I have been unintentionally reflecting on this topic lately. The reason is probably because I am still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that not only is being overqualified for a position an actual reason to not be considered, but it has also been a label that I personally have been hit with in my own job hunt within the last several months.

The image above is one instance from this past July, with the recruiter’s email and the company name blocked for their protection (despite my disappointment, I still need to respect them). This same company also denied me an interview opportunity earlier this year for a higher level position, saying (not explaining) that they were going in a different direction, but would keep me on file as they “have a need for freelancers”.

In today’s difficult job market, especially following a pandemic of COVID, layoffs and furloughs that drove workers to take on roles below their paygrade, it has grown increasingly challenging to navigate and translate the constantly mutating politics and unpredictability of landing a job, and this sort of “reason” of being overqualified may seem like an absolute cheap-shot excuse just to say no.

However, when considering further how a candidate can be overqualified for a role, we can at least gain a bit of understanding of the thought process of the company doing the hiring. Here are three things to consider behind the “overqualified” label.

They are looking for someone to grow with. Most hiring managers are seeking candidates who are in it for the long run and, in doing so, want someone they can build into that company’s next potential leader. Someone with an illustrious resume of experience may bring something that companies may not be ready for at that particular moment: innovation, new ideas, change. They want someone who is ready to embrace the company’s montage and method of doing business without a lot of pushback from an experience worker coming in from outside.

They fear your experience may lead to boredom. Your extensive experience may have the hiring manager thinking that the role is well below your status. They may fear that you would become bored with the duties, which can lead to complacency which can lead to errors in operation. As mentioned before, hiring managers are typically looking for candidates ready for the long haul. Someone who may become bored with the position may start looking for a new position faster than that probationary period.

Your experience makes you too expensive. The last big interview process I went through was back in October of 2023 for a multimedia writer position with a D.C. college, and it was actually the second time I interviewed for a position there that year. We spoke online and they invited me to campus to speak with the team. It was during my sit down with the Associate VP of Communications that had me thinking that they believed they could not afford me.

This is what he said: “You have experience, but this job does not pay that much.”

As the carpet needs to match the drapes in most situations, companies are in constant battle to make sure their budgets balance out. I was ghosted after that day and have not heard from them again since.

Where to go from there?

As I have mentioned before, 2023 was year of rejections under the reason of “overqualified”. On the one side, I took absolute offense as performing a bit of freelance work lifted me from “underqualified” to “overqualified” without a lengthy pit stop under “qualified”. Additionally, my employment situation at the time had me, an overqualified candidate, making approximately twenty thousand dollars less in salary than the new undergrad with no relevant experience that they so desperately sought. Since then, I have taken a supervisor role at my current company while continuing my search.

However, another take away is that it may be time to start looking into those higher positions. Maybe this means it’s time to take that plunge after new, greater responsibilities; to challenge yourself by tackling higher stakes. The roles I was pursuing were “associate” titles.

This week, I am en route to discussing my potential candidacy for a “management” position.

There’s a saying:

I don’t have a problem if you aim high and miss, but I am going to have a problem if you aim low and hit.

Aim high until you hit and, when you do, aim higher.