the cover letter to your advantage
You can only customize a resume so much. Your cover letter is your opportunity to explain exactly why you want this specific position, and why you would be amazing at it. When you’re applying for a job that you’re overqualified for, use the cover letter to explain why you want to take on a role that may be beneath you.
This could be any reason from caring deeply about a cause, or wanting to work with this specific company, or even something more personal like relocation due to a family member. Whatever your reason is, use your cover letter to explain yourself and show the reader that you truly do want the position even if it might be a lower level position that you’ve held in the past.
Look at it from a different perspective
It’s easy to feel like you’re a shoe in for the role if you have all of the qualifications and more, but try your best to look at it from the perspective of the hiring manager. Take note of the potential downfalls of hiring someone overqualified for the position, and aim to highlight why that won’t affect your ability to successfully complete the job requirements in your documents. Show all of the reasons why it would be beneficial to hire you, and show the reader why you really want the job. Employers want to hire candidates who want to be there, and if you can show that through your resume and cover letter, you will have a much better shot at securing the role.
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Landing a job that you’re overqualified for is harder than you might expect, but if you can persuade your potential employer that you really want to take on the job and that you’re excited about it, the process will be much easier. Remember that it is a risk to higher an employee who is overqualified for a position, and show your potential employer why you’re worth that risk!