How to Handle an Overqualified Job Candidate

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How to Handle an Overqualified Job
Candidate Let's say you are performing a job
interview and all of the questions are answered
perfectly by the applicant for the position. You
grow more and more excited about the prospect of
hiring her. And it hits you then
overqualified. Ask, for instance, why the
applicant is interested in working for your
business, making it clear that you expect a
specific and candid response. The answer to this
question will help you decide whether the person
in your small business is likely to be committed
to a position. If the candidate says he is
looking for a less managerial duty to simplify
his working life, this is a good indication that
he will be satisfied with your company's regular
non-supervisory position. Listen as much as
possible for genuine answers. The candidate may
also be looking for a job that offers more
flexibility than she has in her present
position. Or perhaps she's looking for a career
change. It is important to get a handle on this
motivation issue, whatever the case may be
because it could play into the long-term
prospects of the person with your company. When
making a job offer, you can transform an
overqualified job candidate into an A-player if
you offer someone a good compensation package and
a superior lifestyle. When interviewing an
overqualified candidate, also consider the future
plans of your business. Maybe a person isn't a
perfect fit for what you're doing now but when
you launch a new initiative or product six
months from now she would be wonderful to have on
board. While you can't make any promises, as you
consider whether to proceed with the hire, the
candidate's response to this discussion should
be informative. The salary and benefits package
you're likely to offer is another key topic to
discuss. Be totally honest about this and
measure the response of the candidate to what may
be a lower wage than she has previously
received. The lifestyle of a person generally
changes as their salary goes up, and cutting back
a bit feels like one is going in the wrong
direction. Consider accepting a counter-offer
focused, ironically, on compensation. It can
solve a specific problem for the time being, but
it's not a long-term solution. The candidate can
take a lesser position with less money, but the
first recruiter who comes knocking with a better
title and a better level of pay and peace! When
you consider a candidate who seems overqualified
for your position, this retention problem is
likely to be a primary concern. It's important to
remember, however, that you need all kinds of
people to make your business successful, and the
key to boosting others on your team may be a
more experienced recruit. A study examining the
link between overqualification, job satisfaction,
and turnover found that job empowerment helped
lessen the worries of employers regarding
overqualified workers, says
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an article in Workopolis. Empowerment means
granting workers responsibility or autonomy in
their positions. People from a variety of
backgrounds, skill sets, and experience often
make up the best teams. Employers can tap into a
pool of self-aware and motivated employees eager
to find a new challenge by being open to
candidates who could seem overqualified on
paper. Finish your interview by asking the
overqualified person some more general questions
to make sure you've found one of those
self-aware candidates. A Monster article suggests
that you directly approach the problem How do
you feel about coming from your last position to
this position? I am curious about why you are
interested in this company and what would keep
you here. Finish with open-ended interview
questions What concerns do you have about the
size or culture of the organization? What do you
want to ask me? Avoid candidates who only ask
about things, such as time off or pay, that
affect them. Focus instead on applicants whose
answers and questions reflect an interest in how
they can benefit you and the growth of your
business. Conclusion It's OK to have concerns
about overqualified applicants, but don't
automatically end the interview and move on to
the next applicant if you come across such a guy.
If you carefully focus your questions, you might
end up recruiting someone who is going to be a
stronger, more loyal, and more efficient
employee than you thought. That could make your
whole team stronger, so the risk could be worth
it.