An interviewer described me as over-qualified for a consultant role. In Fall 2019, on my second interview for a Project Consultant role, I asked, “Is there anything about my background or resume that makes you question whether I am a good fit for this role?”
The person interviewing me was the manager for the position. She responded “Sonji, you check all the boxes and your background and personality make you a good candidate for this position and company. My only concern is that you may be overqualified since you have management experience and a team reporting to you. This is not a company where people have assistants.” The company did not hire me for this position.
Recruiters and hiring managers, people with management experience can be successful individual contributors. Middle managers are sometimes labeled with not enough management experience for leadership roles and too much experience to be an individual contributor. What a conundrum for a person looking for a job to work his or her way out of!
Don’t eliminate managers as good candidates for non-management roles. Many middle managers were top performing individual contributors that were promoted into management. And, dare I say it, some managers prefer being individual contributors. How does experience make someone “too” qualified? Middle managers are candidates who know and can do the work and are ready to be groomed at the right company to ultimately fill management positions again some day.
Thank you Bridgette Hyacinth. Your LinkedIn post about “Being Over-Qualified” inspired me to share this experience.