The Myth of the Overqualified Candidate

Finding top-quality talent is no easy task, particularly within today’s highly competitive market for the healthcare industry. The specialized knowledge and expertise needed for many Quality and Regulatory Compliance roles make this effort that much more challenging. So, when you do come across a candidate who can provide tremendous contributions to your team, you can’t afford to miss the opportunity. Unfortunately, that’s what happens when hiring managers decide to reject a candidate because they feel he or she may be over-qualified. Can a temporary consultant truly be over-qualified and therefore not be the right fit for your project? Certainly. However, you should proceed with caution before ruling out so-called “over-qualified” individuals and consider the following seven points:

1. Titles can be misleading.

I sometimes hear hiring managers say that they feel any consultant at the director level and up will be over-qualified for a particular role because they need someone who can dive into the details. Directors come in all different shapes and sizes, with different strengths, different attitudes, and different experiences, so don’t make the mistake of lumping them all into one bucket. Moreover, a director doesn’t mean the same thing in all environments. For example, the roles and responsibilities of a director at a small biotech will typically be very different than those of a director at a big pharma company.

2. You can be experienced, and hands-on.

Similar to the first point above, hiring managers tend to equate experience with someone who doesn’t want to get his or her hands dirty. But the reality of today’s work environment is that everyone needs to be hands-on. So even people who have been working for many years and have had large staffs reporting into them could not have survived without the ability to roll up their sleeves -- even more so with consultants. The term “consultant” is a bit of a misnomer. Consultants know they are not there to merely consult, but rather to use their valuable experience to be an effective “do-er” and get things done.

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3. You can’t afford inexperience.

As a leader in your Quality and Regulatory Compliance department, you have a critical responsibility to ensure that pharmaceutical products and medical devices are safe and effective. The consequences of mistakes or noncompliance impact patients’ lives and can bring about significant consequences for your company, including warning letters, fines, plant closures, recalls, consent decrees, and reputational damage. With that in mind, having very experienced external resources (even so-called “over-qualified” resources) supplementing your internal team could be what you need for peace of mind.

4. Great deals are hard to come by.

Is there such as thing as having too much experience? Working with your staffing provider, you’ll find that you can often get a very experienced and knowledgeable consultant at the same rate as someone less experienced. How can you beat that deal? And even if the more experienced individual comes at a slightly higher rate, after weighing the costs versus benefits, you may very well discover it’s still a fantastic deal that you can’t pass up.

5. Don’t over-react to the fear of boredom.

The fear many hiring managers have about potentially over-qualified resources is that the individual will not be challenged and therefore will become bored, which of course can lead to turnover if not adequately addressed. But remember, external consultants are typically not there for the long-term. It’s a particular project or assignment, and therefore the risk of boredom setting in is much lower. Also, you can always put additional responsibilities on his or her plate to provide further support and leverage for you and your internal team members, or even move the consultant to a new role later on so that he or she can continue to add value on a daily basis.

6. You can try before you buy.

If you are contemplating whether to bring on a permanent resource or a temporary consultant, and the potential for over-qualification has you somewhat concerned, the “try before you buy” approach may be the way to go. If things aren’t working out, it’s much easier to break ties and move on from an external consultant. On the other hand, if things are going well and your hesitancy about the individual being over-qualified has subsided, you can always convert him or her to a permanent employee down the road.

7. Be open and transparent.

If you’re struggling with the possibility of bringing on someone who is over-qualified, have an open and honest conversation about your concerns. Gauge the candidate's reaction and try to understand why they are so interested in the project. You’ll likely find out that many consultants are well aware that their role on your project may be at a lower level as compared to their past experiences, and they are completely fine with that. In fact, that’s very common in the world of consulting.

At the end of the day, it’s all about capturing a golden opportunity to work with someone who can make tremendous contributions to your team and make you that much more successful. The fact is, many consultants do have a ton of experience and are extremely qualified. Isn’t that a good thing? Actually, a great thing? These are people who have seen so much, and at this point in their careers, they are simply looking to add value to your team using their vast knowledge and expertise, as well as the lessons they’ve learned over the years. Take advantage of it!