Why Do Companies Overlook Overqualified Applicants?
Have you ever wondered, why is it that you have all the qualifications and then some, but no response from employers. Not only did you tailor your resume using the ATS format and included a cover letter to “sell” yourself and show that you have taken time out to research the company, so that you can understand their needs.
People are applying for jobs, showing they can transfer their skills from one field to another. Others have changed career paths for their own high level of employment satisfaction. Also, there is this thing called ageism and other bias that talent recruiters may be utilizing.
So how would you know that talent recruiters are using those biases? Because they go to your LinkedIn page and with LinkedIn premium you can see exactly who viewed your profile.
Overqualified applicants trigger something in talent acquisition that makes them create these biases of concern. For instance, they may believe overqualified candidates will leave the job if hired for a better one, they may also think the person’s experience is worth three times the hourly pay this job offers, or we can’t hire them because maybe they really don’t want this job. This is not always the case with most overqualified applicants. If recruiters or hiring managers didn’t skim a resume for 10 seconds and actually read the applicant’s cover letter, they would learn something about the person applying.
When you excuse a candidate just based on over-qualification, you annihilate a chance to thoroughly consider what this individual can present to your organization. Here are three easy reasons why you should give your overqualified candidates another once-over:
A.) Your up-and-comer pool gets wider
It’s really self-evident, considering overqualified candidates, you're naturally growing your candidate pool. This can be particularly helpful in case you're lacking in applicants or need to fill a position rapidly.
B.) You realize they are at any rate "qualified"
Probably the greatest obstacle while recruiting somebody is whether they'll have the option to effectively complete the obligations of the job. For an overqualified candidate, this obstacle is removed from the situation, since they've more than likely done this definite occupation previously. You'll in any case need to vet the contender for different characteristics (like character fit), yet essentially you realize they can execute the fundamental assignments related with the job.
C.) They could turn into your most noteworthy member of the organization
If talent acquisitions or hiring managers could move past their underlying suspicions and recruit overqualified candidates, they might find that they have a ton to bring to the table. Overqualified candidates have a noteworthy abundance of experience with an assortment of jobs, these candidates can apply new viewpoints and thoughts to an organization that has never been utilized.
However, not every overqualified candidate will be a good fit for your organization and that is why you still have to vet each one through the interview process.
If talent recruiters were more proactive in the hiring process, instead of overlooking seasoned candidates, they would stop discarding those resumes and quit complaining that no one wants to work. Hiring managers need to stop and think about the companies needs, now and in the future. You’d be surprised what insights you would gain and what overqualified applicants bring to an organization.
