Doncha just hate being told that you’re “over qualified”?
➔ On the surface, it just doesn’t make sense. You apply for a job. You know that you can do the job. (Just don’t tell your interviewer that you can do this job “with my eyes closed” or “with one hand tied behind my back.” That most likely will come across as just a bit over the top.)
And yet, you don’t get the job. Why not? They admit that you’re “over qualified.” That’s when you scream, “How can that be?” How could you have too much talent; too much experience; or too much of (something) that disqualilfies you for the job?
Of course the $64,000 question is: How do you respond?
Sometimes the direct approach is best. You’ve been told that you’re overqualified. And you respond, “What exactly bothers you about that?” When you get them to verbalize their concerns, you will find yourself in prime position to refute their misgivings.
It’s similar to the tactic of checking the list of their requirements that we discussed the other day. “You want X. I can do X.”
This aspect of my over-qualification bothers you? “Let me tell you how that can work to your advantage.” “Let me explain to you why that’s not a concern.”
The best news is that an interview is the best time to address those kinds of objections. When you’re face-to-face with the interviewer, you can read their responses; you can fully state your case. You can do that so much better in person as opposed to over the phone and certain better than via email.
When they say you’re “over qualified,” turn the tables on them. Force them to tell you why that’s a bad thing.
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