I have recently gone through a series of interviews/screenings where the net result was, “I’m sorry, but you are just over-qualified for this position.” In response to that highly frustrating designation, I propose the following: Being classified as “over-qualified” is usually less “You cost too much” and more “I’m afraid you’ll be bored and leave the second something better comes along.”
I think most of us tend to assume that the “real reason” we get put in the “over-qualified” bucket is simply because a company doesn’t want to pay the price we feel we are entitled to command. But I don’t buy it. If it’s really just about the money, then the process would fall apart during financial negotiations. After talking to a number of different hiring managers (not the ones giving me that response, mind you) and recruiters, I have come to believe that “over-qualified” is really code for, “I’m afraid you’ll be bored, take off and then I’ll be back at square one before you even get your desk unpacked.” (After all, hiring is hard work.)
Studies continually show us that one of the most critical elements for employee engagement is a sense of contribution to an organization, and so it’s not entirely impossible to understand why someone who feels bored and unchallenged won’t feel like a strong and engaged contributor.
However, having said that, I propose that classifying someone as “over-qualified” because you fear their boredom will leave them wandering out the door before you’ve made your money back on your hiring choice is actually managerial laziness. Just like I believe the phrase “I don’t have time” really means “I haven’t made it a priority,” I believe that “I’m afraid you’ll be too bored to stay” really means, “I am not prepared to find challenges worthy of your abilities.”
In his book, “Good to Great,” Jim Collins discusses (in detail) that one of the central criteria to companies that made the transition ‘from good to great’ are ones where the focus was on ‘getting the right people on the bus‘ and then sorting out the details once you’re confident in the team you’ve assembled. Every truly exciting work environment I have ever seen has taken this approach.
That’s not to say that there isn’t a tactical job that needs to be done in the immediate term. As a project manager I have ALWAYS been brought in the door under the auspices of delivering technical projects. And yet, without fail, every single time the way my employers got the most ‘bang for their buck’ when it came to me and my abilities, was because they took advantage of my interests and skills in other areas and gave me ‘side projects’ that were valuable to the organization and that helped hone my engagement to the point of fierce loyalty and productivity.
In my case, that has always manifested itself as combining my tactical, technical project management responsibilities with a series of strategic business process improvement initiatives. Most organizations (especially startups) have neither the inclination nor budget to hire someone from the outside to come in and manage business process improvement efforts. Whether it’s implementing a CRM, establishing a PMO or constructing a new employee on-boarding program, those are often things that young organizations do not consider critical while it is getting off the ground, but which do get more important as the organization matures. I have done all of those things, but only after living in an organization, delivering technical projects with practical value and giving my employers the opportunity to see that my ability to contribute to the greater organization is limited only by the opportunities available (many of which I am in the habit of tackling without waiting to be asked).
I was once asked by an interviewer why it was I moved from one role within a company to another. My answer was simple: there was an organizational need that no one was addressing and I decided that I would rather jump in and tackle it (being in over my head for a while at first, to be sure) than leave it unattended for someone else to ‘get around to’ fixing at some point in the future. So, after about six months of making my case to leadership, they finally gave me the chance to prove I could do it. And you know what? I did. And even though it meant 18-hour days, being on-call 24/7 and not getting any sleep for two years, I had more fun and made more progress in that role than I have ever had in any other.
But the first thing that is necessary is having a management team that is dynamic — or I dare say, ‘entrepreneurial’ — enough to take advantage of those type of employees and not cut us off at the knees by locking us into a formally structured role with no room to maneuver. So, while I continue to bemoan being told that I am ‘over-qualified’ for a job, I remind myself that any organization that makes that argument, is unlikely to let me tackle the truly great challenges that give me the best opportunity to make a great contribution while developing my own skills, anyway.
And a note for those who care, a truly great boss would say: “I suspect the role as it’s written might be a little less interesting than you’re looking for, but I am sure you can come in and knock it out of the park. Once you do, I have no doubt we’ll find plenty of other ways to increase your responsibilities to take advantage of all the great things you can offer.”
So, in the meantime, I will continue to look for companies whose focus is on the right person for the organization’s long-term development more than merely a warm body to fill a short-term need. That’s the kind of company I enjoy working for. And that is the kind of company that always gets my best, most creative and dedicated effort.
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