Hiring From the Top – Questions to Ask Overqualified Candidates

 
The “new normal” for hiring is to wade through the pool of overqualified talent to find an employee who won’t sink, but who won’t still look for a better offer. When I interview a job candidate, I ask about the size of the companies they have worked for in the past. Larger companies have more resources than smaller businesses can offer, and if a potential hire is accustomed to more resources, this could mean they will get frustrated and cause trouble for the rest of the staff down the road. I also ask how a potential new hire plans to adapt to the new work environment; set up a plan with goals and targets in line with other employees in their department to set the course of what’s expected.

All of that said, overqualified hires have the potential to help you upgrade your staff, so you should not be afraid to do so with someone who can take your company to the next level, even if this means replacing a current employee who is idly floating by. Read more tips on how to manage overqualified new hires.

Comments

[Simon]

Hmm.

I've been reading around and from what I can see those in a position to hire do seem to be just a little on the silly side.

A normal reason to not consider someone who looks overqualified is that they are desperate. That stikes me as so strange. Imagine having no salary yourself. Does that mean you are somehow unable to perform? Imagine it! So shameful that you have to pay for things like utitlities and grocieries! Does it signify some terrible contagion? No it means that those who want to work want to pay their way in the world, so why do employers find that quality so objectionable?

What it is indicative of, is an employer who can't understand basic human needs, and if they can't do that then you really have to reconsider working for that organisation.

Another common reason is the fear of a huge salary. When employers haven't yet discussed salary requirements with a potential employee, then that smacks of an organisation unable to collect evidence and making sound assessments of that evidence prior to decision-making. That does not bode well for future growth and diversification in any organisation. Look at it another way. Would you want a person with such aptitude sitting on a jury judging you in a criminal court?

I've just been talking to a woman in Scotland who now has two doctorate degrees; rather than wasting her mind, she has filled her time productively over many years. Yet she cannot find a position anywhere. All that potential thrown away because employers will only hire from their competitors is so sad and wasteful.

I fear for a new underclass; an over-qualified, over-educated one.