So I’ve spoken about women and other kinds of traditional diversity, personality and experience, new grads, and now it’s time to discuss a difficult topic. What about “overqualified” people?
People who have tons of experience are looking for jobs. Too often, hiring managers don’t want to hire them because the manager thinks the candidate will leave as soon as the economy improves.
I have a question for you hiring managers: Can you read minds? If you do, I want to know your trick, because it’s not working for me.
I know of a very talented mid-level manager who decided she wanted to be a technical writer again, and get out of management. She did. She loves the writing.
A talented program manager decided he wanted to write code again, not manage projects. He does.
Hiring managers, think about what qualities, preferences, and skills you need. Consider the value that a candidate brings. If you can’t pay a candidate what you think the candidate wants, ask what the candidate will take. (I advocate having the salary discussion in the phone screen anyway, to make sure everyone is on the same page.)
Look to your job analysis, not mind reading to see if you are hiring under- or over-qualified people. Don’t practice age discrimination because you think a candidate needs a certain salary.
Remember that careers are non-linear. People want to achieve different things at different points in their careers. You may get more than you have to pay for.
