When a job opens up in today’s economy, it receives a lot of attention. And no wonder: More than 15 million Americans need work. And if you’re a hiring manager, you may have found that the best way to shrink that pile of résumés on your desk is to weed out the seemingly “overqualified” workers first. After all, you reason, those candidates will want too much money and will jump ship the minute they find a better offer. Right?
Not necessarily. Saying someone is overqualified is basically saying he or she is too skilled or too experienced. The truth is, candidates with well-developed skills, a lot of working world experience and the right attitude are exactly what you should want. When you ignore candidates based on your own assumptions or perceptions about what you see on their résumés, you run the risk of missing out on great employees.