Is Hiring an Overqualified Candidate Good for Your Company?

In a word, yes.

Hiring managers are generally wary of hiring job candidates they deem to be overqualified. The main concern managers have is that the person will find the job challenging, soon grow bored with it, and leave for better opportunities.

But research has shown that these fears are misplaced. Investigations have shown that people considered overqualified usually outperform other workers, and the overqualified people stay in the job as long as other people.

Another hesitation hiring managers have is a concern about money, that they will have to pay the person more than usual. But this isn’t the case either. If someone is applying for a job he or she is overqualified for, they are not doing it for the money. It is more probable that the person wants to leave a job they dislike, or a boss they are not getting along with, or for a career change. Or they may see the company as a good place to work, with values that closely align with their own.

So, hiring managers who refuse to consider these workers are passing up a real opportunity to help their company. There are several advantages to hiring an overqualified worker.

1. They will require less training

If someone is overqualified, they will probably have all of the skills they need to perform well in the job immediately and will be able to hit the ground running.

2. They will be easier to manage

They probably won’t require much input from their supervisor on how to do the job, handle the workload, adjust, or handle unexpected events.

3. They will be able to take on bigger challenges

Because they have the skills needed, they will be able to take on additional responsibilities if needed.

4. They will be more productive

Again, because the person will be able to get off to a fast start and will be able to avoid the pitfalls that a less experienced person might fall victim to, the overqualified worker will usually be more productive than the average worker.

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