Do not reject "overqualified" candidates that can make you a rockstar. Agree ?

Here are reasons why many hiring managers avoid hiring "overqualified" candidates.

1) The hiring managers feel insecure in their own position and feel intimidated by someone who in actuality can make them and their team all rockstars.

2) The hiring managers say the candidate is too old to fit into the culture of their young teams. That reason is illegal. Nobody fits exactly into anything anyway. We are not square pegs to be fitted into square holes. Leaders make room for people to fit into.

3) The hiring managers say the candidate is "old school" and things are different now. But - "overqualified" candidates teach their colleagues things that the colleagues did not even know they needed to know.

4) The hiring managers say that the candidate will be bored - that's a terrible excuse. Good people are never bored. They find new ways of doing things, just like that inventor in the above picture.

5) The hiring managers say they do not want to pay that much. But - experience and knowledge have a great return:

The higher salary gets offset handsomely by the output of "overqualified" employees.

6) The hiring managers say that the candidate will jump ship at the first opportunity. But - numerous studies have shown that this is a myth, and that "overqualified" candidates on average stay longer in their jobs. Says HBR in "The Myth of the Overqualified Worker": "New research shows that overqualified workers tend to perform better than other employees, and they don’t quit any sooner. Furthermore, a simple managerial tactic—empowerment—can mitigate any dissatisfaction they may feel."

---

I HIRED someone smarter than me, by a lot, and OVERQUALIFIED.

I never feel threatened by someone smarter, and in fact, hired MANY people who were smarter and had more experience than me.

I never believed in the overqualified myth.

 You want to hire the best people, empower them, and get out of their way.

Show them respect and appreciation for their expertise and contributions.

 Those who have trouble with smart and overqualified employees are insecure micromanagers.

 The candidate I mentioned made major breakthroughs for the company I worked at.

Do you agree ?

--

New: Overqualified employees: you get more than what you pay for them !

Popular articles and Posts

Loyal employees are worth much more than their weight in gold (192,000 Likes)

Never Punish Loyal Employees For Being Honest. (90,000 Likes)

It does not make sense to hire chess players and then treat them like chess pieces. (76,000 Likes)

If you think good employees are expensive, try bad employees (73,000 Likes)

How to give BEST PEOPLE what they want. (68,000 Likes)

I made an offer to someone, and then I got a call from the previous manager. OMG (61,000 Likes)

Life is too short ! Work for someone who appreciates your loyalty and hard work ! (60,000 Likes)

Stop asking these questions on Interviews. (56,000 Likes)

Loyal employees are precious gems, not stepping stones ! (45,000 Likes)

I hired someone who did NOT answer any of my questions. (44,000 Likes)

How to be BRAVE. (42,000 Likes)

Take care of your employees, or your competitors will ! (41,000 Likes)

How To Stop Best People From Being Worst Managers. (35,000 Likes)