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Thread: Well then, who DOES hire "overqualified" people?

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    Member Achbek1's Avatar
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    Arrow Well then, who DOES hire "overqualified" people?

    Well then, who DOES hire "overqualified" people?

    I think I've unearthed a bit of an irony in regard to "overqualified" people looking for work.

    It seems that people with master's degrees, JDs, PhDs, etc. who are looking just to get "basic" work are getting DENIED jobs for mid-level office work such as administrative assistant positions, claims representatives, etc.

    The same "overqualified" people ARE however getting OFFERED jobs at the-- ironically-- entry level service jobs such as retail cashiers, Starbucks counter people, cleaning positions, etc.

    WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS?

    I just spoke with a friend yesterday who came back to live in Buffalo with the same oddball master's degree that I have. She was not able to get a job in her field or even an administrative assistant job, but she DID "work a string of retail jobs for many years."

    There are also these people whom I've met, come across, or heard of through friends:

    A lady with an MBA who works as a cleaning lady

    A person with a JD who works as a cashier at Banana Republic

    A person with (the same master's that I have) who works as a cashier at Yankee Candle

    And there are more. Almost all of them, from what I've heard, had applied for "regular" jobs or "office jobs" or other more "mid-level" employment but were denied. When they applied for the service jobs however, they were hired right away.

    So here's what I wonder: WHAT ARE THE HR REASONS AND MECHANICS BEHIND THIS?

    What could the REAL reasons be?

    It seems that HR people at "mid-level office job" places are quick to hire people with just high school diplomas or two year degrees. Why do they not want to hire people who have the equivalent of that and more?

    Are HR people at "mid-level" or "regular office job" places wary of hiring people with "too much education" or experience because they really do think that such people are gonna bolt the second something better comes along, or that such people will have a huffy attitude and walk around going, "I could do so much better than this?" That might be the case, but as someone who is in that position myself, I can tell you that I'd just smile and be happy to do something...

    Also, the fact that so many "overqualified" people are looking to transition to some other kind of employment, I wonder why HR people aren't so willing to give these people "foot in the door" jobs. The overqualified people at least meet or exceed the minimum education and experience requirements too.

    Yet, on the other hand, WHY DO STARBUCKS, JC PENNEY'S AND HOTEL MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENTS have NO QUALMS about hiring people with master's degrees, etc.?!

    Is is that retail and service jobs just "hire anyone" because the turnover is so high and the HR people think "Eh, warm body" no matter how over or underqualified the "warm body" is?

    Is it that, according to the NYS Dept. of Labor Statistics, SERVICE JOBS in the retail and food service industry, etc. just far outrank the other jobs in sheer numbers and density?

    (You could look at the statistics and say that for every one "regular office job" there are 80 retail sales clerks jobs. [Don't quote me on that, I'm estimating.)

    It's an odd scenario. What are your thoughts?
    Last edited by Achbek1; August 24th, 2010 at 08:18 AM.
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    Member yokes's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Achbek1 View Post
    Well then, who DOES hire "overqualified" people?
    ........Are HR people at "mid-level" or "regular office job" places wary of hiring people with "too much education" or experience because they really do think that such people are gonna bolt the second something better comes along, .......
    Yes.

    hiring someone and training them is an investment, when someone is "overqualified" the risk of flight is higher as well as the risk of the employee wont perform well in the position out of boredom etc. and at that point your investment is lost.

    retail has higher turnover and lower entry costs for new employees.

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    Member Achbek1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by yokes View Post
    Yes.

    hiring someone and training them is an investment, when someone is "overqualified" the risk of flight is higher as well as the risk of the employee wont perform well in the position out of boredom etc. and at that point your investment is lost.

    retail has higher turnover and lower entry costs for new employees.
    True. My other suspicions are that maybe HR people realize that many of these overqualified people may be a little on the "mamby pamby" side LOL. What I mean is, that people who have spent the greater part of their formative years studying Romantic Literature and living in the "Ivory Tower" world of academia might have the ruffly attitude and all the letters after their names, but these people often lack BASIC OFFICE SKILLS. The problem could be just lack of qualifications to meet the demands. (I'll admit it, I'm looking at the job posting sites and I'm not experienced with medical billing, insurance claims, etc. All the time I spent "studying fluff" did not give me "regular" experience with "normal" lines of work.)
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    I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit Achey.

    I bet it has more to do with turnover risks than what your degree was. Probably a Neurosurgeon, Business Executive, or Advanced Engineer (careers you might consider less "mamby pamby") would find the same difficulty get a mid-level office job where the employer assumes they'd ditch the job as soon as something better comes along. But McDonald's will go ahead and hire them because all their employees are transient anyway. The neurosurgeon wouldn't quit any faster than the typical 16 year-old that works for only 2 months and quits for school or other opportunities.

    So basically the minimum wage entry jobs might hire anyone regardless of over-qualifications, but mid-level jobs want to have longer-term employees and will be more suspicious of someone that is over qualified.

    ...which SUCKS when you're looking for a job.

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    Member Bioguy231's Avatar
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    I've hired a lot of people in the past and I personally don't like hiring overqualified people for one simple reason. Most of them will take the job but then continue looking for something they think they are qualified for. Then when they find something, I'm left going through the hiring process all over again which is costly and wastes a lot of my time.

    However, if someone wants to a job they are overqualified for, they can simply leave some of their credentials and experience off their resume.

    For example, if they REALLY want a job as a janitor, they should NOT put on their resume that they attended Harvard Medical School and completed their Neurosurgery Residency.
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    I've been through what seems to be THOUSANDS of resumes from people in the computer industry and have sat through countless interviews as well.

    There are a few different types of "overqualified" folks
    1)The Underachiever - Someone whose education and job history are completely out of alignment. These people went through 4+ years of college and continue to seek out positions that completely underutilize their degree (think a Computer Science major that has held the "Helpdesk" position at three diferent companies since graduating) These people have no self-confidence, no ideas, and are afraid to take risks.
    2)The Dead-Ender - Someone seeking a position that requires 1/4 of the education and experience that they have with the intention of rapidly moving up the corporate ladder. The problem is that there isn't any room for movement in the near future, so they just won't be happy.
    3)The Need-a-job - Like the Dead-Ender , this is someone seeking a position that requires 1/4 of the education and experience that they have, but only because they've been out of work for a year and they need a job. These people offer no suggestions as to how their experience is going to help the company. They just need a job right now.

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    Member Achbek1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bioguy231 View Post

    For example, if they REALLY want a job as a janitor, they should NOT put on their resume that they attended Harvard Medical School and completed their Neurosurgery Residency.
    Y know, I did that once. I applied for a receptionist/admin position with a local community newspaper and left off the master's degree. I also hyped up the office temp jobs I had before I started my "real" job after grad school.

    They called me back right away for an interview.

    The thing is, I had a panicky "Oh ****!" moment and told them I had to withdraw my application because my "childcare arrangements had changed" or some other flaky excuse.
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    Member Achbek1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ERIEMAN View Post
    I've been through what seems to be THOUSANDS of resumes from people in the computer industry and have sat through countless interviews as well.

    There are a few different types of "overqualified" folks
    1)The Underachiever - Someone whose education and job history are completely out of alignment. These people went through 4+ years of college and continue to seek out positions that completely underutilize their degree (think a Computer Science major that has held the "Helpdesk" position at three diferent companies since graduating) These people have no self-confidence, no ideas, and are afraid to take risks.
    2)The Dead-Ender - Someone seeking a position that requires 1/4 of the education and experience that they have with the intention of rapidly moving up the corporate ladder. The problem is that there isn't any room for movement in the near future, so they just won't be happy.
    3)The Need-a-job - Like the Dead-Ender , this is someone seeking a position that requires 1/4 of the education and experience that they have, but only because they've been out of work for a year and they need a job. These people offer no suggestions as to how their experience is going to help the company. They just need a job right now.
    Good insights! Thanks for giving the "other side's" perspective. You always wonder what goes through HR people's heads.
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    Member Achbek1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 300miles View Post
    I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit Achey.

    I bet it has more to do with turnover risks than what your degree was. Probably a Neurosurgeon, Business Executive, or Advanced Engineer (careers you might consider less "mamby pamby") would find the same difficulty get a mid-level office job where the employer assumes they'd ditch the job as soon as something better comes along. But McDonald's will go ahead and hire them because all their employees are transient anyway. The neurosurgeon wouldn't quit any faster than the typical 16 year-old that works for only 2 months and quits for school or other opportunities.

    So basically the minimum wage entry jobs might hire anyone regardless of over-qualifications, but mid-level jobs want to have longer-term employees and will be more suspicious of someone that is over qualified.

    ...which SUCKS when you're looking for a job.

    Miles, you are correct. Oh, and I love it when you say "mamby pamby."
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    I still find it rather appalling that there are millions upon millions of people who NEED a jon NOW to live.... screw their lifestyle, just to live. and companies refuse to hire people cause their 'over qualified'. this i think is largely due to the whole 'must attand college, and get into that massive financial hole, so you can get a good job' attitude that has been forced into the 'advice lane' of millions of parents. Most of those 'good jobs' have been outsourced to china and india, leaving millions of people high and dry fighting over the crumbs on the bottom of the barrel. then we have employers who are in the 'what if' category news flash - any 'qualified' job that opens up will have hundreds, if not thousands of appliants, and the chances of the underqualified persons leaving in drives is pretty slim. personally, i think its an excuse. this way the company doesnt look bad, ause they an say 'hey we are looking for people, when in reality, they arnt.
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    Member Bioguy231's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Achbek1 View Post
    Y know, I did that once. I applied for a receptionist/admin position with a local community newspaper and left off the master's degree. I also hyped up the office temp jobs I had before I started my "real" job after grad school.

    They called me back right away for an interview.

    The thing is, I had a panicky "Oh ****!" moment and told them I had to withdraw my application because my "childcare arrangements had changed" or some other flaky excuse.
    Hey, there's nothing wrong at all with leaving things off your resume. The resume has one and only one purpose......to get you an interview. When you go to the interview, if you want, you can tell them, "Hey, I didn't put on my resume that I went to medical school and trained in neurosurgery. But I found out that's not what I want to do." If you do a good job explaining that they'll like your honesty and appreciate your candidness. In the interview you want to convince them that you really want to do the job, will try your hardest to do it well, and you'll be fun to have around.
    Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem. Ronald Reagan

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    Member Achbek1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bioguy231 View Post
    Hey, there's nothing wrong at all with leaving things off your resume. The resume has one and only one purpose......to get you an interview. When you go to the interview, if you want, you can tell them, "Hey, I didn't put on my resume that I went to medical school and trained in neurosurgery. But I found out that's not what I want to do." If you do a good job explaining that they'll like your honesty and appreciate your candidness. In the interview you want to convince them that you really want to do the job, will try your hardest to do it well, and you'll be fun to have around.
    Y'know, I have a "colleague" who also teaches and has a master's etc. and she managed to land a part time side job as a receptionist at a health club to gain some extra money and extra work. I asked her, "How the HECK did you get them to hire you and not accuse you of being overqualified?"

    Her answer?

    She knew someone.

    That's why I guess I just have to keep networking... *Sigh*
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    Member Achbek1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FMD View Post
    I still find it rather appalling that there are millions upon millions of people who NEED a jon NOW to live.... screw their lifestyle, just to live. and companies refuse to hire people cause their 'over qualified'. this i think is largely due to the whole 'must attand college, and get into that massive financial hole, so you can get a good job' attitude that has been forced into the 'advice lane' of millions of parents. Most of those 'good jobs' have been outsourced to china and india, leaving millions of people high and dry fighting over the crumbs on the bottom of the barrel. then we have employers who are in the 'what if' category news flash - any 'qualified' job that opens up will have hundreds, if not thousands of appliants, and the chances of the underqualified persons leaving in drives is pretty slim. personally, i think its an excuse. this way the company doesnt look bad, ause they an say 'hey we are looking for people, when in reality, they arnt.
    It's true... Times are difficult right now and quite frankly I think it's the kids who are doing the quick two year degrees and/or trade school programs who are coming out on top way above the kids who go to college/grad school forever.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Achbek1 View Post

    A lady with an MBA who works as a cleaning lady

    A person with a JD who works as a cashier at Banana Republic
    Why aren't these people self-employed? I took a job right out of law school just to get experience so I could become a professional self-employed person.

    The lady with an MBA should be running her own cleaning business.

    The JD should be practicing law.

    The only reason they are not is because they are slugs.

    People who get MBA's and JD's, then cry about not being able to find "a job" should never had gotten the degree in the first place.

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    Member Achbek1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nogods View Post
    Why aren't these people self-employed? I took a job right out of law school just to get experience so I could become a professional self-employed person.

    The lady with an MBA should be running her own cleaning business.

    The JD should be practicing law.

    The only reason they are not is because they are slugs.

    People who get MBA's and JD's, then cry about not being able to find "a job" should never had gotten the degree in the first place.
    Interesting points.
    I'm just here to make people laugh. And to confuse people. Oh, and to irritate people.

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