I cannot tell you how much I hate the phrase, “They’re overqualified.”
It came up again yesterday after interviewing for a post.
To me, the candidate seemed to be everything we required: competent, skilled, enthusiastic.
But though another colleague agreed with that assessment, they were less enthusiastic about the prospect of working with them.
“They seemed like a really nice person,” they said, “but I’m worried they’re overqualified.”
I couldn’t stop myself from responding.
“I’m overqualified for my role,” I sputtered back, “but here I am. There are many reasons people take roles they may appear overqualified for.”
In truth, this wasn’t really about the candidate at all, though.
They were just worried about the impact of this role on their own career progression.
What if they’re so good that they simply absorb everything?
Another way of saying, what if they show the rest of us up as incompetents?
To which I might respond, let this be a learning opportunity then. An opportunity to learn from a skilled operator.
If only we were more self-aware. We might then see the wood for the trees.
Last modified: 22 September 2024
