Interviewing when you’re overqualified

Chris Wodke

www.summittrainingpublications.com

In a tough job market you may not be able to find a position that would be a promotion or even the equivalent of your last job.  You may very well find yourself in an interview being asked questions about being overqualified.  The hiring manager is concerned either you will be bored and under motivated or move on when something better comes along.

Here are some questions you might be asked and how to deal with them:

1. Why would you want this position, your last position had much more responsibility.   There may be many reasons you would welcome a less intense position. Maybe you just had a child and don’t want to work a 60 hour week. A less responsible position may be a better fit for your new personal situation. Perhaps the position is with a company that offers better compensation and benefits than your last position. The better package is worth mentioning as a reason to come aboard.  Since you handled a much tougher job you can hit the ground running and will need little training. You can be expect to hit the ground running.
   
   
2. Wouldn’t you be bored?  This job may not challenge your skills.
   Talk about your past success. .  Since you handled a much tougher job you can hit the ground running and will need little training. You can be expecting to produce results in very short order. Achievement and getting things done will keep you motivated. In short you are a good value for the money. You want an organization you can grow with and ware willing to start in this position.
   
   
3. How do I know you will stay with the company?
   If you have several long term stints with companies discuss that and the skills you brought to those companies.  Talk about being part of a team and how you identified with the companies where you worked. Talk about the stability you have had and how you plan on staying long term if hired?
   
   
4. There may not be an opportunity for a promotion anytime soon due to the economy. Is that ok with you?
   Talk about the great things about the company your research revealed. If you are excited about their products, place in the market or company culture talk about it. If you are excited to learn new things bring that up. Discuss your past success and how you would apply those same skills. If you are successful express confidence that the rewards will come once the economy improves.
   
   
5. Where do you see yourself in five years?
   Talk about how you see the future with this company. Your inside sources or research should have told you about current challenges with this company. Talk about how you will use those skills now and over the next five years to help this organization. Use examples of how you used your skills to solve similar problems at your last job.  Show how you will partner with this business to solve its problems.

Copyright 2012 Summit Training Publications

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